Violence, again

More than a decade ago, there was a shooting in a Fort Worth church where a number of people were killed by a gunman.  That same week, John MacArthur was speaking at a conference I was attending and when he was asked about the event he responded, “The deeper the world sinks into the abyss of the kingdom of darkness, the more it takes on the character of its monarch.  And since he is a killer, there will be more and more killers.”

Since that shooting, we have seen what seems to be more and more shootings — seemingly random events against people unknown to the killer.  And yesterday’s events in Norway are another example.  What are we to make of these events?

What I have written previously still applies to this circumstance:

• This is the reality of what unrestrained sin looks like and is the natural result of the work of Satan.…This is not to suggest in any way that this shooter was demon possessed or part of a Satanic cult; it is simply to say that the ruler of this world influences this world with his objectives and desires, and his desire is destruction — which we saw far too graphically again yesterday.
• The suddenness of their deaths serves as a reminder to the realities of eternity — heaven and hell and the truth that all men will go to one place or the other (Rev. 22:11-15).
• Thus, the events of the week also serve as a reminder about the urgency of the gospel and the need for the clarity of the gospel.
• Even in this, there is an opportunity to glorify God. Job said it, didn’t he (in a situation not too dissimilar from what we’ve seen this week) — “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Situations like this will not destroy our worship; they will enhance it. That is why we intentionally sing the doxology when we remember events like this.
• God is sufficient to see anyone through any trouble (2 Pet. 1:3). What all men need is not so much the removal of trouble, but an awareness of the weight of glory that awaits those who trust in Christ (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
• Of course the common complaint in this circumstance often is, “how could God allow this?  How could He let all these innocent people die?”  Yet the greater and more penetrating question is, “why did He spare me?

To these I would add one more that was my thought as I read the paper this morning:  why was the gunman not me?  Apart from the grace of God’s saving and sanctifying work, that could have been me.  And it could have been you.  Why has God extended such grace towards me to instill in me the Holy Spirit and His fruit and works so that I do not do the devilish kinds of evil that we see on the nightly news?  With such horrible news, I find myself not only thankful for God’s kindly protective hand to have kept me from suffering from such wickedness inflicted on me, but that He has also been kind to keep me from inflicting such wickedness on others.  This is one more manifestation of His grace in my life.