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Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Gun Control

Recently we have seen the escalation of terrorism and random shootings in America. Two hundred and ninety-four mass shootings have occurred in our nation over this past year.

There are those who say the problem is a lack of gun control. The argument is, if we take the primary instrument of killing out of the hands of people, we can greatly control, or even stop the shootings. The opposing argument is, if we take guns away from law-abiding citizens, then only criminals and mentally deranged people will have them.

However, we need to see the fundamental logic used for gun control. The premise is that mankind is basically good. If a person acts in a violent manner, then it must be something outside of him/her that causes the dangerous behavior. These outside forces may include religion, weapons, upbringing, culture, or poverty. Are we basically good? Is it really a gun problem? Let’s consider these arguments:

1.  In 1960, about half of all American households had a gun. Today it is down to 45%. Yet, violence and random shootings have skyrocketed this century.

2.  The Bible teaches in Romans 3:23, “… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”   That means we all have a sin nature. Something is missing in our hearts. Socialist, Beatrice Webb, considered the founder of socialism in the United Kingdom, once had an epiphany and revealed her frustrations with the socialist movement by admitting that there is something evil in the heart of every person that keeps them from consistently doing the right thing.  History testifies to war and violence long before guns were invented. The problem of violence is not the instrument in the hand, but the darkness of the heart.

3.  The recent occurrences of violence have centered on our younger generations. These are the most educated, enlightened, and blessed generations in American history.  Part of the answer lies in the way they have been raised. They have been taught, “Believe in yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to.” While this sounds encouraging, it is very misleading. We cannot do anything we want. Believing in yourself has limits. Many parents, have “been there” for their children, and have done so to the point of producing over-protected, over-privileged, and under-accountable children. We have tried to protect them from every disappointment and when these children progress into adulthood, they find that the world is not as compliant as their parents. This leads to them becoming discouraged, frustrated, and often depressed, producing anger and a greater chance of violent behavior.

4.  Their culture teaches there is no absolute right or wrong. God is in doubt; His rules do not apply—do as you please. With God out of the picture, there is no purpose or meaning to their lives.

The only solution is to change the heart—to change our center of being, where we operate in life.

Jesus Christ offers that to everyone – Romans 10:9, 10 teaches us,

“…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

What do you think?


13 comments:

  1. Pastor, I think you've hit the nail on the head. It's NOT a gun issue; it's a heart issue!

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  2. I think that saying "it's a heart issue, not a gun issue" sounds nice but is terribly impractical. At the heart of gun control is closing the loopholes that allow gun dealers to sell guns to individuals without running them through a background check. In this fallen world, with the Enemy ramping things up, I think it's important to foil him where we can and gun control is a step in that direction.

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    1. There is no 'loophole' that allows a licensed gun dealer to sell a firearm without running a background check. Makes no difference if it is at his place of business, a gun show or in a parking lot. The politicians and the press like this 'loophole' term but it simply does not exist.

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    2. Lisa, thank you for your response. I think most of us want to see guns registered. But many are obsessing over gun control. The goal would be to curtail gun ownership, believing this would bring down violence. I just feel we have our "ladder on the wrong building."

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. John 10:10 and 1 Peter 5:8 clearly show us that Satan is on a mission to destroy us so, in my opinion, gun control won't foil him. History repeatedly shows us that those bent on doing harm to others will find a way to do it---regardless of the law. BUT, take away their desire to do harm and a gun in their hands is no longer a threat. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is true..."Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

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  5. I wholeheartedly agree with and appreciate the sentiment of your message, Pastor. As far as we, the believers, are concerned, the only issues in this world are issues of the heart. It's up to us to bring the saving Gospel of Christ to every broken heart that may be fostering hatred and anger. I do not believe owning a gun will help me achieve this goal. I already own the greatest weapon ever made, the Word of God-no background check needed.
    I will say this about the recent events you're referring to here, though. If I was a part of the government, witnessing the countless mass shootings you referenced in our country, I would certainly feel compelled to do something.

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    1. Tucker, thanks for your insights. This issue reminds me how often the government throws money at a problem to feel they are doing something. They feel this is the thing they need to do, but it begins with a false premise, and therefore, is not the answer.

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  6. When you say, "The problem of violence is not the instrument in the hand, but the darkness of the heart," I believe this to be wholly true and if we train our children up in the way of the Lord we can help protect them from this darkness ever finding a place in their hearts. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” It is not an issue of controlling guns—rather of controlling our human nature.

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  7. What are your thoughts on our military and veterans who are becoming mass shooters as well? (http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/11/veterans-soldiers-mass-shootings) I recently saw a movie that profiled a veteran sniper. He had been trained to kill, but while serving in Afghanistan, he was never given an "opportunity" to fire, though he had put potential enemies in his sight many times. He was medically discharged and left the military with a lost sense of purpose and an itchy trigger finger. As a veteran, I know this is definitely a possible scenario, though I would trust my brothers in arms with a firearm before most others. How can the military or other support systems help our veterans to overcome this psychological disconnect? Can we replace the license to kill with a license to love?

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  8. I read the pastors remarks with great interest and believe he is absolutely right. The problem is not with guns and the need for more gun control. New York, Chicago, and Washington DC, plus California have the strictest gun control laws yet they have the highest crime rate with the use of guns in the country!!! It is a heart issue and the fact we have raised a generation that does not know how to be under authority (God or man’s). They believe that they are the authority, and whatever is right in their eyes is correct, therefore they do not have respect for authority of others.

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  9. Thank you, Pastor, for your thoughtful Christian perspective addressing a real controversy in our world today. Gun control appears to be a “quick fix”, but doesn’t address the real problem. I agree that the true root cause of many of our world’s issues is “the darkness of the heart.” Controlling guns may attempt to fix a piece of the puzzle, but the true problem will still be there. If you’re not getting to the root, the problem will continue to grow in other ways.

    We all need to let God transform us into who He wants us to be by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2). Pray “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) We must diligently spread the message that God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, as the one and only solution for our “heart problem”.

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  10. We have a "heart problem" in America, I think all believers recognize that. We also are acutely aware that God is the only fix and relying on him is our only source of strength and comfort. That however does not address the problem of gun violence nor does it offer solutions. We desperately need to identify those in society who should never be allowed to purchase or own a firearm of any kind. That being said, the recent and not so recent incidents of gun violence, with virtually no exceptions, would not have been prevented by any of the laws currently on the books in jurisdictions all across the country, laws that target gun ownership by law abiding citizens, and do precious little to keep violent criminals from getting theirs. It has been proven by countless examples that strict gun ownership regulations do nothing to prevent crime, in fact just the opposite is true, the most glaring examples, Washington DC, New York City, Chicago and the entire state of California have the strictest laws in existence and the highest crime rates. Criminals and others who seek to do harm will find their instruments of death where ever they can whether it be a gun, a knife or a baseball bat. Disarming law abiding citizens and destroying their ability to act in their own defense is unacceptable and a fools errand, it will only foster more violence. I as much as anyone want God to be pleased when He looks at how I live my life, Psalms 19;14, but I will never believe He wants me to cower in the corner in the face of danger with no means to defend myself and my family. Bill VanEpps, Geneva, Fl

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