How could he do it

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Thomas Lewis Turner was well-liked and respected. He mentored young people and had encouraging words for those who were down. He and his family were in church every Sunday. “The Turners were the personification of the perfect family – loving and church-going,” a newspaper report put it in an article captioned, “Family man’s fatal flaw!”

This successful 38-year-old loan officer turned a gun on his wife, his 15-year-old nephew and his 22-month-old daughter, before he took his own life. What happened?

After his death, character flaws began to paint a dark picture. There was a pattern of violence in his family among his siblings. He had fathered a child his wife knew nothing about. Yet the question persists, “Was his faith only a social front?” When he sat in church, had he so darkened his heart that the Spirit of God ceased to convict him?

The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin, unconfessed and unforsaken, becomes a cancer that erodes decency, common sense and civility. In recognizing the cause we also acknowledge that while the extent of our sin may differ, the quality of it is just the same. The word “all” is inclusive. Paul adds, “None are righteous!”

But there is good news! Scripture says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The gift of God in Christ Jesus transforms us into gracious, compassionate individuals.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.”