Trinity Pulpit

Do Not Kill in the Name of God — May 4, 2008

When we fail to understand God and Jesus, we may fall into the trap of thinking God needs us to defend Him and His honor. He is capable of defending His own honor. Those who kill in the name of God are killing to defend their own ideas about God. When we create our own ideas about God and decide He needs defending, He cannot be God. God needs no human defense and, when He came in Christ, was willing to become defenseless in order to defend us and defeat the devil. Killing others to defend our beliefs about God is madness.

Synopsis ►

What drives someone to kill in the name of God? The Israelites who killed Jesus and, later, His followers, killed for the same reason Jews, Christians, and Muslims have killed—and continue to kill—throughout history: they have not known the Father, and they have not known Christ. Rather than heeding God’s desire “for mercy, not sacrifice,” they thought He was the Giant Mathematician in the sky, vengeful and keeping score. Rather than seeing Christ as the reference point for every sacrifice God demanded of them in the Old Testament, the Israelites kept their empty sacrifices and considered Christ an Impostor, a troublemaker. They killed in order to protect their idea of God. And that is what is at the heart of every suicide bomber and extremist retribution-seeker today. Killers in the name of God are defending the god who lives between their ears.

Scriptures for the Day ►

Old Testament—Ezekiel 36:22-28

Epistle—1 Peter 4:7-14

Gospel—St. John 15:26-16:4

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