Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Christians and Guns
Often Christians are told that it is wrong to do any violence at all. That we should always turn the cheek. But is that what scripture really teaches? To really understand this, the first thing one needs to realize is that in the first century, they didn’t have guns. Today’s guns are basically the swords of the first century. They are both weapons forged to kill. The only real difference is that the guns today are much more proficient at it. But the understanding of Christians using a weapon to do harm to another person is what we are looking at here. Whether it is a gun or a sword or whatever.
It was the last supper when Jesus had a peculiar conversation with His disciples.
Luke 22:35-36 (NASB)
35 And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” 36 And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was counted with wrongdoers’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” 38 They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.
Now I want to point a couple things out here…
Let’s be very clear about something. Jesus would never advocate sin in any way. So if it was wrong in God’s eyes for them to have swords (weapons made for killing) then Jesus would never have told them to buy a sword. If it was wrong, when they said they had two, Jesus would have told them to get rid of the swords. He didn’t. He advocated them buying swords and when they said they already had two with them, Jesus was fine with that. So we know for certain that it is not wrong for a believer to own a weapon.
When Jesus was in the garden and the soldiers came for Him, His disciples tried to fight to protect Him. In doing so, one of them cut the right ear off the slave of a high priest. When Jesus stopped them, what did He say?
Matthew 26:52 (NASB)
52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
Make note of something very interesting here. He never says what they did was wrong. He never said that it is wrong to carry a sword or to use it on another human or anything like that. He only said that there were consequences to doing so, and that if He wanted to be saved, He could have called upon twelve legions of angels to do the job.
Throughout the Bible, there are cases where God instructs His people to kill other humans. Including their children. David killed Goliath in the Lord’s name. God is not against violence when it is called for. Then in the New Testament, God seems to be a pacifist but its not fully true. He is the same God as the God in the Old Testament. He has not changed. The difference is that the Old Testament is focused on salvation by faith in Jesus as Lord.
Yes the ten commandments say Thou shalt not kill. The true meaning of that however is to not commit murder. Not to kill the innocent. There is the scripture where we are told to turn the other cheek of course…
Matthew 5:39 (NASB)
39 But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.
If you notice however, this entire section is about when someone comes against you personally. If someone strikes you, turn the other cheek and show them love. If someone steals from you, give them extra. It is all personal attacks.
When you look at what the disciples did when they attacked the soldiers, they were not defending themselves, but they were defending Jesus, who was an innocent man. That is why they were not wrong to do violence. They were defending the innocent.
If someone attacks you, you are not to raise a hand against them. Your goal should be to bring them to the Lord and not hurt them back. If someone is attacking an innocent person however, you are not wrong to protect them. A man with a family has his family to defend. If he owns a gun and someone comes in to do them harm, he has every right to defend them and God will not hold it against him unless he does harm to the intruder when he does not need to.
Again, our greatest goal should be to bring them to the Lord, but we should not stand down while they do harm to innocent people.
For this reason, it is not wrong for churches to have members who carry guns. The pastors duty is to protect his flock and he should be willing to do that even at the risk of his own life. We should not allow evil to kill the innocent.
Remember, there was a reason two of Jesus’ disciples carried a sword and He never told them it was wrong. A weapon is no good to anyone if nobody is willing to use it. The only reason He would allow His disciples to carry them is if He was willing to let them use it if the circumstance called for it.
It was the last supper when Jesus had a peculiar conversation with His disciples.
Luke 22:35-36 (NASB)
35 And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” 36 And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was counted with wrongdoers’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” 38 They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.
Now I want to point a couple things out here…
- They were all together and two of them already had swords with them. Do you really think Jesus was not aware that two of His disciples carried a sword?
- Jesus did not reprimand them for having the swords. He was okay with it. In fact the first verse here says Jesus told them to buy a sword.
Let’s be very clear about something. Jesus would never advocate sin in any way. So if it was wrong in God’s eyes for them to have swords (weapons made for killing) then Jesus would never have told them to buy a sword. If it was wrong, when they said they had two, Jesus would have told them to get rid of the swords. He didn’t. He advocated them buying swords and when they said they already had two with them, Jesus was fine with that. So we know for certain that it is not wrong for a believer to own a weapon.
When Jesus was in the garden and the soldiers came for Him, His disciples tried to fight to protect Him. In doing so, one of them cut the right ear off the slave of a high priest. When Jesus stopped them, what did He say?
Matthew 26:52 (NASB)
52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
Make note of something very interesting here. He never says what they did was wrong. He never said that it is wrong to carry a sword or to use it on another human or anything like that. He only said that there were consequences to doing so, and that if He wanted to be saved, He could have called upon twelve legions of angels to do the job.
Throughout the Bible, there are cases where God instructs His people to kill other humans. Including their children. David killed Goliath in the Lord’s name. God is not against violence when it is called for. Then in the New Testament, God seems to be a pacifist but its not fully true. He is the same God as the God in the Old Testament. He has not changed. The difference is that the Old Testament is focused on salvation by faith in Jesus as Lord.
Yes the ten commandments say Thou shalt not kill. The true meaning of that however is to not commit murder. Not to kill the innocent. There is the scripture where we are told to turn the other cheek of course…
Matthew 5:39 (NASB)
39 But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also.
If you notice however, this entire section is about when someone comes against you personally. If someone strikes you, turn the other cheek and show them love. If someone steals from you, give them extra. It is all personal attacks.
When you look at what the disciples did when they attacked the soldiers, they were not defending themselves, but they were defending Jesus, who was an innocent man. That is why they were not wrong to do violence. They were defending the innocent.
If someone attacks you, you are not to raise a hand against them. Your goal should be to bring them to the Lord and not hurt them back. If someone is attacking an innocent person however, you are not wrong to protect them. A man with a family has his family to defend. If he owns a gun and someone comes in to do them harm, he has every right to defend them and God will not hold it against him unless he does harm to the intruder when he does not need to.
Again, our greatest goal should be to bring them to the Lord, but we should not stand down while they do harm to innocent people.
For this reason, it is not wrong for churches to have members who carry guns. The pastors duty is to protect his flock and he should be willing to do that even at the risk of his own life. We should not allow evil to kill the innocent.
Remember, there was a reason two of Jesus’ disciples carried a sword and He never told them it was wrong. A weapon is no good to anyone if nobody is willing to use it. The only reason He would allow His disciples to carry them is if He was willing to let them use it if the circumstance called for it.
