Every time something bad happens, some people will proclaim that it is God’s judgment. Others completely reject the idea that God’s judgment would come against people on this earth. The former is almost always wrong, reflecting a misunderstanding of God’s heart and wrongly representing how God works. The latter is clearly wrong whether representing God’s actions and words as reflected either in the Old Testament or the New Testament.
In Luke 13:4-5, Jesus gave insight into how to understand horrific events. He said, “‘Those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish'” (NIV). Jesus was speaking of a tragedy that had recently happened and was on a lot of people’s minds. He didn’t say that the tragedy was God’s judgment. In fact, he said that there was nothing particularly bad about the victims. Stuff simply happened.
Continue reading “Grace, Truth, and Tragedy: Claiming It is Judgment Misses the Point”