What has politics to do with hell?
14 May 2011
International news had told us about two horrific stories in one day.
Today 14/5/2011 the media informs us of a mentally deranged man beheading a woman at random in a shop in Tenerife, and in Iran of the postponing of the sentence permitting a woman to pour acid into the eyes of a man who blinded her and disfigured her face with acid for refusing to marry him. One may explain away the former as the random act of a mentally disturbed person, but it does not remove the reality of the moment. The latter is state-sponsored, and it is more difficult to find an explanation for it except in Shari’ah law, under which it was due to take place today until it was postponed through international pressure. The woman had refused pleas for mercy and the Islamic judicial system of Iran was prepared to allow it. Only politics stopped it - or put it on hold - a combination of human values being applied collectively through the political process. When law was powerless, compassion arose to galvanise the political process into action. “Mercy rejoices against judgment” James 2:13.
Who will teach the woman and her relatives mercy, which they have refused? “For he shall have judgment without mercy who has shown no mercy” James 2:13. Who will give the man repentance instead of remorse and self-pity? How will justice be served? These are topics at the very heart of the Christian Gospel which explains how the Lord Jesus Christ has reconciled them: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” Psalm 85:10. By His satisfaction of divine justice in His atoning death, the Lord Jesus Christ has secured the authority to forgive sinners freely, to secure the justification of those who are reconciled to God through trust in Christ as their High Priest and Advocate, and by His Gospel applied by the Holy Spirit He has changed the hearts and lives of countless millions of human beings from a path of wickedness to a gracious life of God-honouring service to God and mankind.
The concept of hell is so bad that level-headed people find it too difficult to contemplate and dwell upon. However, this does not take away the reality of it. There are many terrible and terrifying scenes in our natural world, but the terror does not alter the reality. Explanations of dreadful human actions do not remove the reality. Journalists speak regularly of “hell on earth”; the Iranian convict is experiencing a living hell; and it is time that politicians faced the reality of hell. It is time that people faced up to the reality of human wickedness, whether it manifests itself as deranged mental illness, irreligious state fanaticism, or whatever. It is not education which people need - for plenty of educated people commit wickedness. The worse financial crimes are not by petty thieves or blue collar workers, but by white collar management, thoroughly educated along with their educated lawyers using their God-given talents to get them off the hook. People need a change of heart which no political system can give. Our world needs Jesus Christ and His Gospel. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” 2Corinthians 9:15 – “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23. Political systems can support or resist the Gospel. Political leaders will spend eternity reflecting on their choice.
