I first heard about the explosions in London when I was in the church with the Thursday night study group. At that time we did not know how many people had been killed and injured, but we took the opportunity to sit and pray quietly for the victims, their families, the emergency services and hospitals. The next morning I was pleased to see so many prominent people and the governments of so many nations condemning such violent attacks on people who were simply going about their daily life and work. Every television news program for the past few days has shown terrible pictures of the destruction and the distress. Television has brought the realities of such events into our private homes and it is not something that we can ignore.

The destruction of the twin towers in New York, the Bali bombing, the attack on Spanish trains, together with the wars which continue to take life around the world remind us daily that human beings are capable of the most destructiveness callous and pointless violence towards each other. At the same time we see that such events can bring out the best in people - they bear their injuries with patience, they perform deeds of heroism, courage and compassion, they show determination and strength as they carry on with their lives in the face of such violence.

Many of these acts of violence are carried out by people who believe that what they are doing is right. They act in the name of their country or in the name of democracy, in the name of freedom, and in the name of religion. But there is no system of belief, no system of ethics which condones such impersonal and random destruction. Those who commit such acts of violence have horribly twisted the ideals of human civilisation and religion to justify their own actions. When I read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, I come across equally appalling behaviour which is claimed to be done in the name of God. The invasion of Canaan by Joshua is a dreadful example of genocide, and King David's slaughter of his enemies, men, women, children and animals is shocking, even today. I do not believe in a God who approves of warfare and indiscriminate killing - I believe in God who is revealed to us in Jesus Christ - a God of mercy and forgiveness, a God of righteousness and love, a God who has created this world and loves it, a God who has created humankind to be a reflection of God's glory; a God who is prepared to show that even death cannot separate God's love from God's people.

So, what is an appropriate Christian response to the violent events of the world? What can we say or do?

Firstly, I believe that we must speak out and condemn acts of violence. St Paul, in his letter to the Romans, talks about two ways of living. One way he calls the way of the flesh and the other way he calls the way of the Spirit. When St Paul talks about the flesh, he does not mean our bodies or the flesh we are made of, instead to follow the way of the flesh is to follow every idea and inclination that comes to the human mind. It is a thoughtless way of living, living without thinking of anyone else or what results our actions might have. It is a selfish, grasping way to live and, as St Paul says, leads to death.

The law, that is, the Law of Moses, was given for human guidance and obedience, but human beings can twist and weaken the law so that it is no longer effective in controlling the folly of humankind. I believe that the people who carry out the atrocities of this world are those who have twisted the laws of society, and the laws of God, so that they can live thoughtlessly, selfishly and with no compassion. St Paul would say that such people are living according to the flesh because they are hostile to God and cannot please God because their actions are evil. Those people are living the wrong way and their actions and lifestyle is to be condemned.

But this does not mean that we should try and kill them - they need to be brought to justice and made aware of the evil in their lives, but we believe in a God of life and peace, as St Paul says again, "to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." This is the second way of life which St Paul is telling the Romans. The way of the Spirit is to be responsive to the love of God. The way of the Spirit is to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves. The way of the Spirit sees the glory of God in every human being. Killing becomes impossible because a person who loves God will seek the glory of God in other people, and who would destroy God's handiwork? Even to be rude and disrespectful to someone else would be the same as being rude and disrespectful to God. Those who live in the Spirit of Christ live in righteousness and peace.

There are very few people who live completely in the Spirit of God and there are very few who live entirely in the flesh. For most of us life is a struggle - as Michael Horsburgh pointed out last week, we live lives that are pulled this way and that - sometimes our selfishness and foolishness gets the better of us and sometimes we respond to the Spirit of God. As Christians it is our hope that we will be changed completely to live lives in Christ and this is our study and our prayer.

A Christian response to the violence of the world is the hope and prayer that all humanity may come to live this second way, the way of the Spirit. Obviously we cannot change the world overnight - after two thousand years the world is still troubled - but we can sow seeds, like the sower in the parable. The sower is generous because he throws seed everywhere, even on the paths and among the rocks and the weeds. We can be generous, too. Our seeds are the good things we do which show God's love at work. Some people will not appreciate them, some people will forget and others will turn against us, but there will always be some who will respond to the love of God we give them, and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit of God, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If enough people hear, then maybe their hearts will be changed and the world will suffer no more terrorist attacks.

One thing we can be sure of, that if we respond with violence, or if we do nothing at all, then the violence will most certainly continue.