By TONY HOSS
In the aftershock of the Parkland shooting, in Florida, the uproar for gun control is greater than ever before. However, we should consider that legislation alone will not stop those determined to selfishly murder innocent individuals. However, all is not lost if we as a nation, as a cohesive populous, would consider the real problem behind those who commit such attacks.
The reality is that some individuals are unstable in their thinking and will attempt to commit such atrocities regardless of any gun control measure. There are those, who for other reasons, seek to do violence against their neighbors and peers. Regardless of the reason, gun violence and other forms of such atrocities occur in the real world. But what is it that we as a people can do to thwart such violence? The answer to this question is found within the sacred pages of God’s holy Word, the Bible.
In Colossians 3:1-2, Paul encourages the Church to look to God, to things which are above. Paul said, “… seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” Col 3:1-2 KJV. Acts against nature, mankind and God are acts of individuals who have never been taught or who have forgotten the age-old advice to look to God when troubles are manifested in our lives. Such troubles are due to the lust and desires that we sometime are affected by. When individuals fail to look to God during their lives, there is only one place for man to look; that is to mankind himself. Whether it be our own person or some other individual, if we do not look to God for the answers to life’s problems, we look to humanity’s own wisdom which is a dangerous proposition. In Romans 1:26, Paul mentions “vile (disgraceful) affections” and in Colossians 3:5 he refers to “inordinate (excessive) affections”; these types of affections are detrimental to mankind and result in such atrocities as occurred in Florida. How we deal with the tragedies of life are as important as how we deal with the good times in our lives.
To be honest, we need regulations to prevent untrustworthy individuals from possessing another tool that can be used for the destruction of their fellow man. Even when we implement laws and regulations, we must keep in mind that if anyone wants to kill another there are more ways to murder than just a gun. When a person murders individuals with an automobile we don’t hear an outpouring from individuals wishing to restrict automobiles from those individuals who would use them to commit atrocities.
The problem is not in the device used to commit such slaughters; the problem is in the mind, the heart of the individuals who devote themselves to commit the vile acts. There is no wonder that God through His Word calls us to seek Him first (Matthew 6:33) and calls us to renew our minds through study of His word (Romans 6:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16). Here lies part of the problem; most homes have Bibles, but are they studied? Most homes know of God, but do the leaders of those families ensure that God is taught at home in daily devotions (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21; Deuteronomy 6:7-9)? To begin a path towards proper wisdom we need to know God’s Word, the consequences of violating it and the rewards of obeying it. We should seek to return God to the minds of our children in the home, in our schools, in our entertainment and in our Government. Only when our young ones are taught of the importance of living a godly life will they begin to act differently.
(Tony Hoss is minister at the Centerview Church of Christ, Elizabethton. He can be contacted at 423-737-2287 or by email at: tmaghol@comcast.net)