Does The Bible Order Bible-Believers To Disarm, or Resist Evil?

Does The Bible Order Bible-Believers To Disarm, or Resist Evil?

By Craig M. Szwed

One of THE greatest, ongoing, social experiments ever conducted has been the conception, birth, and maturation of these United States of America. As one reads about the moral, spiritual, legal, political, and practical battles that led up to our nation's conception and birth, and if one studies the quotes that led directly to the crafting and signing of our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, one can see that our Founders were VERY concerned with Human Rights. While many of them felt moral compunction to alleviate the injustices of the human experience, many, also, sought solutions to the issues of practical matters in civilized society, and many others remained trapped by their own practical lifestyles, despite their ideals.

Despite their personal or public shortcomings, as a group, our Founders recognized, worked out the details, and set in writing, that there are certain God-given things that people have a right to expect from their fellow man and that their fellow man has a right to expect from them, including our relationship with government and its relationship with us. Our Founders set our Human Rights in writing because the Founders wanted everyone, including governments, to know, respect, and abide by the truth of what those Rights are, even as the Bible speaks of them in various ways, and to which God holds all humanity accountable. To these things each of them set their own signatures, before God Almighty.

Each of us needs to look up and read the precursors to our Founding Documents, as well as our Founding Documents, themselves, to refresh ourselves as to why this country exists, how we got where we are today, and what our Founders hoped we would come to be in relation to our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. While we must recognize that there were some of Noah's descendents who had arrived and established cultures here prior to the Scandinavians, Europeans, and others, invading and conquering this Western Hemisphere, yet, let us not lose sight of the overshadowing fact that out of all the conflict and suffering on this soil, there has been born a different kind of nation than what history had seen previously. These United States of America are supposed to be for all "the People" all the time, all the people interacting independently and responsibly for personal and united benefit, not willy-nilly in selfish interest, nor for the benefit of an overbearing, unconstitutional government.

These United States of America have a mission, stated and established by our Founding Documents, to change the way that people behave toward one another, yet, we continue to be embroiled in a spiritual and practical battle over Human Rights in our Nation. At this time in our history we and our Constitution are under severe attack by those who, for one reason or another, seek to deprive us of the very Human Rights on which our Nation has been founded, and for which so many military veterans and others have laid down their lives, even unto death or sustained grievous personal injury that affected the rest of their lives.

Two of the greatest and most significant components of our Bill of Rights are responsible freedom of speech and assembly, and the right to keep and bear arms. On these two Principles hang all the rest of our Natural Rights that our Founders enumerated. Without these first two, none of the rest can be protected. Today, numerous efforts are being vigorously pursued to shut up all citizens who would speak truth instead of "politically correct" verbiage. Grievous efforts are being made to take away our personal means of defense against violence and oppression of any kind. Such social perversion and subjugation of U.S. citizens is EXACTLY what our Founding Fathers sought to prevent from happening, when they wrote and signed our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.

Many Bible believing Christians have been asked about what the 'right' Christian response should be when evil and violence threaten them, their loved ones, or their communities. Probably, most people in the USA have, at one time or another, heard someone use a Bible quote about turning the other cheek. Too often that passage is taken out of its full context, and applied to all evil, violence, and abuse, because the person quoting it fails to discuss it in the light of the rest of Scripture. That passage is one among many in the midst of Christ's lengthy Sermon on the Mount, and it is a sermon that must be understood in conjunction with the rest of Scripture, including what Christ's Holy Spirit taught the Apostles to pass on to us.

The life of King David shines light on this subject, whether people, and more specifically believers, should arm themselves with firearms, or any other weapons, or whether we should resist evil at all. To address this point 2 Samuel 22:1-51 records David stating what we know, also, as  Psalm 18:1-50. King David was called a man of blood and war by God, but he was also called a man after God's own heart, by God. While that appears to be a conundrum, yet it reveals that there are times for killing and death, and times for peace and tranquility, even as Ecclesiastes states so plainly. Without knowing, understanding, and respecting the interrelatedness of the Old and New Testaments, it is impossible to take any of the sayings of Jesus Christ and apply them with real understanding. Even Jesus, Himself, made a weapon of torture to drive vile people out of the temple in Jerusalem. In that moment, Christ's actions were pure in their intent and motivation, just as it should be for the principled believer and follower of Christ. That was a specific action required in a specific situation, not Jesus' usual way of dealing with situations, even as many firearms trainers and organization caution gun owners to exercise good judgment, caution, and self-restraint. Yet, Jesus did not resist the evil that wanted to kill Him when His mission was of a different nature, in which He went willingly to trial and the cross to give His life that we might be redeemed by His sinless blood. The fact remains that Christ Jesus, with sinless intent, did use physically violent force in order to accomplish a just end, because it was a different mission from the salvation mission. King David repeatedly used violent intervention and defense. Abraham, too, was a man whom God hand-picked and who had to resort to violent means to protect his family. In one place Christ spoke of those who give their lives for others. One does not go to a baseball game or restaurant expecting to lay down one's life for others, BUT it might become necessary, even in those places. Are we each prepared to perform that great gift that others might live?

