The Blame Game

""Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine; the soul who sins shall die"" (Ezekiel 18:4).

Last April the world watched incredulously as two boys planned and executed a massacre of their classmates in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Now it has happened again. The shootings in the high school in Littleton, Colorado leave us wondering what kind of world we live in. Nearly every possible answer as to how something like this could occur has been proposed. As usual, everyone who owns firearms is at fault, as is Hollywood, the boys' parents, our culture, the Internet, and probably the weather.

Has no one noticed that on that fateful day millions of kids went to school without shooting anyone? Included in these millions are kids who have seen large amounts of violence on television (though I would never defend such), had access to guns in their home, were made fun of regularly and didn't really fit in to well. Despite all of this, they killed no one. Recognizing this we are forced to wonder if something else isn't at work here besides the blaming of the usual suspects.

The Bible calls it evil. In the beginning, we are informed, all was well until evil made its presence felt through temptation. Genesis 3 records that woman and man made bad choices at that time, through their own free will and volition. They suffered as a result of those bad choices. Sin had made its way into our world. It remains, not as a lingering effect of Adam's sin, but via our own personal repetition of the Garden scene. Romans 3:23 makes it clear: ""for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."" You are at fault, and I am at fault just as Eric Harris and Dylan Kleebold are at fault. We are sinners, we have chosen to do wrong deliberately and willfully because we want to do wrong rather than right. This is the direct result of the devil's temptations (John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8) and our decision-making process.

Few in the media will admit to this. It is much easier to blame bad movies and television (an inviting target to be sure), or the NRA or even the kids' parents. Many have said ""We are all responsible for producing these killers"" or announced yet again that it ""takes a village"" to raise kids. It must amaze biblically thinking people that these two who ruthlessly victimized so many can actually find a way to wear the victim label themselves. It simply will not work scripturally. While not denying that many forces contributed to the bad choices these kids made ultimately, finally, and completely we must find that the responsibility rests squarely upon their shoulders. They are at fault because they did it, and God will so hold them responsible for their murderous acts.

The Old Testament chronicles certainly bear this out. Deep in the laws of Leviticus and Numbers, God's civil law for the people of Israel, we find that murderers were held responsible for their deeds and quickly punished (Eccl. 8:11). There was a defense to the charge of murder, that the death was caused accidentally. Deuteronomy 19 tells of the provisions made for what to do when one accidentally killed another person without malice or premeditation of any kind. Beyond this, the general principle of Moses' Law is ""you shall give life for life"" (Exodus 21:23). Innocent blood shed by murderers was said to ""pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land"" (Numbers 35:33). Absolutely nothing is said about a murderer pleading that his peers were mean to him, or that his village didn't do him right, or that he watched too much violent television. Murderers were held responsible for their actions regardless of their circumstances and background. No one else was blamed. The murderer bore the blame and the punishment.

The New Testament furthers this idea. While not containing laws for civil government it is fascinating to note that the same ideas of accountability and responsibility permeate Christ's law. Each person is called to choose right over wrong (Acts 2:40). It is within the power and ability of every person to flee wrongdoing and do what is right (1 Cor. 10:13). Evil choices are not to be blamed on anyone else; they are solely and only the property of the one who refused righteousness and did evil (James 1:12-15). Judgement will be conducted strictly and only on the basis of Christ's law (John 12:48), and our receptiveness to it (2 Cor. 5:10). Not a single line of scripture says that at the great Judgment Seat one may plead ""My parents were wicked"" or ""I ate too many Twinkies and that fouled up my thinking."" The formula in the Bible is simple: you are responsible for you.

Thus we come to the shooting in Littleton, Colorado. Why did it happen? Because two young men were tempted to do evil and rather than flee that temptation they participated fully in it. Simply put, they sinned. They did this on their own, because they chose to so do, and will answer to God entirely for their own conduct. Speculation about what others could have done to stop them or why someone didn't see it coming is fruitless. If there is any good that can come out of this wretched business it is a clear understanding that each person must be held accountable for his or her actions. This is how God views these matters, and therefore, the perspective His people must likewise take.