Science > Abortion > Responding to blasphemy: It is time for Christians to practice the sacrament of violence.
| Topic: |
Science > Abortion |
| User: |
"biniohas" |
| Date: |
03 Feb 2006 04:45:57 PM |
| Object: |
Responding to blasphemy: It is time for Christians to practice the sacrament of violence. |
A Biblical Response to
Those Who Say We Should Disarm; to
Those Who Teach Pacifism; to
Those Who Think the Bible Has Nothing to Say About Arms; to
Those who say "Christians Should Not Kill"
by Pastor Matt Trewhella
Genesis 4:8-12 In this passage, Scripture records the first murder
wherein Cain killed Abel. That Cain must have used some sort of weapon
to kill Abel is evidenced by the fact that Abel was bleeding (he was
not strangled). Notice how God responded to the killing. He did not
institute some sort of weapon-control, rather, He punished the one who
committed the crime.
Exodus 20 and following In His holy Law, which God decreed at Sinai,
nowhere do you see God outlawing weapons in regards to the various
crimes which He prohibited in His legislation. He always punishes the
perpetrator. He never disarms the citizenry.
Exodus 22:2 In this verse, God declares that if someone breaks into
your house at night and you kill him, you are not guilty of murder.
This verse makes clear that you have a God-given right to defend
yourself and to defend your family.
Numbers 1 In His economy, God instituted an armed citizenry, not a
standing army, in order to deal with the affairs of war regarding
Israel. This is what the Founding Fathers of America envisioned for our
nation. Even in Switzerland today, every home is furnished with a
machine gun (one of the reasons Hitler chose not to invade
Switzerland).
Deuteronomy 22:23-27 This passage deals with rape. Notice that verse 27
ends with the words "but there was no one to save her." What is the
implication of such a statement? The implication is that had someone
been around to hear her cry out, they had a moral duty to intervene and
protect her from being raped. To stand by would be immoral. We have a
God-given right to defend not only ourselves, but also others.
I Samuel 13:19-22 The Philistines disarmed the Israelites.
Weapon-control was instituted. No blacksmiths were allowed lest the
Israelites arm themselves. A disarmed people is the sign of a conquered
people. A disarmed people is the sign of an enslaved people.
Isaiah 2:1-5 Many, including the United Nations, take the latter part
of verse 4 in this passage, which states "they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks," and try to say
that God wants us to disarm. The context makes clear however, that
"swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks"
when God Himself rules, not when the United Nations or any other
government of man rules.
Matthew 5:38-39 In this passage, Jesus is not denigrating the Law of
God in regards to one's right to defend himself and others, rather He
is repudiating the lex talionis - the law of retaliation, which said,
"if someone messes you up today, you go back and mess him up five times
worse tomorrow." The Pharisees were even using the Law of God to
justify this mindset. Jesus is repudiating this personal vengeance
which some sought to justify and participate in. He is not saying we
cannot defend ourselves or others.
Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35; Proverbs
20:22). We are not to avenge ourselves. If we see someone who needs our
help during the commission of a crime, we have a God-given right and
duty to intervene. If however, the crime has been committed (past
tense), we have no God-given right or duty to go and execute judgment
upon the perpetrator. God will avenge. God will judge.
God has given the sword (a symbol of judgment) to the civil magistrate
(Romans 13:4). If a crime has been committed, it is to be reported to
the civil authorities and they have a God-given right and duty before
God to execute judgment.
Matthew 26:51-52 Some try to say that this passage proves that Jesus
was a pacifist and against guns. Quite the contrary. Where does Jesus
tell Peter to put his sword? "In its place." John makes it clearer,
Jesus said to Peter "Put your sword into the sheath" (John 18:11).
Jesus didn't tell him to melt it down into a plowshare, rather he
told him to put it "into the sheath." The sword has its proper place.
It's not evil. But Peter was wanting to use it in an improper
situation. Jesus came to earth to die. Peter would be abrogating the
purposes of God if he intervened with the sword. As Jesus goes on to
say in verse 11 of John chapter 18, "Shall I not drink the cup which My
Father has given Me?" Jesus was trying to teach His disciples that His
Kingdom is not expanded in the earth through the use of force, rather
it is expanded through the preaching of the Gospel and the discipling
of the nations.
