Would God Have Flicked Hitler's Head Off?

 September 17, 2024

Tuesday

I saw the title but didn't watch the video. It said something like, "If God existed, He would have flicked Hitler's head off." When people say this, they don't realize that they are supporting the existence of God.

God created us in His image. That can't mean that we all look like Him physically because the Bible tells us that God is a Spirit. Anyone with a set of eyes knows that we don't all look alike. His image is found in the values He possesses. One of those is justice. Even though we have corrupted His image, we still possess the remnant of that image within each of us. We seek justice just as God seeks it.

Most people recognize the evil in Adolph Hitler. Most people will say that he deserved hell. They say that because they have established a moral standard that determines wrong from right. They may not have stopped to determine where that morality comes from. They think it stands on its own.

Let's assume that selfishness is the greatest virtue. If so, Hitler was just exercising selfishness in his attempt to rule a significant part of the world. Let's say pride was the greatest virtue. Then, Hitler was just feeding his pride as he had so many saluting him even while he committed atrocious acts of evil. Yet, I would say that most people would not consider either of these "virtues" as justifying the evil that Hitler committed.

So, the very fact that people can determine what evil is comes from their creation which endued values within them. Then, why didn't Hitler have these values too? He did.

Sin was introduced into God's creation and corrupted the image of God. Holiness was corrupted into self-righteousness. Justice was corrupted into revenge. Pride became something that puts the prideful person at the center of his or her own world. Hitler, like all of us, was responding to the corrupted image of God within him. He was responding more vociferously than most, but he was still responding.

The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) This means that sin is defined as falling short of God's glory. God's glory is our clear reflection of who He is. It is living up to what God has intended for us. No one has done so. The image is blurred; the target is missed. Does it matter by how far a target is missed when the standard was a bullseye? 

A spacecraft returning to earth has a small re-entry window to return safely. Too shallow an approach results in skipping off the atmosphere and hurtling through space. Too steep and the spacecraft burns up from the friction of the atmosphere. Either of these will result in the death of the astronauts. It doesn't matter how far the window is missed if it is indeed missed. Skipping off the atmosphere will just mean that the astronauts die slower.

So, like everyone else, Hitler missed the target. He missed it farther than anyone we can think of. Does that really make a difference? 

Of course this also means that people expect justice to be served on earth. It is not. While there will be consequences on earth, ultimate justice is in God's hands. He is just and justice will definitely be served. Sure, a few people immediately receiving justice could go a long way on earth but even what we consider justice won't be justice. No, justice is far worse. The death that Jesus paid is far greater than any justice we could have imagined.

So, did Hitler receive justice? You can be assured that he did.

Exodus 34:7 (NASB) ⁷  who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."