DO CHRISTIANS HAVE A RIGHT TO SELF DEFENSE?
PART 3

by Brother Gregory Williams
December 5, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

The right to exercise force to prevent a crime, injustice, abuse to another individual or even yourself has nothing to do with violence, vengeance, punishment, resistance, or judgment. It has to do with what Jesus called the weightier matters of law, justice, mercy, and faith.

If someone or something is out of control driven by greed, anger, lust or vengeance to attack, abuse and even kill another innocent member of society you have every right, every obligation to confront them, restrain them, or stop them altogether by whatever reasonable force is required to prevent further criminal abuse. That being said is there a better way than force of arms to tend to law, justice and mercy?

Christ spoke many times about getting the beam out of our own eye or cleaning our own house first. Modern Americans need to take a sobering and humbling look at their part in the present decline of personal freedom and rights.

Most of the people have responded favorably to this series. A small minority have imagined and applied all sorts of preconceived notion, doctrines and unsupported assumptions to what was written based on their own prejudices or limited view. Some actually claimed that Christians cannot be armed or use armed force at any time. Yet, in every case they agreed they would call the police who would come armed to their aid. Some people cannot see the hypocrisy or sloth of this particular position. Violence has to do with an unjust or unrighteous use of force. Doing nothing to stop the abuse is a crime of omission. Sticking your head in the sand has nothing to do with turning the other cheek.

Most all of these would be pacifist are content to call upon the same forceful hand of government to supply their daily bread in time of deprivation or need. The same could be said of those who think that modern government is out of control with its power to tax. Although some might be willing to give up the benefits supplied by that power of government to tax few would offer to supply the same or similar needs of their society unless they are forced.

Before we can learn how God wants us to be ruled or to rule ourselves we need to examine what we have done or failed to do. First, we have excessively empowered governments contrary to the will of God. In the days of Samuel when the voice of the people cried out to give someone authority and power to protect them it was called a rejection of God.[1] We have been warned through history that a loss of freedom would result, yet, we continuously look to governments of power to solve our problems.[2]

“Society in every state is a blessing, but a government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.â€