The arguments are endless... You can’t be Christian and against gun control. Guns kill people. We need more gun control laws. How can you claim to be pro-life and pro-gun at the same time? How can you claim to be pro-gun and pro-capital punishment? Gun control laws do NOT prevent gun-related crime. Saying we need more gun control laws to keep people from being murdered is like saying we need to ban forks and spoons so people will not get fat. Gun control laws do nothing to stop criminals from committing crimes and just make it harder for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.
What does the Bible say about self-defense? Is a Christian a hypocrite if he owns a gun and uses it for self-defense if the occasion arises? Let’s examine the Bible and see what it says. But before I do that, let’s consider the view of a pacifist.
Let’s be clear... God is NOT a pacifist and neither does His Word teach pacifism. We read in Exodus 15:3 “The LORD is a man of war….” David thanks God for teaching him the ways of conflict... we read in Psalms 144:1 “...Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight...”
Despite these and other references in the Bible, a pacifist believes that war or defending oneself is never proper. Their reasoning is that there is nothing important enough to go to war over or ever shoot another person in self-defense. All national and international disputes should be settled by peaceful means rather than by force. They are opposed to all military ideals, preparedness, standing army, etc. Further, many believe it is never right to kill anyone for any reason, under any circumstance. Pacifists do not believe in capital punishment for that reason.
Among those who label themselves as Christian pacifists are the Quakers, Amish, and Mennonites. In general they believe Christ’s teachings, such as that in Matthew 5:38-48 (turn the other cheek and go the extra mile), forbids believers from becoming involved in any form of violence, killing or warfare, even for the protection of their lives, the protection of their loved ones, their own property, and their country. But the true focus of this passage is how to handle persecution; it is not referring to self-defense when your life is in danger.
Perhaps the most common verse gun control advocates use to support their position is Exodus 20:13. The verse says, “Thou shalt not kill.” They mistakenly believe the Commandment is a blanket command covering war, capital punishment, personal protection, etc. This is a clear misunderstanding of the word kill and the commandment.
The Hebrew word translated “kill” in Exodus 20:13, ratsach, is translated “murder” 14 times (Numbers 35:16, 17,18,19,21,30,31; 1 Kings 6:32; Job 24:14; Psalm 94:6; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 7:9; Hosea 6:9) and “slayer” 17 times (Numbers 35:11,25,26, 27,28; Deuteronony 4:42; 19:3,4,6; Joshua 20:3,5,6; 21:13,21, 27,32,38). Bible Commentator Adam Clark says in his commentary, “this commandment, which is general, prohibits murder of every kind.”
Dr. John Gill further explains in his commentary, “killing of men in lawful war, or in defense of a man’s self, when his own life is in danger, or the execution of malefactors by the hands or order of the civil magistrate (capital punishment), and killing a man at unawares (by accident), without any design, are not to be reckoned breaches of this law.” The Hebrew words in this Commandment literally mean “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice and murderous intent.”
The “Thou Shall Not Kill” Commandment therefore prohibits the taking the life of another through private malice and revenge... cold blooded murder. There are at least four circumstances in the Bible when killing is not murder.
Military service and Law enforcement – Governments are charged with three responsibilities to their citizens: First, Protecting Citizens; Second, Punishing Evil; and Third, Promoting Order (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Timothy 2:2).
Martin Luther said, “War for the sake of war is sin, but war for the sake of defense is duty. The power of temporal rulers is to be turned only against the wicked, to hold them in check and keep them at peace, and to protect and save the righteous.”
It is not murder to kill a person in the line of duty in law enforcement or in the military. This is clearly stated in Romans 13:4... “For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
Capital punishment – It is not murder to put criminals to death for heinous crimes. The Bible plainly says that the man who takes a life is to forfeit his own life (Genesis 9:6). The Law of Moses called for capital punishment in the case of murder (Leviticus 24:17; Deuteronomy 19:11-13), adultery (Le. 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:21,22), rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-27), incest (Leviticus 20:17), and other things as well.
