Beth-El Baptist Church

04/05/2009

Greg Tomlinson


Why are there so many massacre killings now?


This was an open session time. The question came as the result of a radio show that was seeking input from the listening audience.


  1. What has happened to the value of life?

Romans 1:19-22 Genesis 9:3-7

Genesis 1:26-27


The value of human life has steadily been decreasing over time. After the flood, human life was so precious in the eyes of God that capital punishment was instituted for anyone who took the life of another human being. We were, and still are, created in the image of God. We are supposed to be just like him, but instead man has chosen to turn their back upon God and proclaim their own exalted wisdom. The results has been that the life of other humans has diminished while at the same time, the wisdom and intellect of man has been exalted. Mankind now considers themselves to be wiser than God himself.


  1. What are the ramifications with respect to a relationship with God?

Psalm 2:1-3 2 Peter 3:3-7


The natural man desires to destroy the knowledge of God and if they could, then destroy God himself. Since man cannot reach to God in order to destroy him, they do the next best thing to it. They seek to destroy the very image and likeness of God, other men. They have no respect for life because they have no respect for God. Other men are a reminder to the reality of the existence of God and the seeking to destroy one another exalts self, denigrates God and others. All the while, they point to the lack of judgment and the continuation of evil in the world in order to proclaim that there must not be a God. If there were a loving and compassionate God, then he would stop the evil and wickedness of the world. What they fail to understand is that when God stops the evil of the world, those without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will be on the receiving end of God's wrath. Man is always willing to point the finger at others as deserving of judgment. They are rarely willing to point the finger at themselves.


  1. What is the Christian to do in the light of the world's wickedness?

Psalm 73:14-19 2 Samuel 23:3


When confronted with the apparent success of the wicked ones of this world, the Christian needs to refocus his attention onto God. It is all to easy to lose home and wonder about the existence and love of God. What we need to do is to continually remember the end that awaits the wicked ones. While things may not go our way during much of this life, we have eternal life awaiting us while the wicked have eternal condemnation awaiting them. Another thing that we need to do is to keep an eye on our public leaders. In the US, we have the privilege of selecting our leaders. We need to remember to fear God more than man. We need to support the most Godly candidate that we can find. While we should not focus all of our attention on the government of the world, we need to remember that the government is God's creation that was instituted in order for the Christian to live a peaceful life. While we have time on this earth, let us seek to have the greatest peace man has to offer, but most importantly, let us seek the peace that can only come from God.