Christianity & Self-Defense

Jarred Pettijohn

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Introduction

Break from Genesis tonight.

I’d like to tell you a brief story that I’m not particularly proud of, and if it were to happen today I know for a fact that I would handle it much differently as I’ve grown in my understanding of God’s word and my high view of human life.

But not too long after Emily was born, we were up with her as she wouldn’t stop crying, and as we attended to her, we heard the dog start barking and noticed that a pickup had parked right in front of our house.

Well, never having lived in the city, it never occurred to me to call the police, so instead I grabbed my shotgun and peeked out the front door to see a figure lurking in the driveway around our vehicles.

So instead of you know, having enough sense to let the guy have what he wanted, I decided to step outside with a shotgun and confront the guy.

So I step outside and I see this figure step behind my vehicle and I yell to him, CAN I HELP YOU?

And he comes from around the vehicle with his hands up and it’s this poor teenage kid scared to death and he asks if a girl was home who used to live there, We had only lived there for about a month, and I guess she hadn’t told him she had moved.

Anyway he left and I never saw him again.

But I think all the time how that night could have gone differently, and how I unnecessarily placed myself in a position to potentially take another human beings life.

Say that it would have been a thief and he produced a weapon and I had to fire, I would have probably been in the right legally, but would I have been right in the eyes of God?

Tonight I’d like to discuss a topic that has recieved a ton of attention lately, especially with what happened to our brothers and sisters down in Fort Worth last week.

Tonight we are going to talk about something I don’t think we talk

We are going to talk about Christianity and self-defense. Now I believe this is important subject to talk about because

1) It’s timely, there is a lot of discussion going on right now about it

2) We need to reflect and be introspective on what we believe regarding the our legal rights versus the rights we have under the kingship of Jesus Christ.

Because as we know already, what is allowed and permissible by the laws of the land, may not be lawful under Christ. They are not always the same.

And even if you’ve studied this before, it is always a good thing to think long and hard and be convinced in our own minds regarding whether or not our views align with scriptural teaching.

The 2 Positions

When it comes to self defense and Christianity there are primarily two categories in which people fall in.

1) Is the view that it is right and proper for a Christian to use whatever force necessary, even lethal force, in the defense of themselves and others from those attempting to cause harm.

2) Is the view that advocates pacifism in the face of harm, that is, that one should not use lethal force to protect themselves or others for any reason whatsoever.

And of course under pacifism you have varying degrees of pacifists, most are OK with some force but draw the line at lethal force, others say any kind of force at all that causes any harm is a sin. I’m sure there are more variants, but for now we will just deal with these broad categories of pacifist and non-pacifist.

Now before we begin looking at these positions, we should understand that there are wonderful Christian men and women who belong to both of these positions, and so therefore I think it is important that we start with what should be common ground and go from there.

Christians Should have a High View of the value of ALL Human life

Whatever camp we find ourselves in, it should be rooted in the high view that God has for Human Life. Humans have been made in the image of God

Genesis 1:26–27 ESV

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

And we see from the scriptures that God took seriously the taking of that life. After the flood, in he commanded Noah and his descendants,

Genesis 9:5–6 ESV

5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

God also made this clear in when he laid out in the sixth of the ten commandments

Exodus 20:13 ESV

13 “You shall not murder.

That is that an intentional taking of life, outside of God’s commandment such as capital punishment or during war, is a sin against God.

And so first and foremost we should agree about the sanctity of Human life!

If we ever, ever! Find ourselves saying that we look forward to the opportunity to use lethal force, then we are always wrong. There should be no debate about that. A Christian should understand the value of Human life, and never think themselves higher than God in this regard.

After all do the scriptures not tell us that God

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Does not say

Ezekiel 18:23 ESV

23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

Church we need to be careful in the things we say and the things we rejoice over on FB. This week I’ve seen some pretty blatant rejoicing over the death of an enemy to the United States, a terrorist. I saw the same thing in the death of Osama Bin Laden, and while I understand the human emotions at play in those situations, I don’t believe we should ever rejoice in the death of a lost sinner. Those souls, as evil and deprived as they may have been, bore the image of God, and how great would it have been for them to repent and to come to a knowledge of the truth. While they are alive, there’s that chance, after death, there is no chance.

