Self-Justification … or Justified by God?

 

What is the difference between self-justification and the justification that comes through Jesus Christ? The answer has eternal significance for you!

We all want to be right. How do we become right with God? How do we become justified? The apostle Paul wrote: “It [faith] shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:24-25).

What does it mean, He “was raised because of our justification”? What does this phrase mean in the original language in which it was written? According to the Greek Dictionary of the New Testament of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Greek word translated “because of” is dia (G1223). It is a word that can mean “by reason of” or “for the sake of.” The meaning can include “because of,” but in the context here, it might be better understood as “Jesus was raised so that we can be justified.”

Godly justification comes through Jesus Christ.

Making excuses

On the other hand, Merriam-Webster.com explains that “self-justification” is simply “the act of making excuses for one’s self.”

When we hear the phrase “self-justification,” it is usually in the context of someone trying to get out of something. A person may claim his or her innocence to avoid a penalty. People often justify themselves simply to avoid embarrassment.

Children often do this when asked the question, “What happened?” Some children will quickly state (even if guilty), “It wasn’t me—I didn’t do it!” or, “It’s not my fault!” We may find those phrases almost humorous simply because they bring to mind the many times we have heard similar attempts at self-justification.

Do we as adults ever find ourselves doing something similar? Do we ever find ourselves trying to justify what we have done? Do we lean on the age-old excuse that “the devil made me do it”?

On the job, when something doesn’t go right, we may hear self-justification like, “That’s not my responsibility” or, “That’s not my job!” In the midst of marriage conflicts, many problems go unsolved because both spouses claim, “It wasn’t my fault” or, “It isn’t me who is the problem!” The blame in these situations seems to find its way to someone else—just like in the Garden of Eden.

In the Garden of Eden

After Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God addressed them in the garden.

“Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’

“And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’

“And the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate’” (Genesis 3:9-13).

Adam passed the blame to Eve, who passed the blame to the serpent. They both tried to justify themselves, instead of humbling themselves by admitting their mistakes.

Examples of self-justification

Consider some examples Jesus gave us of self-justification.

“A certain lawyer stood up and tested Him [Jesus], saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’

“So he [the lawyer] answered and said, ‘“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”’

“And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (Luke 10:25-29).

This man tried to justify himself by seeking to limit who would be considered his neighbor. Jesus Christ then told him the story of the Good Samaritan and made it apparent that this man needed to show love to all his neighbors—no matter who they might be.

In another example, Jesus said, “‘No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.’

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God’” (Luke 16:13-15).

We all have a tendency to justify ourselves to other people. We do this to “look good” and claim innocence, despite the fact we all make mistakes. At times we are guilty of wrong thoughts and attitudes, and we cannot hide this from God.

Example of Job

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1).

Job was a righteous man; and though he was righteous, God allowed him to suffer and used that suffering to teach him a valuable lesson about self-justification. Toward the end of his ordeal, “the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God” (Job 32:2).

Job justified himself rather than God. “Literally, he justified his soul, נפשו naphhso, before God. He defended, not only the whole of his conduct, but also his motives, thoughts, etc.” (Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, note on Job 32:2).

At the end of the story, Job had learned a valuable lesson. Notice what he says in the last chapter: “Then Job answered the LORD and said: ‘I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, “Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?” Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, “I will question you, and you shall answer Me.” I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes’” (Job 42:1-6).

The Jewish Publication Society translates this last sentence as, “Wherefore I abhor my words, and repent, seeing I am dust and ashes.” Job realized how he had justified himself, and he humbled himself before God.

The Pharisee and the tax collector

Luke records another story of self-justification: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’

Godly justification doesn’t come by giving a quick answer or proving one’s innocence, but rather through repentance and remaining free from sin.“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:10-14).

This story is explained further in the article “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector.”

The only true way to justification is through humbling ourselves in heartfelt repentance before the living God. We have to confess our sins (1 John 1:9; Proverbs 28:13). We have to humble ourselves and admit our mistakes, asking God for true justification.

Godly justification doesn’t come by giving a quick answer or proving one’s innocence, but rather through repentance and remaining free from sin. “For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified” (Romans 2:13).

