After horrible tragedies like the shootings at the Portland Mall and the awful mass murders of precious little children at the Newtown school, I've heard some people ask, "How could a loving God allow such tragedy?"
Let's remind ourselves of the truth:
"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." (1st John 1:5)
God cannot think evil.
He cannot be tempted to do evil (because in Him there is no darkness at all).
He does not do evil.
His Ten Commandments make it clear that murder (sixth Commandment) is evil.
Therefore,
What then do we say about the horrific crimes of shooting shoppers at a mall, or murdering little, helpless children?
Murder is evil
Anyone who murders is evil.
This does not conflict with the medical or psychological determination that the two perpetrators may have had serious mental illness at the time of the murders.
They are still guilty of murder. ("If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1st John 1:8)
Whether crazy or sane, the amount of rage and hatred in the soul of a man or woman who murders must be staggering.
Where does that rage and hatred come from?
1st John chapter 2: 11: "But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him."
Where does this darkness comes from?
From God?
Absolutely not. We already know from the Bible that there is no darkness in God.
Darkness originates from our separation from God.
When we choose— notice I said "we choose"— to live independent of God, we walk away from God's light and into darkness.
Away from God's light, we no longer listen to or submit to God.
We become lawless.
And this lawlessness is not necessarily the lawlessness of breaking civil rules or laws.
For there are many law-abiding people who are nonetheless lawless...in their hearts and minds.
Evil, murder, sin—call is what you will— is lawlessness.
Back to Portland and Newtown: With no loving Lord God to enlighten them, to counsel them, to restrain them, to convict them of their hate and rage-filled thoughts, these murderers of children and adults have carried out the end result of darkness.
One day, the Lord will put an end to sin and will judge those who have rebelled against His goodness.
But until that time, we all have a choice:
to walk in darkness...
or to walk in the light.
The light is found in Jesus Christ: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."( John 8:12)
Let's remember this: those who do evil are walking in darkness because they have rejected the loving God Who created them.
Lordlessness=Lawlessness.
Let's remind ourselves of the truth:
"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." (1st John 1:5)
God cannot think evil.
He cannot be tempted to do evil (because in Him there is no darkness at all).
He does not do evil.
His Ten Commandments make it clear that murder (sixth Commandment) is evil.
Therefore,
- God does not plan murder,
- He does not condone murder,
- He does not cause evil.
What then do we say about the horrific crimes of shooting shoppers at a mall, or murdering little, helpless children?
Murder is evil
Anyone who murders is evil.
This does not conflict with the medical or psychological determination that the two perpetrators may have had serious mental illness at the time of the murders.
They are still guilty of murder. ("If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1st John 1:8)
Whether crazy or sane, the amount of rage and hatred in the soul of a man or woman who murders must be staggering.
Where does that rage and hatred come from?
1st John chapter 2: 11: "But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded him."
Where does this darkness comes from?
From God?
Absolutely not. We already know from the Bible that there is no darkness in God.
Darkness originates from our separation from God.
When we choose— notice I said "we choose"— to live independent of God, we walk away from God's light and into darkness.
Away from God's light, we no longer listen to or submit to God.
We become lawless.
And this lawlessness is not necessarily the lawlessness of breaking civil rules or laws.
For there are many law-abiding people who are nonetheless lawless...in their hearts and minds.
Evil, murder, sin—call is what you will— is lawlessness.
Back to Portland and Newtown: With no loving Lord God to enlighten them, to counsel them, to restrain them, to convict them of their hate and rage-filled thoughts, these murderers of children and adults have carried out the end result of darkness.
One day, the Lord will put an end to sin and will judge those who have rebelled against His goodness.
But until that time, we all have a choice:
to walk in darkness...
or to walk in the light.
The light is found in Jesus Christ: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."( John 8:12)
Let's remember this: those who do evil are walking in darkness because they have rejected the loving God Who created them.
Lordlessness=Lawlessness.
Well said, Dena!
ReplyDeleteSpot on, Dena. We should not blame God, but praise Him that in the midst of tragedy His love and compassion comforts the grieving and brings good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
ReplyDelete