Another Gunman

20 year-old Robert A. Hawkins got his wish. He became instantly famous--known for murdering eight people, and then committing suicide at a mall in Nebraska. Once again, experts will profile the killer to try and figure what drove him to do it. Here’s his profile--nice guy, friendly, not violent, was funny, broke up with his girlfriend, was quiet until you got to know him, had bouts of depression, and had lost a job. He sounds like the average American with the usual problems that are faced by millions. So why did he go on a murderous rampage? Here’s the answer--he didn’t fear God. Had he feared God, he wouldn’t have as much as hated another person, let alone kill nine people for no real reason. When life hurts and you want to lash out at this world, if you don’t believe that you have to face a holy God, then why not do it? You are just glorified primal sludge with no purpose for existence, so why not go out with a bang, and take a few with you and at the same time become famous?

As Christians we need to faithfully preach the fear of the Lord, and we can best do that by opening up the Commandments as Jesus did. We must speak of Judgment Day, never hold back from preaching the reality of Hell, and of a God that even sees our thought-life, all from the view of absolute holiness. That will drive sinners to the cross, and that’s where the sin that drives sinners to murder is dealt with in a heartbeat. There, at the foot of a blood-stained cross, God gives us a heart that loves righteousness and loves our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.