As we can see from biblical examples, sometimes God provides a peaceful solution. Sometimes we are to suffer earthly injustice, when evil rears its hateful works against us and our loved ones. Other times, we are the very instrument that God wants to use to stop evil in its tracks, even as good government is supposed to fight against evil, and for that cause God gives government a mandate to execute judgment agaisnt evil. Sadly, modern namby-pamby politicians and legalists are afraid to obey God when it comes to executing evildoers. Furthermore, too many people make lots of money by dragging out the legal battles and insisting on multi-decade imprisonments, instead of a swift and just execution. The procrastinators and those greedy of gain are wrong every time that they fail to execute swift justice on evildoers...and God says so. Unfortunately, those who let the criminals off easy also seem to like to bully law-abiding citizens, especially since decent citizens tend to not fight back. How many times have we heard of people who get railroaded into plea bargains even though they are really innocent. Talk about abuses of power!

The just use of force is NOT forbidden by our Creator, the God of the Bible. Instead, He expects us to be prepared and use the tools that He gives us, to help us and others live righteously. The need for believers to exercise physical intervention, or kill someone, to stop the threat of evil against another person or government, was exemplified by much of the U.S. response to the war mongering by the Axis Powers in World War II.

One big problem has always been that far too many people continue believing the lies and machinations of worldly powers and the devil, which has told them, repeatedly, to forsake the Word of God. "Yea, hath God said", has been a favorite catch phrase and trick of Satan since the beginning of human history. The wiles of the world have led the ignorant and innocent into thinking that decent people have no right to protect and defend themselves, their property, or their loved ones. One of the devil's lies is that we all have to wait around for "the police" or "the military" to save us from evil. Nonsense! If God didn't want us to be prepared to fight to stop evil threats, then why would King David be gratefully thanking God for teaching him how to fight and make war against his enemies?

Next to God looking out for our best interests, it is our God-given responsibility to be our own first line of defense for ourselves, our families, our communities, our states, and our nations. The only way that any of us will ever be convinced that we urgently need to have a right relationship between us and God, or us and weapons, is to read the Bible, read our Founding Documents, and then put all that God-given truth into personal daily action.

James 1 and James 4, especially, remind us about what drives all the sin and strife in this world. We cannot afford to wait around for someone or anyone else to perform our responsibilities for us! Get training. Get armed. Get biblically and constitutionally active. Stay armed. Stay alert. Stand up for everything that is good and righteous. Work diligently to defeat evil.

1 Peter 5:5-11

" Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
⁶  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
⁷  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
⁸  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
⁹  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.    
¹⁰  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
¹¹  To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. "

Resist evil whenever and wherever you find it. Are you not sure what evil is? Ask God to teach you, then go back and re-read your Bible and our Founding Documents, again and again, until you understand your God-given duty.

Our Constitution and Bill of Rights will never protect and defend you... YOU MUST SUPPORT, PROTECT, and DEFEND yourself, your family, your property, your community, including our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. YOU are the one who stands between truth and chaos. YOU are the one who stands between the defeat or triumph of evil.

YOU and I both need to do the right things that God made us to do. Evil will flourish in that very place that we fail to stand up and fight for what is righteous in life. Each of us is individually responsible to God for our choices.

Is it right to arm and defend ourselves as Christians? If you've taken the time to read the Bible reference links provided above, you know, now, that we are mandated to be armed and ready, to stand against the evils of this world, even as the life and work of Nehemiah demonstrated, as he and his people rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. The workers labored with their hands, but they kept their weapons within reach nearby, even while their watchmen patrolled to warn them of impending trouble. They were ready.

Does the Bible tell Bible-believers to disarm? Not by a longshot.

Be part of the solution that our Nation needs: get constitutionally involved.