The Christian Response to Overt Evil

As Americans, and as Christians, we are reeling from the massacre at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, TX on Sunday.  We have more questions than answers.  We grieve for this tiny community which lost so many lives in an attack driven by unadulterated evil.

Last month these words of John Calvin, from nearly 5 centuries ago, came to my attention.  They remain sound advice for us who face tragedies of our own time.  In 2 Samuel 1 King David is grieving the loss of King Saul and his son, David’s beloved friend Jonathan.  Expanding upon the Scriptural account, Calvin comments as follows.

We can see how God is afflicting the world today. Even people who are strangers to us are related to us, because we are all made in the image of God, and have a common nature which should be a mutual bond of love and brotherhood. Then there is a far closer union between ourselves and the suffering of believers who are scattered here and there in all churches which God has chastened on every side.

Indeed, we see troubles everywhere; we see fires burning; we hear that the throats of poor innocent people have been cut; that they have been subjected to mockery and contempt, and that they are being led to the slaughter. We see the enemies of truth ready to annihilate everything, and we do not know what God is intending to do. Nevertheless, see how his sword is unsheathed. The fire, as I have said, is kindled and we do not know how far it will burn.

Let us thus allow ourselves to be genuinely touched by mourn­ing, anxiety and grief so that we will not be careless, hardened, or unfeeling over what our poor brothers are going through. Instead, let us have the kind of compassion towards them which members of the same body owe to one another. On the other hand, let us not give way to despair, like those who have become so grieved and full of lamentation that they refuse the remedy of consolation in God. Rather, let us confess our sins, knowing that our savior has not ceased to pour out his blessings upon us, even though we have sinned. Then, in the midst of our sorrows, let us recognize all our offenses so that he may show himself merciful to us, as he always has done to those who clearly take refuge in him.  (John Calvin, Sermon on 2 Samuel 1, 1562).

The conflict with evil has not abated in 500 years.  May God help us to “mourn with those who mourn” while maintaining our confidence in the Lord’s sovereign purposes.  Let us support in our prayers those who have experienced such tragic loss at the hands of a madman.  And let us not fail to recognize the fragile grip we have on life in this world, how quickly it can be shattered, and how vital it is to make each moment count in light of eternity to come.

The Cure for Doubt

A recent Barna research release indicates that approximately two-thirds of Christians have or currently face periods of doubt with regard to their faith and relationship with the Lord.  Precedent for dominating doubt goes all the way back to the first century,  One of Jesus’ specially chosen apostles would be forever nick-named “Doubting Thomas” because he refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he could personally see and touch him.

According to church tradition, Thomas overcame his doubts and eventually took the Gospel of Christ to the Indian subcontinent in AD 52, ministering in what are the present-day states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There he baptized the first Christians of that region, founding what is now known as the Mar Thoma Church. 

How should Christians today deal with their doubts?  We no longer have the Lord physically present to reassure our wavering faith and dispel our doubts as did the Apostle Thomas.  But we do have a secure foundation upon which to rest our faith, quell our fears, and satisfy our questions.  And that is the biblical revelation of the character and purposes of God.

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Christians that God would ensure their establishment in the faith.  Furthermore, He would protect them from the onslaught of attacks from the evil one, designed to disrupt and destroy their faith in the Lord (2 Thess. 3:3).  Similarly, the Apostle Jude, using the same Greek word, assures his readers that God is able to keep them from stumbling in their faith and to eventually present them in a sinless, perfected state on the Day of Resurrection.

Left to our own strength and wills, we would have reason to worry and doubt our ability to follow the Lord to the end of this earthly pilgrimage.  But, thankfully, our long-term spiritual welfare rests upon the promises God has made to His own, not upon our own ability to navigate the temptations and spiritual minefields of this world.  So take heart, Christian, our faithful God will never give up on you.

A Reason for Optimism

One would have to be living in a remote location untouched by the media to fail to grasp the seemingly inexorable drift into depravity which has overtaken our society in recent decades.  While we were always a nation of sinners, that sin is now more open and embraced than ever before.   In many ways our moral code has been turned on its head, with large segments of society embracing lifestyles which were once nearly universally condemned as evil

But a survey of 2,030 Americans from all fifty states, conducted by the American Bible Society during January and February of this year, provides some reason for hope.  81 percent of those surveyed stated their belief that morals are declining in America, a 5 percent increase from 2016.  39 percent blame corporate greed; 33 percent consider the entertainment industry the problem.  But 27 percent say it is due to lack of Bible reading.

Half of Americans are considered “Bible users,” and 81 percent are “Bible engaged,” “Bible friendly” or “Bible neutral” in contrast to the 19 percent that are either “Bible skeptic” or “Bible antagonistic.”  Moreover, 70 percent of Americans are confident the Bible can bring hope to America, as opposed to the 30% who place that hope in the president of the United States.

Presently 20 percent of Americans are “Bible engaged,” meaning they view the Bible as the inspired word of God and read the Bible at least four times a week.  38 percent are “Bible friendly,” who consider it God’s word but read it fewer than four times a week.  And there is some evidence that Bible skepticism may be declining.

Overall, we need greater engagement with the Word of God which is indeed “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit” (Heb. 4:12).  God’s truth makes plain the subtleties of sin and the deceptions of evil that have blinded men to the truth.  It is also the means by which God brings spiritual life to the lost souls of men and women (Rom. 10:17) and fully transforms them thereafter (John 17:17).

There should be no more important objective in your life than filling your mind with a steady diet of God’s word.  These days, Bible reading competes with texts, tweets, instant messages, and the lure of the information society that constantly woos us.  Caring for the state of your eternal soul calls upon you to prioritize time in God’s word on a daily basis.  Don’t sell your soul for the Pablum of the world when you can dine on that which is “sweeter than honey,” on truth that will endure forever.