We find ourselves in the midst of a season where countless malicious acts by terrorists are the focal point of the evening news. Statements of empathy from news anchors, reporters and the President of the United States serve as a comfort among chaos. As a Christian, I’ll admit to an irresolute mentality in this disastrous dilemma.
So, where does this leave Christians? We turn to Scripture for the answer and outline three truths that can be applied to our hearts while terrorist groups attempt to gain power by force and fear. Some claim the Bible really doesn’t have much to say about how we are supposed to react to this, but I earnestly disagree.
Fear not! God is in control.
I know. This may not seem like the case right now, but don’t forget the most common command in the entirety of the Bible. “Fear not” or “be not afraid” is a divine command in Scripture, often followed by a reminder that the Lord is with us at all times. Our human predisposition requires a promise that everything is going to be okay for complete dismissal of fear. In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to Ephesus, he reminds us that God has a “plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ” (Eph. 1:10).
The phrase “to bring all things together” is translated from the Greek word ἀνακεφαλαιόω (pronounced an-ak-ef-al-ah'-ee-om-ahee). This word means, to sum up, gather together or recapitulate. In a courtroom, this would describe the final statement of an argument which pieces together all evidence in a conclusive presentation of an idea. In math, this refers to adding all of the numbers in a list and placing the total at the top. Basically, God is promising to reveal His final statement to us. It is foolish to admire an entire song by vigorously focusing on a single second of the piece, or being consumed by a lone dot on a huge painting, but we easily make this mistake in our lives. We tend to focus on the period of less than twenty years instead of trusting that it is all part of a whole that God will guide us to see one day.
Approach lovingly and prayerfully.
This one should be obvious, but it may be one of the most important. I’ll let Scripture speak for itself on this one:
Matthew 5:44-45
44 "But I say to you,Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
Luke 6:27-28…32
27 “But I say to you who hear,Love your enemies,do good to those who hate you,28 bless those who curse you,pray for those who abuse you… If you only love the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them"
Acts 7:60
60 "And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
"Hopeless" is a bad word.
Let us not forget the thief on the cross. In his final moments on this earth, the man being crucified beside Jesus responded in faith to Christ’s teachings of salvation – and thus promised eternal life with The Messiah himself that day (Luke 23:33-43). More importantly, the gift of salvation is offered to us as a free gift, meaning it cannot be earned or forfeited (Romans 6:26). Keep in mind that these terrorists are loved and shown mercy by God in the same capacity, so don’t they deserve our love and mercy as well?
By no means am I defending the virulent and horrible acts that these terrorists are committing, but reminding Christians of our responsibility as ambassadors of Christ in this broken world. The only two things that will outlive this earth are God’s Word and God’s people – so shouldn’t we invest wisely?
