As the news broke yesterday of another tragedy on American soil, Americans of every stripe and color responded. Fifty unsuspecting victims killed. More than fifty others injured, some critically. Chaos. Confusion. Bewilderment.

The shooter had a mission—to kill. For all that we don’t know about him, we know that he intended to kill as many people as he could. And we do know that he was under the illusion that the god of power is enough. The shooter (I’d rather not mention his name), whether he knew it or not, was an ideologue. Keller, in his book Counterfeit Gods, writes: “An ideology, like an idol, is a limited, partial account of reality that is raised to the level of the final word on things.” The shooter had apparently made radical Islam his ideal, and as such, raised it to the violent level of solving the world’s problems.

Then politicians respond revealing their own ideology: political power is the answer. Raise the banner high (not the American flag…colors of the rainbow), talk about political injustice and the need for government to solve this problem. Again Keller writes, “Dutch-Canadian philosopher Al Wolters taught that in the biblical view of things, the main problem in life is sin, and the only solution is God and his grace. The alternative to this view is to identify something besides sin as the main problem with the world and something besides God as the main remedy.” For the politician, anyone opposing his or her view is the problem, and the remedy is his or her political party. Like the shooter, the politician bows at the same altar of power.

The pressing question on the day after is “Is Christ enough?” Paul the Apostle said a resounding yes!

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:6-8 ESV)

With no desire to oversimplify, if the shooter’s main problem is sin, Christ is enough. If the politician’s main problem is sin, Christ is enough. If the shooting victims’ main problem is sin, Christ is enough. Christ is enough! He died for the ungodly. This includes those who wield guns and those who use political power to advance their ideology.

And this also includes those who embrace a lifestyle of homosexuality. Christ died for the ungodly. Again Paul, the Apostle:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”  (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV)

Christ is enough. Don’t be seduced by power hungry shooters and power hungry politicians.

Christ is enough.