Fundamental rights
Is owning a firearm for personal self defense compatible with Christian belief?
Probably everyone of us would recognize the right of Christians to use a firearm to provide food for our families. Many Biblical passages would establish this right (Genesis 9:3,4; Acts 10:11-13); but do we have a fundamental right granted by God to preserve life by taking a life in self- defense?
How about governmental tyranny? The framers of our constitution saw the second ammendment as a check on the abuse of power by governments. After just throwing the mantle of oppression off their backs in the War for Independence, they were seeking a means of assuring that the government they established would never be able to treat its citizens in similar ways. Thus they believed an armed poulace was a deterent against a government run amock. But what would Jesus do? Would God have us as believers prepare for self defense against either a violant criminal or an abusive government. “To the Law and to the Testimony”- what saith the Scripture. Just something to think about.
What is “To the Law and to the Testimony” in reference to please?
Are these comments reaching you Pastor Tim?
What would Jesus do? I have hated that question because most people who throw that question around are just being manipulative.
I really liked your answer – Jesus would refer back to the Law and to the Testimony. Good article!
Tod- sorry, i wsa trying to reply to your email but it must not go through that way- i am new to this blogging stuff. Anyway- your question. “To the law and to the testimony” is a phrase appearing in Isaiah 8:20 refering to the fact that as Christians we are to build all our thinking on Scripture not human reasoning. It was probably to obscure a phrase fo rme to use in this context. What i meant by using it is that sometimes we as people build more of our thinking on culture, or our American experience than we do from Scriptue. Paul also tells us in I Corinthians 4 that we are to learn to not think beyond what is written. hope this helps.
It does. Thanks for the reply.