In the wake of the senseless, mass-shooting in Las Vegas
this past weekend, my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved: the
victims and their families, the first-responders and members of law
enforcement, the doctors and nurses, and the family of Stephen Paddock who
also lost a loved one to this tragedy.
It is at times like these that many of us question how
anyone could carry out such a horrendous act of violence. Was it something that
could be prevented? Could the government have done something to stop the
senseless killing of so many innocent people? Will they be able to prevent future
attacks from taking place?
Sadly, I believe that the issue at the core of this most
recent act of mass-murder—and indeed all other mass-murders in history—is
something that no human institution can control or prevent. It is not a
political hot-topic or a difference in ideologies, but rather a spiritual
propensity for evil present in every living person: Sin. That is to say,
rebellion against God and what He has ordained.
The Bible makes this clear in Jeremiah 17:9 which reads: "the human heart is the most deceitful
of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bade it is?”
(New Living Translation)
Likewise, Jesus also taught that evil comes from within a
person's heart, not from the outside.
"For from the
heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft,
lying, and slander. These are what defile you. ..."
~Matthew 15:19-20 New Living Translation (NLT)
That said, the first sin recorded in the Bible was
rebellion—choosing to disobey a direct commandment from God. (Genesis 3) When Adam and Eve sinned,
they were not only rejecting God, they were also making themselves god in their
own minds—trusting their own moral judgment over God's literal word. Rather than continuing to live in a perfect world that God Himself
had called "good", they chose instead to let evil and the knowledge
thereof into their hearts. Is it any surprise then that the next recorded sin,
found in the very next chapter of Genesis, is when Cain murdered his brother
Abel? (Genesis 4:1-16)
The Bible makes it very clear: Sin—rebellion against God—leads
directly to death and murder. This is why God explicitly condemned murder when
He gave Moses the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.
Is it any wonder then that we find ourselves living in a
country where acts of mass-murder have become commonplace, when so many
Americans seek to remove the Ten Commandments from our courthouses, parks, and
other public spaces? Think about it. As a nation, we have worked tirelessly to
remove any and all mention of God and His commandments from our country. Rather than relying on the universal law given to all mankind by the only sovereign law-giver, we have instead turned to our own moral judgment for guidance.
But if the human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked,
then how can we trust our own moral judgment? If truth is whatever you want to
make it; human life is meaningless, and we are all "just animals,"
then what is to stop someone from behaving like an animal by committing
mass-murder?
The sad truth of the matter is, that until this nation stops denying the God
who says that murder is wrong, we will never see an end to senseless acts of
violence. Murder comes from within a person's sinful heart and we are all
sinners. (Romans 3:10-18, 3:23) But there is hope for the
hopelessness of humanity; a man of sorrows, antiquated with grief—someone who
knows all too well the pain that so many are going through. (Isaiah 53)
In his speech following the worst mass-shooting in recent
history, President Donald Trump said, "In
times such as these, I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the
chaos, some kind of light in the
darkness."
I would present to you that Jesus is that light—The Light of the World. And if we follow him we won't have to walk in darkness, because we will have the light that leads to eternal life. (John 8:12)
The heart of the matter is this: Our world is broken and in desperate need of a savior. Jesus is that Savior. If you put your trust in him, believing that he died specifically for you and your sins, and that he rose from the dead three days later proving to the entire world that he is God, then you will be saved. God's spirit will join to your spirit. He will begin to heal your sinful heart and will give you lasting hope and peace.
The heart of the matter is this: Our world is broken and in desperate need of a savior. Jesus is that Savior. If you put your trust in him, believing that he died specifically for you and your sins, and that he rose from the dead three days later proving to the entire world that he is God, then you will be saved. God's spirit will join to your spirit. He will begin to heal your sinful heart and will give you lasting hope and peace.
"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."
~2 Chronicles 7:14 New Living Translation (NLT)
