I’m about to break the ice.   Within the Constitution, the idea of free speech is crucial within the premise of personal liberty and freedom.  This is the idea that we as Americans can freely exercise our religious freedoms and beliefs without the fear of being executed by authorities.

The idea that we can freely express our opinions and thoughts without the fear of being imprisoned or beaten by the government.

I want to ask a tough question, and it might make you feel uncomfortable.

Does a Christian really have a God given right to America’s idea of free speech? 

To put it bluntly, no, and later on I’ll explain why.

Lawful and helpful

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.“

In the United States (and around the world),  some things might be LEGAL, but it may be IMMORAL.

Slavery was something that was practiced under the law, but it was objectively immoral.

Abortion is practiced under the the law, but it is objectively immoral.

I would argue that the idea of free speech should fall into the same type of thinking.  We have the freedom under the law to express our beliefs, views, and opinions, but it may be objectively immoral.

Our words have the power to bring life to those around us or spread death to our surroundings.

The tongue is a fire

The Bible should be our moral compass.  The Word of God should be our guideline and standard regarding everything in life.

The words that come out of our mouths will either display the glory of God, or the sinfulness of man.

James makes this super clear in James 3**.

James says every animal that walks the earth can be tamed, but no human can “tame the tongue”.  James also says that our tongue is a “restless evil”, full of “deadly poison”.

We cannot tame the tongue ourselves through our own power, but with God’s power, we can tame the tongue.

Choose life

In conclusion, I beg everyone to (including myself) to pray earnestly that God would continually give us the words to say that need to be said.  Even though it may be lawful to exercise our freedom to free speech, it could possible be immoral.  I pray that as Christians, our words would magnify God instead of spreading poison, so that when people would see us, they would see Christ in us.  Christians, whenever we encounter someone we may disagree with, we need to choose our words wisely.  May we beg God to give us the power to tame our tongues, because left to ourselves, we are helpless and hopeless.

Soli Deo gloria

**I highly encourage everyone to dig into James 3

If you haven’t read my previous articles on mass shootings, please read them here:

Part 1

Part 2

Review

In part 1, I briefly touched the question as to why these mass shootings happen.  In part 2, I went deeper into the sin issue, which is the root of the mass shootings.  I provided a small amount of Biblical evidence regarding the sin issue.  I discussed the importance of the story regarding Cain killing Abel, and why Cain killed Abel.  I detailed all of the sin Cain dealt with and mentioned the fact that the same sin that Cain dealt with is the same sin WE deal with as humans.

You and I are not exempt from this sin problem.

we are all fallen creatures standing before a Holy God who demands righteousness and obedience.  The sin that infected Cain has infected us all, and we need help.  The sin issue is the root cause of all mass shootings, and every mass shooter that has ever lived is sinful (like you and I), and they will have to stand before God one day just like you and me.

This is the final part of this mini series.  The reason why I wanted to write some opinion articles on mass shootings is because  society as a whole is missing the mark on why these mass shootings happen.

Society is scratching at surface level symptoms, and I wanted to get to the root of the problem.

Welcome to part 3.

We’re all sinful

The Apostle Paul makes it clear in Romans 3 that we are all sinful.  He says there is no one that is good.  Paul says that we have all “fallen short” of God’s glory.  This is you, this is me, and this is every mass shooter that has ever lived.  We are totally and utterly depraved.  Apart from God, Ephesians 2 says that we are “dead in sin”.

So now what?

The solution

Jesus Christ is the solution.  Jesus Christ is the Gospel.  The Gospel means good news.  He is the answer to every problem we see around us, including mass shootings.  The truth is, we all need Jesus just as much as mass shooters need Jesus.  We need God to save us from ourselves, because when we are left to ourselves, we will continue to choose ourselves over Jesus.

The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (ESV)

Jesus calls us to repent and believe in Him.

Repent simply means to change our mind about who we are (sinful), and who God is (Holy).

Repentance leads to the total surrendering of yourself to God.

Belief simply means to trust fully in who God and what He says in His Word, the Bible.

My hope

So there it is, the solution.  It might seem simple, but we like to make it super complex.  My hope is that Jesus will transform destroyed homes and broken hearts.  My hope is that Jesus will convict sinners and will give fathers the courage to lead their homes in grace and truth.  My hope is that Jesus will repair the sinner’s heart and transform that heart into a heart that desires to obey God.  My hope is that the people in America will stop looking for faulty solutions to the mass shooting problem and will look to Jesus for guidance.

I’m not here to speak about comforting lies, I’m here to give you uncomfortable truths that lead to a life of fullness with Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the only solution to mass shootings.

Nothing less, nothing more.

We all just need Jesus.

Soli Deo gloria**

**If you’re interested in the solution, feel free to watch this video

What are the causes of mass shootings? What are the solutions to prevent these horrific crimes?  What steps do we need to take as a society in order to prevent them? How can someone commit such a horrible crime?

These are some of the basic questions I believe everyone asks whenever these shootings occur, but one question always remains stuck in my head when these tragedies strike the heart of America.

Why do mass shootings happen?

Worldview

All people everywhere will answer the question in different ways depending on what your worldview is.

Your worldview is the way in which you view the world and everything in it. Your worldview answers basic questions such as this:

1. Why am I here?

2. What is my purpose?

3. What is wrong with the world?

4. How can what is wrong be made right?

When it comes to mass shootings, your worldview has the potential to answer the question as to why these tragedies occur, and why murderers commit these atrocities. Your worldview has the potential to objectively call every person who commits these murderous acts evil. This is why your worldview is important, because without a correct worldview, you won’t be able to answer these questions.

Now that I’ve gone over a basic overview as to why your worldview is important, I’m going to go back to the original question and answer that original question through my personal worldview.

Sin

Why do mass shootings happen? Sin. Sin exists, and sin is everywhere. Sin is the reason why we live in such a fallen and broken world. Sin is the reason why so many kids go to school without hope and go home to destroyed homes. Sin is the reason why kids are finding their identity in everything that the world is offering rather than finding their identity in things that could satisfy their hungry soul. Sin is the reason why rampant leftism has spread everywhere, especially within the education system in America. Sin is the reason why parents think they know their kids, but will turn on the news to find that their child was the next school shooter.

Here are a few Bible verses that speak about the sinfulness of man and the destructive nature of sin:

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. – Genesis 6:5 (ESV)

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. – Psalm 51:5 (ESV)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)

 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. – Mark 7:21-22 (ESV)

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. – John 3:19-20 (ESV)

Surface Level Symptoms

I’m not here to argue about what you might or might not believe, rather I’m here to simply provide you with the truth.  Without the truth, you cannot come up with a rational explanation as to why mass shootings happen.

You say mental health?  I say the sinfulness of man.

You say broken homes?  I say the depravity of mankind.

Broken homes and mental health issues are all surface level symptoms of the root problems mankind deals with on a daily basis, which is the sinful nature he was born with.

Why do these mass shootings keep happening?  Sin.

How do we prevent these mass shootings from happening?  I will provide the answers to that question in the upcoming articles.