Our news feeds provide us with a regular diet of death and murder, but how should believers respond to this kind of news that has the potential to shape our culture? Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Joseph being sold into slavery, Pharaoh killing infants, Jezebel’s murder of Naboth, Herod killing infants, another Herod killing John the Baptist, wars, shootings, assassinations – we live in a world full of man-made atrocities that have varying, often devastating effects on our lives. They put us at potential crossroads.
Thankfully, God has not left us to deal with these events alone. He’s given us His Word and Holy Spirit to calibrate our perspectives to trust and honor Him. My role as a pastor is to teach the truths of Scripture and to tell others what God declares in His Word about the matters of life, and then how to live accordingly. So the question I want to answer is: What does God’s Word have to say that will help us navigate human atrocities?
First, it’s appropriate to mourn the tragedy of murder. Let me start simple and obvious: Murder is never a good answer in any conflict or disagreement. It spits in the face of God by disregarding His commands and therefore His authority; and it devalues the other person God created in His own image and likeness. Murder is the height of self-centered pride and a spirit void of the Holy Spirit’s fruit of self-control.
Media saturation can sadly cause us to become numb to death and tragedy. But let us never forget, there is nothing more horrifying than death, particularly murder – one person removing life from another. The devil is called a murderer (John 8:44). Murder goes against God’s life-giving, filling-the-earth design. We should mourn death, always, and teach our children to do the same. It doesn’t matter who it is or what “side” you think they’re on. Death is a curse from God for our sin, don’t forget it. It plagues all of us, and the only way to be free from it is through Jesus Christ. I’m sorry you have to see it and experience it. Living in the face of death is heavy; don’t do it alone. Bring your pain to God, and share it with trusted brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
"No amount of social change or legal change can make our hearts new."
Second, God tells us to expect evil in a sin-cursed world filled with sin-sick humans. If there’s anything Scripture reveals to us about the human race, it’s how depraved we are. God told Adam and Eve it would be this way for all humanity now because of sin and the resultant curse on creation (Genesis 3). We see human depravity unfold generation after generation throughout Scripture, and the pattern continues beyond biblical history to the last couple of thousand years. Ephesians 2:1-3 tells us that the whole world is under the sway of the devil, who we already know has been called a murderer from the beginning. This is not the last you will see of this kind of thing.
In addition to this, we must not be surprised when believers encounter evils such as murder. Jesus tells His disciples not to be surprised when the world hates us; it hated Him first (John 15:18-19) and we are allying ourselves with Him and opposing the world and the devil. There is a great cost to following Jesus. He calls us to put everything on the line – up to and including our lives – for Him (Luke 14:25-33); but, for the believer, the benefit far outweighs the potential cost (Philippians 1:21).
Third and finally, put your hope and faith in the right place. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Man’s problem is our hearts; it’s our corrupted souls. That’s the reason we keep producing sin! No amount of social change or legal change can make our hearts new. We can’t renew them. Politicians or conservative activists can’t renew them. Pastors and church programs can’t renew them. Only Jesus can give us new hearts. He’s the only one who can rescue us.
Think about the storyline of Scripture we just learned about at Equipping Night. When does man’s kingdom ever experience lasting success? Never! We all want a better kingdom, we like it when we find people who promote our vision of a better kingdom; but because of sin, our kingdom never lasts, it never does what it’s supposed to in a lasting way, something always goes wrong.
Don’t trust in man’s kingdoms of this world. Build Christ’s kingdom through gospel proclamation and discipleship, and hope in the second coming of Christ. He will come as the King of His own kingdom, which He is building now. It will exist on earth. He will wipe out sin and death, eternally imprison and punish His enemies, and rule His people in beautiful, good, eternal life. The good that we long for will be realized in Christ. He will rule well, for eternity.
The book of Job is the premier example that sometimes we don’t understand what God is doing and why He’s doing it. We won’t always be able to see or understand His purpose in situations, but He doesn’t tell us we need to! Scripture teaches us God does whatever He chooses; what He does is always good and always loving. Ours is not to reason why. We trust Him and follow Him.
As we consider the victims of atrocities throughout the ages, we can be tempted to respond with fear or anger, wanting to fight back or take up the cause ourselves. If the deceased in Christ could speak to us, here’s what I think they would say: “Forget me.” Our primary need is not for more followers of causes, activists, or martyrs. Our primary need is for more devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Commit your life to following Christ, seek His Kingdom first, and serve Him with unashamed boldness.
Ian is the Youth Pastor of Faith Bible Church. He and his wife, Claire, have six children and previously spent a few years serving in a small church in England.
View Resources by Ian Rush