The Shooter at the Bridgeville LA Fitness wrote on his Blog, prior to the shootings.
"Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them."
I will not post the link because I will not subject others to this man's evil. The quote above was mentioned on the news and that is sufficient to make the point.
Why do I blog this. Because it so struck me when I heard it on Fox News This Morning that I had to comment. Obviously this person had some facts right but chose to abuse grace.
He Knew: Christ Paid for every Sin...True in the sense that Christ's death is sufficient to cover any sin no matter how grievous.
Eternal life Does not depend on works...True.
However where he missed the point is that what we receive if we are truly in Christ is a regenerated Spirit where we are truly repentant of Sin and seek to avoid sin at whatever the cost. There is no repentant heart in the shooter's writings. The is a premeditated willingness to do others harm, to take life of those who had offended him by their very existence. There is a self absorbed focus on what he was not getting from others (women). None of these give us an confidence in this man's regenerated condition.
He misses the commandment of Luke 6: 27-37
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.He finds freedom in disregarding human judgment yet disregards the requirement to forgive. Even if all women everywhere had harmed him, he (as it is with the rest of us) is required to forgive just as he has been forgiven.
To believe you can commit premeditated mass murder and still hope for heave in to abuse Grace. While we are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone and not by works, even forgiveness of our enemies, the evidence of our conversion (faith) is found in our ongoing pursuit of a life obedient to God's word. We cannot do whatever we wish and expect grace to cover it.
I know some might say, "Are you saying he's in Hell." It is never mine to say. That subject now, since he took his own life, is in God's hands. What I am saying is we have no way to be certain that he is in heaven as his life did not demonstrate the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. To say it another way, if you wish those you leave behind to have confidence in your salvation, your life must show the transforming work of Christ.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark
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Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"
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