What Can We Learn About the Colorado Shootings?

Americans woke up to the disturbing news of a mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater. A masked gunman burst through the emergency doors, set off smoke bombs or possibly tear gas and began shooting. At least 12 people were killed and dozens more, perhaps as many as 70, were wounded. The youngest victim is a six year-old child. Our prayers are with the victims, their families and our country.

Little is currently known about the shooter, 24 year-old James Holmes. He was reportedly dropping out of a doctorate program in neuroscience at the University of Colorado-Denver. Police report that his apartment is booby-trapped with “pretty sophisticated” explosive devices that could take days to disarm.

When senseless crimes happen that have mega impact, I ask, “Lord, what can we learn from this?” There is so much to learn. I like to share one perspective with you.

I have noticed through the years when a tragedy like this occurs, two groups of people emerge in the world: There are those who, regardless of how flawed or out of control they are, deep down want to face reality, want to understand what’s wrong with them, and are willing to confess their sins to God or man for their offenses.  Then there’s everyone else – those who despite all appearances to the contrary, don’t really want to face reality and aren’t truly interested in admitting their own failings or changing in any meaningful way.  For the latter group, there’s a tempting smorgasbord of options to help facilitate their escape from reality – one commonly used option is to BLAME!

Below is typical: Certain segments of the media this morning looked to blaming the Tea Party for what took place in Colorado.

Consider this exchange between George Stephanopoulos and Brian Ross, ABC’s crack investigative journalist, on “Good Morning America:”

Stephanopoulos: I’m going to go to Brian Ross. You’ve been investigating the background of Jim Holmes here. You found something that might be significant.

Ross: There’s a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea Party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year. Now, we don’t know if this is the same Jim Holmes. But it’s Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado.

Stephanopoulos: Okay, we’ll keep looking at that, Brian

Ross: Thanks very much.

Those in the liberal media are so desperate to smear the Tea Party that they don’t think twice about throwing out baseless accusations. There is virtually no violence that can be attributed to Tea Party members, but that’s where the media look first, because it is all about blaming.

You see, this is what we need come face to face with. We are all evil just like the shooter in Colorado. We are all born with the same sinful nature. We all have the potential to harm, hurt, destroy, murder, in the name of self.

Here is a hard hitting perspective that the bible offers:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you – James 4:1-10.

What causes us to fight with each other and even go so far as to murder? Verse 1: Your passions which are “at war within you.”  We all are born with selfish, evil, passions! But we do not want to admit this so we use “scapegoating.”  It makes us feel better about ourselves when we wake up and hear about how awful something took place in the world by another fellow human being.  Blaming someone else or something else enables us to feel better about ourselves. But the problem with blaming is that we do not look seriously at the evil in our own heart and the harmful potential we can turn out to be without divine intervention.

But let’s face reality. Listen again, or for some of you, for the very first time what the bible says about our true self:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead – Ecclesiates 9:3

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23

For there is none righteous, no, not one.  There is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God. . .there is no one who does good, not even one – Romans 3:10-12

Therefore, we all are born with this evil nature that wars within us. And when we don’t get what we want, according to James 4, we fight with one another and if necessary, we will go so far as to commit murder, in order to fulfill our lustful passions.

We don’t like hearing this. It is like trying to tell a chronic drinker that he or she is an alcoholic. Admitting our own guilt and sinful passions and taking responsibility for the evil desires within us isn’t what sinful people like to do. It is so much better to put the blame on others so that they become the scapegoat and thus the responsible party for the evil we can’t explain.

Blaming is how the world deals with evil. You watch, we’ll be hearing people blame the problem on guns, or not enough gun control laws, or the shooter was bullied in school and not treated well, or he was abused as a kid growing up, or his association with Christians, or living under the eight years of President Bush, etc., you get the idea.

The same evil nature that exists in James Holmes also resides in us. You say, “Yeah, but Pastor Rich, I will never murder anyone!” Have you ever hated anyone? I’ll answer that for you – yes you have! According to the bible, you are a murderer. “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” – 1 John 3:15.  And if you already “thought” it, you are already a step away from doing it.

So what’s the answer? We need help, divine help. We need a new righteous nature to rely on and not just this evil nature which resides in us. The new nature is God’s nature that He gives to those who turn from their sins and receive His Son (2 Peter 1:4).

Would you think about driving your car or truck to work without brakes? What would happen if you had no brakes on your vehicle?  Your truck or car will lose control and cause destruction. So it is with your present evil nature. When you place your faith and trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He comes to live within you and helps you to live a life of construction and not destruction. His Spirit becomes your brakes enabling you from going out of control and hurting yourself and others. Apart from Christ in your life, you are no different than James Holmes. The potential to harm others and yourself is only a matter of time and convenience.

Tougher laws are not the answer, but transformed hearts are.  Use the tragedy in Colorado as a golden opportunity to examine the spiritual condition of your own heart. Is Jesus in it? He is only a prayer away. Don’t wait another day to ask Him in. He’ll give you a new heart, a new life, and an eternal home.