True justification comes from one place

The apostle Paul wrote, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All have sinned! But thankfully all can, at some point, receive justification. Where does true justification come from?

“And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification” (Romans 5:16).

One way of life leads to condemnation, but the other leads to justification! But what does justification mean? As pointed out in other articles here at Life, Hope & Truth, it means the declaration that a person or thing is righteous. Are we able to do this ourselves? Absolutely not! “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’” (Romans 3:10). We cannot make ourselves righteous.

True justification can only come from one place—Jesus Christ! “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18).

Where to go from here

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:8-9). Justification comes from the blood of Christ!

True justification begins with us recognizing our need for it. We need the help of Jesus Christ and the help of God’s Holy Spirit to come to the point of seeing ourselves as we really are, and being willing to admit our mistakes and sins.

Justification involves the acceptance of Christ’s blood; it involves having a commitment to living God’s way of life. This commitment is demonstrated through faith, repentance and baptism.

Self-justification is futile! “It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33).

Learn more about what God wants you to do in our sections on “Repentance” and “Baptism.”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

 

Jesus told a story of a tax collector who went to his house justified rather than a religious Pharisee. Why was the tax collector justified?

Jesus Christ often spoke in parables or stories using familiar settings, and He often spoke about various segments of the population.

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is one such story and is found in Luke 18:9-14. Christ “spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.”

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

A Pharisee was very religious. He belonged to a sect of the Jews that went to unnecessary extremes in trying to obey the laws. He was very strict in his lifestyle and was often self-righteous and critical of others.

Tax collectors, on the other hand, were considered immoral men. They often grossly overcharged people as they collected taxes for the Roman government. They were not viewed favorably and were often treated with disdain.

Each man’s prayer was different from the other, and it is instructive for us to consider. The Pharisee’s prayer is mentioned first: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’” (verses 11-12).

Remember the reason Christ presented the parable. It was for “those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” The Pharisee’s prayer was exactly that—a self-serving attempt to tell God how righteous he was. It reeked of vanity and ego.

But notice the difference in the prayer of the tax collector: “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” (verse 13).

Here was an obvious situation where the man recognized his guilt, and he stood afar off. He acknowledged his sins and asked for God’s mercy. He was asking God to forgive him.

The lesson of the Pharisee and the tax collector

Jesus then tells His audience what they needed to learn from this story: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (verse 14).

The tax collector was not justified by any of the deeds of the law, but by his repentant, humble approach before God, by his acknowledgment of sin, and by his faith in God demonstrated by calling upon His mercy for forgiveness.The lesson is that this tax collector went to his home justified (the Pharisee did not). The tax collector was not justified by any of the deeds of the law, but by his repentant, humble approach before God, by his acknowledgment of sin, and by his faith in God demonstrated by calling upon His mercy for forgiveness.

The Bible often speaks of being justified, made free from guilt, by faith. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).

Some people think they can be justified—made righteous and just and innocent in God’s sight—by doing good deeds specified in the law. That was the Pharisee’s attitude, but it was actually the tax collector who was justified by God’s mercy.

Why? What did the tax collector do that the religious Pharisee did not do? The answer is found in Romans 4:5-8: “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.’”

The tax collector repented. He acknowledged he was a sinner and asked for God’s mercy, and he was justified.

The conclusion of the Pharisee and the tax collector

In the conclusion of the parable, Christ reminded the audience that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (verse 14). The tax collector was humble and was in a repentant frame of mind. He was the one justified. The Pharisee was not humble, but was quite proud, and was not justified.

The Bible often speaks of the need to avoid pride. Notice what Solomon wrote about how God views pride: “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13). God hates pride.

But God does give grace to the humble. The apostle James wrote: “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (verse 10).

The apostle Peter reiterated the same thoughts: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6).

The Pharisee and the tax collector were figurative of typical attitudes that are common even in our age today. One man was full of pride and was quite self-righteous. The other was humble; he recognized his sins and asked for God’s mercy and was justified. Which one will you be?

Learn more about how God wants us to respond to Him by downloading our free booklet Change Your Life!

What Is Justification?

