This is a discussion I have had with many people on several occasions. It seems that everyone has an opinion on the topic and they usually stand firm on their belief.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are safe.”
– Luke 11:21Jesus said, “But now whoever has a purse or bag, must take it and whoever does not have a sword must sell his cloak and buy one”.
– Luke 22:36
There is evil in the world. When evil threatens the safety of innocent people, I believe we have a duty to intervene. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. My prayer is that I will never have to use my gun to protect myself or others. But if the day comes when evil threatens, I will use it to defend myself or others.
I have brought this topic to several Bible scholars and each had a different perspective on the subject. All could give very convincing rebuttals for how they feel and I respect that. So the discussion continues.
One of the arguments that I have heard is I don’t need a gun because God will protect me. Believe me in my 43 years as a Firefighter/Medic God has protected me on many occasions. But I am reminded of a story about a church that caught fire. All of the members of the congregation circled the church and began to pray for God to put the fire out. They prayed long and hard. When they were finished the church had burned to the ground. Then they ask God, “Why Lord did you not help us?” Immediately God responded, “I gave you a fire extinguisher.” Prayer is important and I pray frequently throughout the day. But many times prayer has to be accompanied with action.
In one of my discussions with a member of our church, he stated that he would never use lethal force against another human. God will protect me and my home. I asked this individual if he locked the door to his house before he left for church. He said, yes. I asked, why? He did not answer. I asked what he would do if someone broke into his house and started beating his wife. He had no answer. You will be hard pressed to convince me that God wants us to stand idle while evil people have their way with innocent people.
Now, I know some of you will disagree with this and you may interpret the Bible in a different way. And I’m not here to tell you what you should believe. That is between you and the Lord. I feel it is something each person must pray about and listen to God for your answer. It also makes for good discussion over Sunday dinner.
That translation version, “But now whoever has a purse or bag, must take it and whoever does not have a sword must sell his cloak and buy one,” had confused me a bit in the past.
Here’s a slightly different version that makes better sense to me: “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.”