Why?

Twenty-three year-old Cho Seung-Hui perpetrated the largest campus killing spree in U.S. history, leaving 33 people dead, including himself. Not only has the killer cut a gaping hole in the heart of the victims families, his actions provoke an avalanche of questions that begin with why: Why would anyone do such a thing? Why do terrible things happen? Why would a loving God allow such a thing? It's the latter question that I've been hearing most often.

It's interesting that God has been brought into the equation. The same God who gets thanked at country music award shows suddenly gets called on the carpet when horrible events happen. This is the same God of whom 96% of Americans profess to believe in, yet they carry on as usual, with His existence impinging very little, if any, on their own. And there are consequences for this.

When we as created beings, fail to give glory to our Creator and we pursue other, lesser gods - which is the essence of sin - resulting in a vacuum of hopelessness, emptiness and despair within us. Since a relationship with our Creator is the only thing that is calculated to satisfy us, we are left dissatisfied, unbridled, and at war within ourselves.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. (James 4:1-2 ;ESV)

After reading that verse I find it interesting that Cho left writings behind "raging against the rich kids" - hence, "you desire and do not have, so you murder."

I have concluded that it is difficult to live in a fallen world as a fallen man. My confidence is this, however, that though I am a sinner, and therefore part of the problem, Jesus Christ died to redeem sinners like me. And though the wages of our sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. Everything would be supremely hopeless without this assurance.

Pastor Van Morris