 

Is there a reason you need to be justified? What exactly does justification mean? Can you be justified by good deeds? Or is justification by faith?

Most people consider the topic of justification to be deeply theological and just too difficult to understand. Yet the basic concept can be made plain with an examination of the Scriptures.

Just what is justification?

The New Testament was preserved in the Greek language, and “justification” is translated from one of two Greek words. The first is dikaiosis. This word “denotes the act of pronouncing righteous, justification, acquittal; its precise meaning is determined by that of the verb dikaioo, to justify … signifying the establishment of a person as just by acquittal from guilt” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1997, p. 614).

The other Greek word for justification is dikaioma. Vine’s says this word “is a declaration that a person or thing is righteous.” The definition further signifies “a sentence of acquittal, by which God acquits men of their guilt.”

These Greek words mean that when God acquits and absolves us of all blame and guilt for our sins, we become just and innocent in His sight. Justification comes as a result of God’s initiative toward us through His grace, and by our faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. This is noted in the following scriptures:

• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:23-24).
• “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:8-9).

Our future eternal life in God’s coming Kingdom depends on being justified by God. We need to have our sins forgiven by Him, and that is all made possible by Christ’s shed blood.

What is required for a person to be justified?

The answer is faith. We are justified by faith. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28).

Justification requires a deep belief in Christ and in the acceptance of His shed blood for the remission of sins. Even doing all kinds of good deeds of the law will not justify anyone.God responds to those who have faith. “In His forbearance God has passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ” (Romans 3:25-26).

Justification requires a deep belief in Christ and in the acceptance of His shed blood for the remission of sins. Even doing all kinds of good deeds of the law will not justify anyone.

Notice Acts 13:39: “By Him [Christ] everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Jesus Christ died for our sins. He rose from the dead to provide justification for all who acknowledge and repent of their sins. Those who symbolically are buried in the waters of baptism and rise up again to live a new life in Christ live in a justified state.

Baptism pictures our being joined with Christ in His death and burial, and also in His resurrection to life. Because He is worthy to live, we are declared worthy to live in union with Him. So we are justified in His name. “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

“Therefore, as through one man’s [Adam’s] offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s [Christ’s] righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18).

From then on, those who have been justified shall live by faith. Galatians 3:11 says: “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’”

What must a justified person do?

The Bible says the just are to live by faith. Therefore, the new life in Christ will be a life of faith and obedience to God’s laws. Lawlessness and transgressing God’s commandments are behaviors that are unacceptable to God in the justified Christians. So a lawful life of obedience to God is what a just person will do to demonstrate his or her faith.

The apostle James stresses that good works will accompany faith in the just man: “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when He offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled, which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:20-24).

Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed the law in all its spiritual intent. He wants us to live a lawful, obedient, righteous life as well. God has standards for what a “just” man will do, living a life of obedience and faith. So ultimately “not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified” (Romans 2:13).

God has specified what a just person will do: “But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; if he has not … lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife … if he has not oppressed anyone, but has restored to the debtor his pledge; has robbed no one by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing; if he has not exacted usury nor taken any increase, but has withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed true judgment between man and man; if he has walked in My statutes, and kept My judgments faithfully—he is just; he shall surely live!” (Ezekiel 18:5-9).

Christians are to be just by God’s reckoning. If a just person falls into a sin, he or she must seek forgiveness from God and atonement for the sin by the blood of Christ. Because, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin” (Romans 4:7-8).

What is justification and its outcome?

Notice the end result of the justification process from God’s perspective: “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:30).

A great blessing is in store for those who are justified—being glorified! This refers to receiving eternal life and reigning with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God (Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 5:10).

Paul also sums up the outcome of being justified: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).

What is justification? It’s a legal acquittal given to us by God. We must have faith in God and in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Each of us must acknowledge and repent of past sins, be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins and believe that those sins are forgiven. We must then commit to living our lives according to God’s will as revealed in the Bible. This is the process of justification, and it is why being justified by God is so important for our salvation.

Learn more about how God wants us to respond to Him by downloading our free booklet Change Your Life!

Justification: How Can We Be Justified?

