The Heart of the Matter

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. 

"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)

See Also:

Was Jesus Real?

Where is God when we suffer?

What Makes a Person a Christian?