The Christian and Self-Defense Part 1

Luke 22:35-38 (ESV) 35  And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36  He said to them, “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. 37  For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38  And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

 Exodus 22:2 (ESV) 2   If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,

This topic often raises a great deal of emotional controversy and at times, heated objections.  I have been asked, or better put, rebuked with, “Don’t you trust the Lord?”   Or, “we are to live at peace and those who live by the sword, die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).  Another objection is that Christians are taught not to resist the one who is evil (Romans 12:19). Or, don’t you know that, “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and give him the other also” ( Matthew 5:39). Still others might refer to 2 Chronicles 20: 15-17, “for the battle is not yours but God’s,”  or “thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).

One thing for sure, the believer is never to be the aggressor in personal conflict.  He or she should, “… as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).”  But the objections and verses mentioned above, contextually, and therefore in principle do not address self-defense.

When the subject of self-defense comes up we are looking at serious, potentially, life-changing questions such as; is it right to use force to protect the life of yourself and others?  And even further, is it right to use lethal force that might kill an attacker who is wrongfully threatening your life or the life of another?

For our purposes here, self-defense is defined as “the use of reasonable force to protect oneself or members of the family from bodily harm from the attack of an aggressor, if the defender has reason to believe he/she/they is/are in danger.” Self-defense involves preserving one’s own health and life and/or others when it is threatened by the actions of others. So when I speak about using potentially lethal force in self-defense, I am talking about using weapons to protect ourselves and others, even if the weapons used could kill the attacker.  The purpose of any weapon used in self-defense, is to stop the threat.  Self-defense is not about taking vengeance. Self-defense is not about punishing criminals. That is the job of law enforcement and the courts. let me say it one more time.  The purpose of self-defense is to stop the threat and avoid life-threatening harm to the innocent.

Sanctity of Life

As we start on this discussion we need to first set forth the principle of the sanctity of life. This is the foundational truth on which the whole principle of self-defense rests. Life’s intrinsic value must first be understood.

Does human life have any special meaning or transcendent worth? Life, and in particular, human life, was not spontaneously generated.  It didn’t come about by some random accident of the cosmos which therefore has no meaning or value.  It came about by the Sovereign, creative proposes of God as He breathed life into the first man, Adam.

Genesis 1:26 (ESV) 26  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

 Genesis 2:7 (ESV) 7  then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Because of this, man became a “living being,” who was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27).  Human life in creation can only be described as sacred and by every measure set apart from all other forms of life.

As a result God declares the shedding of man’s blood in premeditated murder is offensive to God and requires the execution of the person responsible because man was created in the “image of God.

Genesis 9:5-6 (ESV) 5  And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6  “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

 Throughout the Scriptures we are taught that we must preserve life–our own lives and the lives of other people. Human life was created by God and He is the ultimate possessor of that life (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  He is the only one who can give and take away life (Job 1:21) with the exception of God granting capital punishment powers to civil government (Romans 13:1-7).

Because of the uniqueness and significance God places on human life, we are to treat our bodies and those of others with the utmost of respect and care. Human life is precious because of the value God places on it.  Therefore, we cannot abuse or destroy it as we please.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) 19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Not only are we to take care of our bodies and the life we possess, we have an obligation to preserve the life of other people. We have an moral obligation to act to preserve life.

Psalm 82:4 (ESV) 4  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Proverbs 24:11 (ESV) 11  Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

This means we do not live unto ourselves. If, when we know or can see danger coming, and fail to warn other of the coming danger, we become complicit in what harm comes their way. Ezekiel 33 speaks to this very principle.

Ezekiel 33:6 (ESV) 6  But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

We also see, in Exodus 21:29-31, if a man has an ox which is prone to harm people, the owner is held liable if he fails to confine it and the ox harms or kills others. If the ox harms someone, the negligent owner is fined. If the ox kills someone, the negligent owner is to be put to death. In other words, we have an obligation to make sure that we, our property, and animals do not cause harm to another.

Whether it’s Ezekiel 33 or Exodus 21, the protection of life is paramount. We have a moral obligation to act in the preservation or any harm to human life. If we have the means to warn or physically step in to protect, we are morally obligated to do so.

In my next post, we will look at the Old and New Testaments and the subject of the use of lethal force and self-defense.

– Michael Holtzinger

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