Solid Answers for Troubling Times

It’s happened again. Unbelievable atrocities as terrorists erupt violence on hundreds of innocent bystanders.

The images filling our screens and feeds send a shudder up our spine and fill our minds with questions.  Questions like:

• Why did this happen?
• How is this possible?
• What should be our response?
• When will the madness end?

The Bible, unlike any other book in history, gives us the:

ANSWERS TO OUR DEEPEST QUESTIONS

1. The answer to WHY is sin, not evil.

Evil is not a presence, principle or person. Evil is an outcome. It is the result of people who have made the conscious choice to act on their sinful nature. Sin is the cause and evil is the effect. The greater a person embraces the sin in their heart, the more heinous are the actions of their hands. (see Genesis 4:7)

“And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” (John 3:19, NLT)

2. The answer to HOW is confusion.

We have convinced ourselves that diplomacy, policy and democracy have the power to cure or possibly control sin. No amount of teaching, technology, tolerance, treaties or tactics can effect real transformation. The only cure for sin is the cross. The only path to peace is a prince and His name is Jesus.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us…And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, NLT)

“…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15, NIV)

3. The answer to WHAT NOW is not counter-terrorism, but counter-evangelism.

As individuals it is the godly, not the government, that hold the true potential for stomping out evil. The word evangelism literally means to spread the good news. As we are inundated with bad news of a world gone to hell, it highlights the good news of the story we tell—that Jesus can transform the deepest hate into the purest love.

“And [Jesus] told them, “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” (Mark 16:15, The Living Bible)

4. The answer to WHEN is soon.

History is not cyclical or linear, it’s terminal. The Bible is clear that history is HIS-story. God started this story with creation and He is bringing the human drama to a conclusion. The world is not spiraling randomly out of control as a helpless victim of the whims of humanity. Rather, God is sovereignly supervising a salvation story. Every chapter is purposefully connected together building to a crescendo that will ultimately accentuate the true protagonist of this grand saga—Jesus Christ. Every day is a divine delay designed to afford each person one more chance to choose good over evil (2 Peter 3:9). When the last page of the last chapter is finally concluded, God will eradicate sin and evil forever.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”” (Revelation 21:3–4, NLT)

The answer our world needs so desperately is Jesus–His power, His purpose and His peace.