If someone wants to live by the sword, they will die by the sword, as
Jesus says. In other words, he who uses the sword for improper purposes
will die by it. It was improper for Peter to have used it in that
situation. A criminal or a tyrant who uses the sword improperly will
rightly die by it. But the use of the sword in a proper fashion, to
defend one's person or one's family or one's country, is not
condemned by Scripture, rather Scripture upholds it.
God is not a pacifist. Jesus is not a pacifist. As Jesus said in the
very next verse, verse 53, "Or do you not think that I cannot now pray
to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of
angels?" Jesus could have used force. The use of force; the use of
swords were simply improper for the situation in which Christ was
involved. He was suppose to die. He and the Father are not pacifists.
He did not use force because He had to drink the cup of the Father.
Exodus 15:3 This verse of Scripture declares the Lord to be a "man of
war." That God is not a pacifist is evidenced throughout Scripture.
Even Jesus Himself, who is the brightness of God's glory and the
express image of His person, and who has declared all that God is
(Hebrews 1:3; John 1:18), drove the moneychangers out of the temple
with a whip and overturned their tables (John 2:15). The book of
Revelation defines Him as a King who does what? "Judges and makes war"
(Revelation 19:11). The Scripture declares that Jesus Christ is "the
same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). God's character
does not change. God is not a pacifist.
In closing, there are some who say that "we should not have guns; we
should just trust God." My response to those who say this is - "let me
ask you, do you have a lock on your front door?" They always say "yes."
I then ask "Do you lock it when you leave or go to bed at night?" Those
who live in the city always say "yes." I then ask "Why do you have a
lock on your door? Why don't you just trust God?"
Just because we have a lock on our door or a gun in our closet does not
mean we are trusting in them to protect us with the same trust with
which we're to trust the Lord.
Rather, we simply see the wisdom and prudence of having such things in
order to be good stewards in protecting our belongings and our
families.
The psalmist understood that there was no contradiction. The psalmist
(David) who said in verse one of Psalm 144 "Blessed be the Lord my
Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle" said in
verse two of Psalm 144 "My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high
tower and my deliverer, My shield and the one in whom I take refuge."
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| User: "Bill" |
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| Title: Re: Responding to blasphemy: It is time for Christians to practice the sacrament of violence. |
03 Feb 2006 07:53:24 PM |
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"biniohas" <biniohas@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1139006757.348567.233070@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
A Biblical Response to
Those Who Say We Should Disarm; to
Those Who Teach Pacifism; to
Those Who Think the Bible Has Nothing to Say About Arms; to
Those who say "Christians Should Not Kill"
The Bibles are noting more than myths, fables, legends and impossible tales.
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| User: "EC-10" |
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| Title: Re: Responding to blasphemy: It is time for Christians to practice the sacrament of violence. |
03 Feb 2006 05:09:25 PM |
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"biniohas" <biniohas@hotmail.com> wrote:
A Biblical Response to
Those Who Say We Should Disarm; to
Those Who Teach Pacifism; to
Those Who Think the Bible Has Nothing to Say About Arms; to
Those who say "Christians Should Not Kill"
by Pastor Matt Trewhella
Yeah, great. Another so-called 'pastor' rationalising violence. Just what
religion needed.
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| User: "Charles Aulds" |
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| Title: Re: Responding to blasphemy: It is time for Christians to practice the sacrament of violence. |
03 Feb 2006 05:11:19 PM |
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On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 14:45:57 -0800, biniohas wrote:
A Biblical Response to
Those Who Say We Should Disarm; to
Those Who Teach Pacifism; to
Those Who Think the Bible Has Nothing to Say About Arms; to
Those who say "Christians Should Not Kill"
by Pastor Matt Trewhella
Brothers and Sisters, you can read a lot more by "Pastor Matt Trewhella"
at:
http://www.missionariestopreborn.com/
Charles
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