It seems that every few days, we hear news of yet another terrorist attack. It’s quite a scary time in the world, and it can be hard to know how to respond. Do we get really afraid? Do we fight back? Do we hide away?
Well, here are four ways Christians can respond to terrorism.
Seek Comfort from Jesus
Often we feel angry and afraid when bad things happen in the world. But where are we going to seek true comfort?
Romans 5:12 says “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
The reason our world is broken and things like terrorism exist is because of human sinfulness. If we recognize that this is why there is sin in the world, caused by people, we know that we should look to a source of comfort beyond this world – Jesus.
Expect Persecution
Because there is sin in the world, we must expect persecution. And in fact, terrorism often targets Christians or nations with Christian heritage.
That doesn’t sound much like comfort! But Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18). Jesus suffered persecution and, ultimately, death – which we hopefully won’t suffer for our faith. But as Christians, the fact that people hate us shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, we aren’t alone in our persecution, and God always has a purpose.
Pray for Enemies
When terrorism occurs, our first instinct may be to get angry, hate the perpetrators and perhaps even plot revenge. But Jesus has an incredibly countercultural view. In Matthew 5, he says…
