Osama bin Laden Deserves a Special Place in Hell...and so do I

The news of Osama bin Laden's death brought mixed emotions. In one way, it brought a feeling that something had finally come to an end, though terrorism is still a threat. In another way, the anger over what happened on 9/11 and price our military has paid in the subsequent wars found a bit of satisfaction. But as I watched the reaction in the media and online, I also got a bit uneasy.




Many are celebrating bin Laden's death. Some are declaring and celebrating his newfound home in Hell. Some are wishing his death had been slower and agonizing. I understand these feelings as they, in part, have been in me as well. I think of how I would feel if someone kidnapped and killed my son. Every fiber in me as a father would want to hunt that person down and find creative ways to make them suffer before they died. I hope I never find myself in such a situation, fighting to keep such feelings from becoming action. I'm sure those who lost family in 9/11 and resulting wars have struggled with such feelings.

As a follower of Christ, I want to know how I should react to this day when our nation's enemy has been vanquished. Here is the hard part. Jesus said in what we call the "Sermon on the Mount," that we should turn the other cheek, go the extra mile and "love our enemy and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt 5:38-48) The very thought of loving bin Laden feels atrocious. To pray for him and not pray for his demise, torture, and a quick trip to Hell, is difficult to say the least. How can we do this? I am finding it is possible through Him who strengthens me because He gave us what we need to do so, namely grace, truth, and love.

First of all, grace. God extends grace to all humans on some level. Jesus said we should love and pray for our enemies SO that we may be the sons of our Father who is in heaven, who makes the sun rise on the righteous and unrighteous and the rain fall on the righteous and unrighteous. What reward do we have if we only love those who love us? God extends grace to the unrighteous (those who don't love Him) by allowing them to continue to exist and have opportunities to come to know Him through Christ. It is easy to forget that we all are partakers of that grace as we have all fallen short of God's glory and deserve justice for our own sin. No doubt Osama bin Laden deserves a special place in Hell...but so do I! We all contribute to the evil of this world and we all have dishonored a holy God. It is an act of God's grace that any of us exist! God is merciful and slow to anger, abounding in love allowing us the opportunity before we die to come to salvation through Jesus Christ by what He did for us on the cross. But we have to come to the cross! There we discover grace fully and see the justice we deserve is satisfied in what Christ did. Then we not only are allowed to exist, but live forever in a relationship with Him!

This is the truth that also helps and strengthens us. Further, we see the practical side of God's grace played out in our world. Paul wrote in Romans 13 that God has appointed governments and gives authority for such so that justice can be enacted in our world. In no way does this text mean that God condones every government decision. It simply means God has graciously given humans the means to establish government to enforce right behavior and punish law breakers. It means governments are ultimately accountable to God and those in government will have to answer for their choices just as pastors and teachers in the Church must answer for what they teach. This helps us see that what happened to bin Laden was rightfully carried out by our government under the authority God allowed it to have. Thank you to our soldiers who are willing to carry that sword of justice and we need to pray for them and their families as they carry that burden. It means we should never cease to pray for our President and leaders so they will make God-honoring decisions. Sometimes, the only way temporary peace can be found in our world is on the other side of war. That is an unfortunate reality of our fallen world. We can thank God for deliverance from our enemies, even if it had to be done through war, but it does not mean we have to hate our enemy. It does not mean we have to enjoy their suffering as they enjoyed ours. If we enjoy theirs, then we have become our enemy. Hate does not defeat hate.

Finally, we can take comfort that there is an ultimate justice in God. Ultimately, we all give an account of ourselves before Him as every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to God. Osama must give this account. I must give this account. We all must. In the meantime, let us celebrate that partial justice has come and that full justice is to come. Let us celebrate that if we belong to Christ, that full justice is satisfied and that is how we can truly begin to understand grace and love. Knowing that God is just is the only way to truly see how amazing His love is at the cross. God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We didn't earn it. He gave it freely. Have you received this gift?

In no way do I intend to tell anyone how to feel about this. There are people who have been directly affected by these tragedies. But our emotions do not erase truth. Our family's tragedy has taught me this. Let us pray for our nation and world and that as many as possible will find the ultimate peace in Christ.