The avenger of death in Old Testament times was a relative or friend who put the murderer to death (Deuteronomy 19:11-13). God allowed for this, and made provision for “cities of refuge” for those who had killed someone accidentally. However that has changed today. In the New Testament, God has given only civil government the authority to put offenders to death. In Romans 13 we see that God has given nations the authority to “bear the sword” against evil. Civil government is charged with the orderly administration of society, which would include appropriate capital punishment to remove evildoers.
Accidental Death – As tragic as it is, it is not murder to kill someone accidentally (Numbers 35:20-23). It is a horrible thing to kill someone accidentally. However, civil government have established laws that consider the circumstances contributing to accidental death and can impose appropriate penalties for what is often deemed carelessness, acts and choices that may have contributed to accidental death.
Self-Defense – It is not murder to defend oneself or your loved ones and property (Exodus 22:2-3). If someone broke into the home at night and the intruder was killed, the one who killed him is NOT guilty of murder. If it is in the daytime and the intruder is there to steal and not to molest or kill, you are not to kill him. But, if possible, detain him so the proper civil authorities can deal with the crimes committed or attempted.
I also believe Proverbs 24:11-12 calls us to intervene if someone is accosted by a lawless thief, robber, murderer, etc. We are called to do all we can to intervene and stop it. We read,... “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it?” Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
Then there is Deuteronomy 22:23-27 which deals with rape. Verse 27 has in view a woman who is raped and she calls for help and the verse says “and there was none to save her.” Clearly the implication is that if someone would have heard, there would have been a moral duty to intervene and protect her from being raped, by whatever means available. To stand by and do nothing would be immoral, and such a person would be accountable to God for failure to intervene. This is where the theory of pacifists and gun-control advocates fall apart. They oppose any means of self-defense which be definition is a form of non-intervention. The flawed theory of non-intervention says... that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled, is somehow morally superior to a woman explaining to a police officer how her attacker got that fatal bullet wound in the chest!
Given all the circumstance that can befall any of us at any time, it would seem reasonable that God wanted his people armed to protect themselves and others in harms way. God did not plan for just an army to be armed. The Israelites were expected to have their own personal weapons. Every man would be summoned to arms when the nation confronted an enemy. They did not send in the Marines. The people defended themselves. (1 Samuel 25:13).
A good example of people protecting themselves is found in Nehemiah 4:17-18 -- “who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.”
Judges 5:8 reminds us of what happens to a foolish nation that chooses to disarm... “God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.” They were vulnerable to their enemies. They had no weapons to protect themselves. Clearly a serious mistake.
That brings us to the New Testament. Did you know that our Lord instructed his disciples to buy a weapon? Look at Luke 22:36 “ He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Our Lord wanted his followers to be prepared to protect themselves, because he knew he would not be around much longer to intervene for them. It is obvious that they obeyed him. We see this in Matthew 26:50-54... Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
What was Jesus saying? Jesus told Peter he would be committing suicide to choose a fight in this situation – as well as undermining God's plan to allow Jesus' death on the cross for our sins. Jesus told Peter to put his sword in its place – at his side. He did not say throw it away. After all, He had just ordered the disciples to arm themselves. The reason for the arms was obviously to protect the lives of the disciples, not the life of the Son of God. What Jesus was saying was: “Peter, this is not the right time for a fight. If you use your sword for improper purposes you will die!”
Our natural reaction to those who initiate violence against us and wish to do us grave bodily harm is to protect ourselves and those we love.
While self-defense is not an overarching theme in the Bible, it does offer many examples that clearly allow one the right of self-defense. Jesus himself said if a homeowner knew a thief was coming to his house he would not allow his home to be broken into (Matthew 24:42-44). This example shows that God gives us the right to protect our possessions and to do what is needed to defend ourselves (even though it says nothing about killing someone).
While the Bible does not speak of modern firearms, it does confirm that individuals could and should own and have the right to use a weapon for self-defense in certain situations. It is a huge responsibility to own a gun and an even bigger one if you choose to carry one and use it.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 speaks of the realities of life in a fallen world… There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
The Bible supports personal self-defense.
