Everyone will have to answer to God

A person was given the role of Jesus in Godspell a musical based on the Gospel according to St Matthew. To “do justice to the role” he read St Matthew’s Gospel, which is found at the beginning of the New Testament of the Bible.

His conclusion, “if people followed the teachings of this man (Jesus) this world would be a much better place to live in”.

We have the Highway Code which is intended to keep people safe provided they follow its instructions. But some people ignoring these instructions can cause carnage and death. Whose fault is this? The compilers of the Highway Code or the person breaking the law who will have to face the consequences of his/her actions?

It is the same with God. He has given us 10 Commandments (Exodus chapter 20 verses 1 to 17). Jesus summed them up this way, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew’s Gospel chapter 22 verses 37 to 39) which, if we follow, will make this world a better place in which to live.

So, responding to Nick Hales (Chronicle, January 6) Herod had a choice. He could follow God’s clear command not to murder or he could protect his position and status by murdering all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under (Matthew chapter 2 verse 16) which, incidentally, fulfilled another Old Testament prophecy (Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 15).

Coming to our present day, whose fault is it that dictators act in the way they do to protect their position and status and brutally supress any challenge to their rule? Whose fault is it that people, old and young, are treated in the way that they are to satisfy evil desires?

God does not pull our strings and treat us as puppets. He gives us freedom to choose His way or our own and accept the consequences.

So, whose responsibility was it for killing all those boys in Bethlehem? It was Herod’s not God’s. We will all have to answer to God for our actions – including Herod. Pete Foster

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