 

Christ’s willingness to die for our sins made possible the gift of justi“Through one Man’s righteous act [Jesus Christ’s sacrifice] the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18).

Justification is a legal standing before God, in which we are absolved from all blame and guilt. A person is justified through his or her faith in Jesus Christ, whose shed blood “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ). Being justified will lead to eternal life.

The Bible mentions that grace, faith and the blood of Christ are what justify a person. Justification is not something we can earn. We cannot be justified of past sins by the deeds of the law (Romans 3:20 ), though once justified, we must strive not to earn the death penalty again.

Justification is a life-long process. Our faith in Christ is continually perfected in good works (James 2:22 ). When we sin, we are to confess those sins to God, and He is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9 ). Therefore, “who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). Read more about how we can be justified in the related articles.

ficationChrist’s willingness to die for our sins made possible the gift of justification. What is justification? How does it fit into God’s plan for you?. What is justification? How does it fit into God’s plan for you?

What Causes Violence?

 

Violence fills today’s news. It seems there is one vicious and violent act after another. What is the cause of violence, and will it ever end?

A recent headline from Oklahoma read, “Police Identify Victim, Suspect in Fatal Hobby Lobby Warehouse Shooting.”

Atlanta: “Man Charged With Shooting, Killing Clark Atlanta Baseball Player Sitting in Car, Police Say.”

Then there are the ones that make national news, like this one from Uvalde, Texas: “At Least 19 Children, 2 Adults Killed After Shooter Opens Fire at Texas Elementary School.”

And even as this was being written, a gunman killed eight at a mall in Allen, Texas.

The images of the horror that take place every time this happens rightly get people upset. We should be moved by the loss of life and destruction of families in these circumstances. Everyone would like this problem to be fixed. 

The source of violence

Why do people do these things to each other?

What does Scripture have to say about the subject? The following verses give us a clue as to what God has to say about what motivates people:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19).

God’s Word tells us these things come from the heart of men. That is where they begin and are manifested into evil actions.

No matter where one stands on the issue of the availability of weapons, one thing should be agreed upon: In order for a gun or a knife or a baseball bat to do something evil, it has to have an evil person using it. (Of course, tragic accidents can occur to innocent people when they are careless, but this article is focused on intentional violence.) Like all murder and violence, it begins in the heart of a person.

The pathway to violence

In the school where I work, I am part of a team that is tasked with identifying and dealing with potential or active threats made at or toward our campus from students or other outside individuals. In this role I had the opportunity to attend a week-long conference hosted by the Texas School Safety Center.

One thing that numerous presenters kept referring to was that in most school shootings, there is a trail of indicators that the shooter leaves that hint at his future plans. This is known as the pathway to violence (Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management for Educators and Administrators, Texas School Safety Center).

It has four main steps: ideation, planning, preparation and implementation. 

• Ideation: Potential school shooters are expressing thoughts or fantasies (verbally to friends or on social media) considering the use of violence to address a real or perceived grievance, threat or provocation. 
• Planning: They begin giving thought and consideration not only to the idea of committing violence, but to the who, what, when, where and how of doing so. Expressions may begin to refer to timing, location, targets, means, methods, etc.
• Preparation: Beyond just acquiring weapons, this stage involves attempts to prepare for the violence and to develop or acquire the means and methods to engage in harm to target(s) or victim(s). They may try to obtain the means to fulfill their plans (e.g., weapons, tools, particular clothing, etc.). They may adjust plans if they encounter barriers or see opportunities that support their violent ideas and plans. They may also test boundaries to practice accessing secure areas.
• Implementation: The person of concern moves to carry out the violent plan.

The research behind this indicates there is rarely a spontaneous implementation of targeted violence. However, the rate at which an individual might move through these stages may vary.

A major point that was highlighted at the training was that if a person is discovered early on the pathway, then the likelihood of preventing a mass shooting goes up. Notice that during the first stage there is “a real or perceived grievance, threat or provocation” that has been unresolved. Essentially, the person of concern feels like violence is his only way to deal with a problem that has been going on too long.