We also I think should be able to agree that there is nothing on earth worth taking the life of another human being, that is, nothing in my vehicles that night 10 years ago when I when outside with that shotgun, was worth taking a life over, even the cars themselves. Some might argue with me about that, but I really don’t think any physical thing is worth killing a man over.

The main difference as I see it between the pacifist view and the non-pacifist view comes from the way one approaches the value of human life and the protection of the innocent.

Non-Pacifist

The non-pacifist argues that God has authorized the use of force for the protection of the innocent and therefore that right extends to each individual Christian.

Now most often, the non-pacifist will go to

Luke 22:35–38 ESV

35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

And they will say “See! Jesus authorized the carrying of swords, even told them to sell their cloaks and to go buy one!” And I’ll admit that I’ve made this same statement myself.

But what is Jesus really saying here? Is he saying that 2 swords is enough for 12 men to defend themselves with? Or is he fulfilling what he says in v. 37 which is a fulfillment of ?

I think the only purpose for the swords in this verse is to fulfill the prophecy of being numbered with the transgressors. I don’t think Jesus is necessarily making a case for self defense here, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide for yourself.

Now where I think this debate really begins to come into clearer focus is when we start looking at what the scriptures say regarding civil service, or a Christians role in government. Because how we view that question will drastically influence our understanding of verses such as

Romans 13:1–4 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

A Pacifist insists that a Christian has no scriptural authority to be a part of the armed services, police force, or in any way part of human governments, but that the sword has been placed excursively in the hands of non-christians to keep law and order. Therefore Non-Christians can be in the service of God for these things, but not Christians. Yet they can conveniently call on non-Christians to keep them safe just as Paul was when the Roman soldiers protected him from a mob of murderous Jews in

A Pacifist insists that a Christian has

What flips this conversation for me as to which side I fall on is the numerous occasions of soldiers, jailors, and government officials that turn to God and yet are NEVER once instructed to leave their positions in which they would by necessity use force.

Luke 3:14 ESV

14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

Luke 3:

The Philippian Jailer Converted in

Cornelius in

Now it seems to me that the scriptures had plenty of opportunity to relay the point that after their conversion, they laid down their arms. But we don’t read any such restriction in the NT against being a police officer or a soldier.

But surely, if there was an outright

And so because we don’t find one restriction. I believe that the same service that government is meant to provide, to be a terror to bad conduct, to be a protector of the innocent, can certainly be accomplished by the hands of a Christian without them committing a sin. I believe that because God holds a high view of human life, that we should to, and that we should seek to protect it.

Romans 13:1–4 ESV

Pacifist

Now in response to that, the pacifist would say, well are you not then ignoring the words of Christ when he said

Matthew 5:44 ESV

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Matthew 5:43–44 ESV

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

And then what do you do with the words of Paul when he wrote in

Romans 12:17–18 ESV

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Not to mention Christs own example in telling Peter to put away his sword, in Jesus saying that his kingdom was not of this world, if it was of this world then his disciples would fight.

Listen, we ought to agree with those passages 100 percent and if they convict you to the point of not being able to defend your life or others against harm, I won’t think any less of you as long as your view is rooted in your understanding of the scriptures.

But when I read the scriptures as a whole, I see a God who is interested in protecting life against evil. A God who desires the helpless to be helped. That despises those who do evil against innocent people, and who has obviously given a provision for those things to be dealt with. Does that mean that only the governments can do it? Or does that extend to us? I think we are perfectly within Christian thinking to defend ourselves and others from harm.

Instead what I’m going to call myself is a

Which is why in my mind all of this discussion back and forth really comes down to our motives in the moment of self defense.

But that doesn’t mean that I look forward to it. I’ve heard fellow Christians almost sound giddy at the thought of someone breaking into their home so they could use lethal force. Listen, if that is our attitude, brothers and sisters, we seriously need to check our hearts.