The Answer To Evil

“Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Mt 18:7 AV)

This morning, many are reeling at the news that a conservative Christian apologist has been assassinated while serving college students at a rally.  I have to admit, I didn’t follow Charlie Kirk, and do not know a lot about him.  What I have gleaned has come in the last twenty-four hours.  From what I understand, Mr. Kirk was a devout Christian who, several years earlier, trusted in Christ as his Savior.  He was married to a lovely wife, with two very young children.  Mr. Kirk was not caustic.  He was not antagonistic.  He simply invited respectful discourse on topics that divide our nation.  These conversations are necessary.  These debates are needed.  It is by these debates that our culture is defined, defended, and dispersed.  Silence is the enemy of unity.  What shocks many is the nature of the evil and the person upon whom it was perpetrated.  We are saddened at the tragic loss of a father, a voice of truth, and a public servant.  What saddens us even more is that this horrible evil act reflects how far from God our nation has fallen.  We scratch our heads and ask ‘why’.  We ponder the perfect plan of God and how this is part of it.  Most who know God and love Him with their whole hearts are somber this morning.  We realize these things happen all the time.  Whether it is an American hero assassinated in broad daylight, or a sweet young lady who lost her life on a train to a random act of violence; we are moved to deep somberness at the wicked condition of our nation.

Some may ask why these things happen.  If God is a God of love, why allow these tragedies?  Jesus states these things must happen.  Offenses happen because man has the ability to choose.  This is what makes us different from all other creations.  We have the ability to make moral and ethical choices.  It must be that way in order to choose God by an act of our free will.  The theological answer does not help our emotional state.  We wish these things would never happen.  The answer is seen in the statement of unfortunate reality.  There is a woe to the world that offenses must come.  But there is a bigger woe to the one who commits the offense.  In these few short words, we hear the God of the universe state an unfortunate reality.  But then He tells us the answer.  To give ‘offenses’ another word or two, sin, wickedness, and evil are a few. With the warning to those who commit offenses comes another harsh statement of reality.  There is judgment that will fall on all the workers of evil.

What our nation must do is restrain its actions to those which God has delegated.  And no more.  The woe is from God to the evil-doer.  Not from an angry victim to the perpetrator.  God has delegated justice to the governments of men.  Therefore, let us obey the LORD by allowing our leaders to find and prosecute the wicked.  Vengeance belongs to God alone.  As angry as some might be, there is never biblical justification to assume sole responsibility for justice.  God is wise by delegating government to man.  Otherwise, anarchy and tyranny are the result.  Most of all, those who profess to know Christ need to be driven to their knees and not their arms.  We need to pray more earnestly for our nation.  We need revival.  Jesus is the judge who will make it all right.  More importantly, He is the Savior who can make every person right.  If we want to see these things come to an end, the heart must be addressed.  Only by changing the hearts of Americans back to the God of all things can we once again see peace in our day.  Only by the Peace-giver can we be at rest.  Pray.  Pray hard.  Pray for the spiritual revival of America!