For some, the unresolved problems could include bullying, social isolation, feeling like a failure, loss of a relationship, family problems, abuse, etc. For most it is not just one thing, but a multitude of unresolved things that have added up over months and years until the person reaches a boiling point and feels there is no way out.

It is critical that if someone notices a person struggling or having changes of behavior or mood, he or she should say something to the person or let a trusted adult know. (The txssc.txstate.edu website on threat assessment advises: If you see, hear, know something, say something and do something. This goes for students, parents, teachers or any community member.)

The pathway to violence in the story of Cain

When we consider this pathway to violence, we can see it as a reflection of what is described in Scripture.

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

When we give in to our own desires (allow them to take over our thoughts), we then act on them (carry them out). The result of this is death (spiritually and, in the case of a violent outburst, literally, in taking the lives of others).

The point of all this is that the act of violence begins with a thought. The means by which it is carried out is not the core issue; it goes much deeper into the heart of the individual. The apostle John tells us that hatred is the same as murder in 1 John 3:15.

Hatred comes from within. It has been around since the beginning of man, as we see in the example of Cain and Abel. Cain became the first murderer, probably using just a rock or club or his bare hands. How did it all start? Cain’s offering was not respected by God, and he became angry. God called him out: “Why has your countenance fallen?” Cain was visibly upset.

It seems that Cain was jealous that Abel’s offering was accepted but his offering wasn’t respected. It wasn’t Abel’s fault, but Cain seemed to blame him anyway.

Listen to what God said to Cain

Notice in Genesis 4:7 what God told Cain to do:

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

God told Cain he needed to rule over, get control of, his emotions. In this sense, we are all like Cain. We’ve all had angry thoughts about a situation or how someone wronged us.

God tells us all the same thing He told Cain: we need to rule over our attitudes.

The apostle Paul later wrote: “‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27).

We can take great comfort knowing that Jesus Christ will return and usher in a new way of life for all mankind.God understands that we have emotions, that we are going to get angry. Sometimes it’s justified, and sometimes it’s not, but we feel angry anyway. Either way, we are to rule over it. We are to go and deal with it in a right spirit, seek to reconcile with the other person, before the day is gone so we do not let Satan gain a foothold in our heart. Going to bed angry makes for a bad night’s sleep and then a bad start to the next day. 

Paul also said, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Sometimes it is not possible to reconcile, and sometimes the abuse and injustice are so great, we can’t even go to the perpetrators. But even then, we need to rely on God, and leave vengeance to Him (verse 19).

We must trust in God, and with His help, we can grow to have the peace of God that allows us to control our anger.

Failing to address these issues, as we saw with the pathway to violence, can lead to horrible outcomes. In the case of a Christian, it can mean his or her very salvation. If hatred of your brother is the same as murder, and murderers have no place in God’s Kingdom (Revelation 21:8), then we need to make sure our minds and hearts are not allowed to be hateful.

Christ tells us in Mark 7:20-23 that what comes out of us is what defiles us.

King David understood this, and he prayed fervently to God:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

A Christian’s source of defense

As the world descends into greater chaos and hatred, undoubtedly there will be more incidents of murder and mass shootings. Even the best plans of prevention, defense and securing schools won’t be able to stop all of them. It’s a tragic reality of the world today that has been going on since mankind began.

With this in mind, some conclude that they should prepare to defend themselves by arming themselves.

As Christians we have a Defender who never sleeps or takes a break and who can be in all places at once. We need to rely on Him to defend us.

In Psalm 59:9, King David wrote that “God is my defense.” We, too, need to be more trusting in our God to defend and strengthen us.

The ultimate solution to violence

Ultimately, there is only one solution that will end all anger, hatred and violence and the sorrow and suffering that follow it. We are told in 1 Thessalonians about how Christ will return:

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

“Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

We can take great comfort knowing that Jesus Christ will return and usher in a new way of life for all mankind. The eventual result of God’s way is what we see in Revelation 21:4:

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Only a change in people’s hearts will truly end the problem with gun violence. We eagerly wait and look for that day when Christ will return to put all nations under His feet and to bring the peace of His Kingdom to this world.

In the meantime, we need to carefully follow the instructions given in James 4:8:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”