I was watching a documentary on the History Channel about the September 11th terrorist attacks which was basically a compilation of first person video of the day placed in chronological order. It was a fascinating, if not painful, account of that fateful day. One recurring theme in the videos is surprise. Not only were the people in the video surprised that it was happening, but they were expressing surprise that it could happen. Indeed, the question is a fair one, “How could something so evil happen?”.
In reality, I hear people asking some form of this question all the time. When Christians are persecuted for their faith, we ask how it could happen. When our culture moves away from biblical commands and embraces (insert wicked soapbox here), we wonder aloud, “How can such evil be accepted?”. I’m convinced though that this is not the best reaction for Christians.
Why on earth would we be surprised when wicked people do wicked things and revel in their wickedness? Jeremiah 17:9 and Genesis 6:5 clearly teach that the evil in man’s heart is seemingly endless. As if Scripture weren’t enough, history provides ample evidence to the depravity of humanity. Tracing history from ancient Nero to modern Hitler, we see that even the promises of the enlightenment humanists have not born fruit. Again, when we look to Scripture, we see that evil in this world is not the exception to the rule. Have you read 2 Timothy 3:1-5?!? We are continually warned about the evils that will (not might) be heading our way.
Let me be clear, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be appalled by evil. Nor am I saying that we shouldn’t be heartbroken by it. In fact, that is exactly what our response should be. Evil acts should sicken us; they should cause us anguish. Our response should be a Gospel response. We have the amazing opportunity to share the Gospel with our neighbors during life’s crises. I’m also not saying that we shouldn’t be surprised by specific acts of evil. The attacks on 9-11 were a surprise to believers and unbelievers alike, but the darkness of the human heart which provides for that kind of evil should not surprise us.
Therein lies my point. Evil is going to happen. Wicked people are going to do us harm, perhaps even major harm. Because we know this, Christians need not waste time being dumbfounded and astonished in the face of evil. We can move past bewilderment straight to ministry. While others are trying to sort out how evil could occur, we can offer hope and peace in Christ. When the world is crashing down around us (societally or literally), we ought not be surprised. Evil hearts will drive evil acts. Pagans are going to do pagan things. Fortunately, we have comfort and peace in Christ, and because we are expecting the world to be hostile, we can minister to others and share Christ with those affected by evil. Let us not forget, pagans gonna paganate.
