–– Mark Christopher

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Just a few weeks ago, 18 people were massacred in cold blood in the Eastern Cape. In all, 15 women and 3 men were senselessly slaughtered for reasons still unknown. Here in the Cape, 7 people were gunned down last week in Bishop Lavis in what looks like a gang-style murder. The day before the Bishop Lavis tragedy, 5 people were murdered in Atlantis on the west coast north of Cape Town. Sadly, those headlines have already evaporated in the minds of most due to the everyday occurrence of homicide in South Africa. Murder is so common now that most are hardened to this loss of human life. 

In 2023, 27,368 people were murdered in South Africa between January 1^st and December 31^st. This staggering number amounts to 75 murders every day in a country of some 60 million people. In the 3^rd quarter of last year, there were 84 murders a day. According to the BBC, the murder rate in South Africa is 45 people per 100,000. In comparison, the United States has a murder rate of 6 people per 100,000, despite its well-publicized massacres. It is no surprise then that South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and ranks 5^th in violent crime. Countries like Iraq are deemed safer than South Africa. 

Why is South Africa such a fertile killing field? Why is life so cheap here? If you adopt the rhetoric of the media and political pundits, the problem is directly related to guns. The logic goes that if guns were banned, murder and violent crime would evaporate. What they fail to mention is that knives are responsible for the majority of contact crimes and some 40% of the murders. So, using the flawed logic of anti-gun advocates, we should ban all knives as well and make it illegal to own a knife. Blaming guns and knives for murder is like blaming forks for obesity. Besides, many of the guns used in South Africa’s murders are stolen from the police and the defense force. 

So, banning guns will do little to stem the unacceptably high tide of senseless violence. The problem is far more complex than guns. Organized crimes and gang warfare certainly contribute to a high murder rate. One could add poverty, joblessness, alcohol, drugs, and a disdain for authority as further contributing factors. But at its root, the murder rate here is a spiritual problem requiring spiritual analysis and spiritual answers. 

How did South Africa arrive at the place where the spilling of innocent blood is a normal part of everyday life? It begins with society’s devaluation of human life and detachment from God, the creator and giver of all life. Thanks to evolutionary theory, a rock is a tree, is a pig is a boy. Nothing is unique or distinct about human life since man is no more than an accidental chemical cocktail—a chance organization of atoms and molecules. Evolutionary theory is etched in the psyche of South Africa’s society and culture. So, we should not be surprised that the mentality of the survival of the fittest prevails. 

For this reason, life is cheapened and devalued. There is no greater illustration of this than abortion on demand. Once it is acceptable to end life at one end of the spectrum, we should not be surprised when the justification of taking life at other points along life’s continuum is normalized. Thus, human life is diminished. Like leaven, this subtly influences all of society. When the breakdown of marriage and family, along with the collapse of law and order, is added to the equation, it creates the perfect storm with an environment ripe for violence and murder.  

So, what is the answer to the problem? Well, if the problem is, at its core, a spiritual problem, then the foundation for the solution must also relate to the spiritual cause. In the interest of time and space, I offer 4 biblical observations that, if acknowledged and applied, will go a long way in addressing the veritable war zone that is South Africa: 

1. God is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. As the creator of all human life, He imbued human life with unique image-bearing qualities that set human life apart from all non-human creation (Genesis 1:26-28). Genesis 3 reminds us that sin has marred our humanity and image-bearing capacities but has not entirely erased them. Genesis 4 recounts the first murder in Scripture with Cain taking the life of his brother Able (Genesis 4:8). As the giver of human life, God declared in the 6^th commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” Some translations say “kill” instead of “murder,” but the original Hebrew word ratsakh is specific for murder. God, as the giver of life, alone reserves the right to terminate life. This truth directly contradicts the evolutionary lie that promotes the devaluation of human life. 

2. God has ordained the family as the basic unit of society. He alone defines and outlines what marriage and family are meant to be. When humanity arbitrarily redefines marriage, sexuality, family, and gender, then chaos and anarchy are unavoidable. Family, as God biblically defines it, is meant to be the primary means of societal stability. When the bonds of this familial glue perish, the adhesive for society is removed. This has led to far too many fatherless homes, which are replaced by gangs and other unsavory influencers. No-fault divorce, unbridled immorality, redefined marriage, and rugged individualism have all coalesced to attack the binding address of the family. An unstable society makes for a more violent society where everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. 

3. God has ordained the church to be the “pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). As the “pillar and support of the truth,” the church is meant to proclaim and safeguard the word of God and the gospel. This is why Paul reminded the elders of Ephesus he did not fail to “preach the whole counsel of God” to them (Acts 20: 27). The faithful and bold preaching of God’s word leads to stronger marriages and families while serving as salt and light to a world steeped in sin. But when churches and denominations fail to proclaim God’s word, they invite the judgment of God (1 Peter 4:17). 

4. God ordained government for the purpose of protecting a nation’s citizens (Genesis 9:1-17; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15). The primary task of the government is to safeguard its people from those who would seek to take human life, either through murder or war. It is for this reason God tasked government with the responsibility of capital punishment in Genesis 9:6. Those who wantonly commit premeditated murder forfeit their lives. This is how sacred human life is to God. This not only serves as a deterrent to other would-be murderers, but it rids society of those who play God by ending another image-bearers life. Out of 16 capital crimes in the Old Testament, murder was considered to be the worst crime one could commit. Therefore, God mandates government with the responsibility of eliminating cold-blooded murderers from society through capital punishment. 

It is unacceptable that South Africa’s murder rate is shockingly high. So, what can be done to reverse this? While many factors will help reverse this epidemic, the foundation must be laid first. This foundation includes acknowledging God is the giver and sustainer of all life. This includes spiritual life as defined in the resurrected Christ. It is God who ordained marriage and family. Apart from a return to the biblical view of the family, society will continue unravelling, producing more instability as undesirable replacements fill the familial void. Also, the church of Jesus Christ has a vital role in aiding families with biblical direction while providing society with salt and light. Finally, all governments are answerable to God regarding the purpose for which God ordained them. For this reason, we need to pray for the South African government and make them accountable for the purpose God ordained them. Only then will we begin to turn the corner on the overwhelming murder rate that afflicts our country and every one of us.