This afternoon, a gunman shot opened fire at FSU's student Union and 6 people have been taken to the hospital. A place that was one of peace, laughter, and study has now been stained by violence. Thankfully, as far as I know at this point, all of these individuals are still alive (let's pray for the medical teams working to keep it that way). This has not been the case with other shootings in the US or with attacks in different parts of the globe. Even though the FSU shooting could have been worse, the "close to home" aspect of it has no doubt shaken many in our community (as it should).
How are we to think about this event?
We Live in a Dangerous World
First, we should recognize that Christianity provides us with the proper worldview to interpret the world. We live in a dangerous world, and it seems to get more dangerous by the minute.
Why is this? It is because we live in a world that is in rebellion against the Creator. As Romans 1 says, men and women suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and from that flows all sorts of sin, including murder (and attempted murder). While the media asks the why questions and people speculate on the reasons, we know that, while each individual's reasons for such violence may differ, it is all a symptom of the fact that we live in a world that is in rebellion against God.
What Are We to Do About It?
Second, we should recognize that Christianity tells us what we should do, knowing that we live in a dangerous world. In Jesus' day, a tower fell on some individuals, killing them. About the same time, a ruler of the day had many Jews slaughtered. Why did this happen to them? Were they worse sinners than others? Well, they were sinners (we all are), but we do not know why a tower falls on that sinner and not me or you. If the tower fell on me, I could not complain against God, for I deserve nothing but his just wrath against my sin. So, how should we process the bad things that happen to those around us? How should we think about a close call? Jesus said that we should repent (Luke 13:2-5).
A close call is a reminder to us that death is coming for us all, and we must be right with our Maker. We must repent or turn away from our rejection of God and the disobedience to God's law and turn to Jesus as our only hope of forgiveness and salvation. He lived the life of obedience to God that we should have. He died on the cross to take the punishment sinners deserve. He was buried, but rose again, having conquered sin and death for all who will trust in him. He is the only way to God (John 14:6). We will all die one day, whether it is at the hands of a gunman, behind the wheel of a car, or quietly in our sleep. A tragedy close to home is a call to repentance and everlasting life.
Let's carry on, not just because it's the only thing we can do but because Jesus is our hope. This is not a "keep calm and carry on" slogan. Keeping calm makes no sense if you still have to fear death and God's judgment. But as those who know we serve a living Savior who has removed the sting of death, we have an imperishable hope. Let's live as those who have real hope, and let's call others to repentance so that they too may have this hope.
Let's pray. Pray for those affected by this tragedy and for all who have been called on to respond to it (for the first responders, school administrators, medical staff, professors, and campus ministries). Pray for God's mercy and healing on the wounded. Moments like this call us to cast our burdens on the Lord.
------
Note, this is an adapted republication of an article on this blog from November 20, 2014 entitled "Shooting at FSU: What Are We to Make of "A Close Call?"
No comments:
Post a Comment