The shooter in Sutherland Springs was clearly among the worst of sinners, and we might want to think of those in the church as “the saints.” Yet everyone in that Baptist Church would have said that he or she is also a sinner, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) The difference between the shooter and the victims was not that one was “bad” and the others “good,” but that one refused to recognize his need for God’s grace, and the others did. The believers in that church would all have testified that they had numerous flaws and failings; but they turned to Christ as Savior, and knew His forgiveness and transforming love. The great tragedy of the shooter was not that his heart was full of sin—which in his case especially took the form of hatred and rage. The tragedy was that he never opened his heart to the change that Christ could have wrought.
According to the New Testament, the believers in that church are in fact saints—not because they were without sin, but because they were reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. Thus those who have perished are not in fact gone, but live with the Lord in the light of heaven; and those yet on this earth are finding strength and hope as they look in faith to God.
Those who have perished are not in fact gone Click To TweetThis tragic story graphically illustrates the critical spiritual choice facing us all. To persist in alienation from God, as the shooter did, leads to despair and ruin. But the gospel offers real hope to each one of us and to the whole world. Although we are always imperfect, and although we face ongoing evils in this world, we can enter into fellowship with God through Jesus Christ; and in that fellowship we find a solid foundation for living today, and the promise of life everlasting.
Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Philippians 1:1–5
Colossians 1:1–5
Ephesians 1:1–8
