The price of life

Fusilier Lee Rigby has been taken from this world in the most unimaginable way. His death serves as a reminder that we live in an incredibly dangerous world and that even with the best will in the world, with all the wisdom that man can possess, there are situations which cannot possibly ever be atoned for in this life or the next. Murder of this kind is, I believe, the unforgivable sin: an offense against life itself.

I have been trying to make sense of all the problems in the world and I find that although I am comforted now by the God who loved me enough to save me from my sin, who rescued me from a life of worthlessness and despair, I am sure that because of situations like this many people must wonder why if there is a God of love he allows things like this to happen. Where is God when these things happen?

It would seem a little banal to say “in the same place as he was when they crucified Jesus”, but there is surely something to be said for that statement. However, I believe in a God who has to be personally involved in people’s lives and as an explanation for suffering, to say that God just looks on would not be sufficient. After all, God does take revenge. He notes every sin and treats with great gravity instances where people have been hurt, wherever and whenever that injury took place. The problem we find is that he doesn’t intervene when we think he should but that doesn’t mean that he does not act to treat the wound and the legacy of sin. In this world or the next, the treatment has been prepared since before the world began. Heaven or hell (life or death) are the only two possible destinations for man. No other alternatives exist.

From the beginning of mankind, we see in the bible that the first murder occurred very early on. The reason was jealousy: Cain killed Abel because Abel offered a better sacrifice to God. Again, to say that the legacy of that sin has been passed down to us from that time seems to be a little sensational but even so, we see in Genesis just how serious sin is in the story of Adam and Eve, who were expelled from paradise for their sin. Once that happened, the tree of life was no longer available to mankind and the tree of knowledge had been imbued. Just what this means I can’t possibly say but until Jesus came and experienced death, everyone died. Now people can live forever by believing in Jesus. It all seems a little much to me. I will try to make clear what it is that I think is happening here.

The word of God says that in Jesus is the light of life and this life is the light of men (the author of the scriptures clearly did something clever with the words there). There is also a truth which is universally accepted, certainly in this country, that crime should be punished, or that it is wrong. There is not only a sense of right and wrong but also clear guidelines as to what is right and wrong. On top of this we each possess our own free will. The law was instituted as a guardian and fulfilment of the law and our redemption came through Jesus. There is a pattern emerging. It all comes back to Jesus and if we look at the words he said, we begin to realise why.

I find it startling how the detail of the law is expounded in the words of Jesus. When you hear about Jesus from your average Joe on the street, you don’t get the full picture. Have a read for yourself. Read the whole bible from start to finish and you’ll discover that Jesus isn’t just a man. He is God himself, and he has the answers to all of these problems, in this life or the next. But why does he wait, why doesn’t he intervene? The truth is I don’t know but there are some sins that don’t necessarily result in death and God wants all of the sinners of these sins to come to him and receive his forgiveness and the gift of new, even eternal life. He also wants the victims of these sins to come to him and allow him to heal their deep loss. Some murderers, like these men, fall into the category that the apostle John denounces as being people who we should not even pray for.

God calculated the risk before he started and he knows what the answers are. The price he paid for life is grief. The gift of God is eternal life and the offer is open to all. The enemy of god is the devil and he is real, not symbolic. He exists in the hearts and minds of all those who don’t obey God. Scant consolation for the victims and their families but the truth is that we are in a permanent state of war with the strongest power in the universe (save God himself) and until God does intervene it isn’t going to get any better.

Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There are no easy answers. I’ve heard of nations going to war for a lot less than this latest offense but we need restraint. The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence, and the light in this case is the firm administration of justice, not revenge. God will take revenge, nothing is more certain. Hell is inside us all and it only needs to be fed to be brought to life: “Their worm will never die, and their fire will never be extinguished”. Eternal life is the free gift of God; losing it is eternal torment.

Do not take revenge. If you have it in you, feed your enemy and give him something to drink. You might melt his heart and turn him to God. You might let God get to him before the devil does. Stay alert and prepare your lamps for a long watch. Be dressed and ready for service. Let the master of the household find you ready, that you might administer to his entire household – God knows we need faithful servants.

Rest in peace Lee Rigby.