Scripture tells
us that because of jealousy a man by the name of Cain killed his brother
Abel. This
event happened such a long time ago that it goes without saying that he carried
out this murder even before the invention of the gun. One might presume that Abel never suspected
that his brother would cause his demise and therefore never took precautionary
steps to prevent that from happening.
Later on, the Bible tells us that as
the population of the world grew, it became exceedingly violent. It says:
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)
God created a flood that would destroy the population of the entire world
save for one man by the name of Noah and his family.
It is important
to pause and think about that verse mentioned
above. God saw that “every,” not some, but EVERY thought and intention of the
heart of man was continually evil.
Nothing man even so much as thought about did not come with some
malevolent motive even if seemingly altruistic.
Hence, God proceeded to do what the human race was already bent on doing
eliminating itself from the face of the earth.
But Noah found favor with God, so God spared him and his family.
Noah was not innocent, however.
The Bible tells us that he became drunk one day and unwittingly embarrassed
himself in front of one of his sons who consequently mocked him behind his
back. Sin was still prevalent in the
life of Noah and his sons. That one family is the progenitor of every person living since
then including every person living today.
Sin still existed in the seed and heart of Noah and history tells us
that since his time, there have been countless wars and murders and incidences
of man’s inhumanity to his fellow.
What was true before Noah’s time is evident today. “Every
intent of thoughts of his [man’s] heart is only evil continually. The Shaliach (Apostle) Paul wrote
“… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:23)
The Shaliach John
wrote
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
(1 John
1:8)
It is sin which results in murder. James confirmed this when he wrote
What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the
source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.
(James 4:1-2)
Rather obviously throughout history, guns have not been the
only instruments people have used for killing others, but in this present era, they
seem to be the instrument of choice. A vast number of people rightfully wish
that guns might cease to exist.
One can empathize with idealists who would like a world
without guns. Hey, I would like that! It’s not unlikely, however, that many of these
idealists perceive of NRA supporters as evil “war-mongers” who don’t want peace
and don’t want a world without violence. But as well-intentioned as this mindset might
be, it is unrealistic. People are violent.
And just perhaps, NRA members are realists. Whereas Able probably never anticipated that his
brother would kill him, history has shown that we humans really ought not to be
so naïve.
I recently saw a video
in which idealists got extremely angry with an NRA supporter. One of them said to the NRA supporter “We need
to get rid of you.” The vitriol that this
man was spouting in the video was breathtaking.
I rhetorically ask “how does this idealist plan on getting rid of the NRA
member?” Is it with a gun?
It is almost a cliché to say that “guns don’t kill people. People do.”
But it’s true. Guns, like bows
and arrows before them, and spears before them and rocks before them are only
instruments used for fulfilling the whims of men which is to kill other men
either aggressively or in self-defense. People
like that angry man in that video would not even dream of the possibility that
he might be violent. But he refused to
listen to the NRA supporter’s argument that he only uses guns for
protection. The idealist can’t even
bring himself to consider that this world has a lot of evil people in it. He can’t even imagine his potential for
violence because he has an inaccurate understanding of himself. He can’t see himself objectively. He got angry on camera beyond a level he
probably imagined that he ever would. He
is the type of person who says “he has no sin, thus deceives himself.”
The answer to the problem of violence is not “do we keep guns
or get rid of guns.” The problem is SIN
and people need to admit that they’re sinners and turn their lives over to
Jesus who died because people sin. None
of us has an accurate understanding of ourselves. Some of us think too highly of ourselves, and
some of us undervalue ourselves. And
most of us don’t wish to admit that we sin.
But we do. And the major part of
the problem of violence is that people don’t admit it.
