Christian Self Defense (Part 8)

The last seven parts of this series have dealt with the various objections to Christian self defense. This last one covers a bit of new ground, looking at why Christians should defend themselves.

And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 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. Luke 22:35 (ESV)

Many would like to interpret the sword as a printed copy of the Scriptures, since a sword often symbolized the Word of God, as in Paul’s description of the complete armor of God. The problem with this theory is that you couldn’t buy a set of the Scriptures for the cost of a cloak in those days. There were few copies of the Scriptures available, not many of which were in private hands, until the invention of the printing press. There is only one meaning you can assign to Jesus’ statement here: He meant for those listening to Him to go buy a literal sword.

Why? Jesus says that up to that point, they have traveled without a moneybag, and without a knapsack, and yet they have lacked for nothing. They lacked for nothing, of course, because Jesus, Himself, was with them. Now that Jesus is to be gone, He is telling them they need to take care of themselves once more. In the same way, while they were with Him, they had no need for personal protection, in the form of a sword. Now that He is leaving, He expects them to take responsibility in this area, as well. Thus Jesus is placing self protection back into the real of personal responsibility.

There is, finally, a strong argument to be made that life is a gift from God, and we should not treat it lightly. That by not defending ourselves, we are spurning the gift of God, just as much as if we refused to eat, or refused to take care of ourselves medically. This argument is often used in the abortion debate—for instance, from the web site of a ministry that provides counseling services to those considering abortion:

Nebraska Christian Services (NCS) provides pregnancy counseling and adoption services that are a positive alternative to abortion for those who choose to give the gift of life.

Here we find the concept of life as a gift. When you refuse to defend yourself, you are spurning that gift. This was a common enough line of reasoning years ago, but it has fallen from favor in recent times, probably because of the constant harping on “social justice” issues. But the remnants of this argument are still there, in the abortion debate.

It’s time we bring this line of thinking back into the self-defense debate, as well. It’s time we realize that our lives are precious, and that by not defending them when it becomes a nessecity, we are spuring a gift of God.

In the end, it is not the State’s responsibility to defend us against criminal attack. It is not “taking justice into your own hands,” to defend yourself against criminal attack. It is permitted by the Scriptures to defend yourself against criminal attack, and it is the right thing to do. Christians need to rethink their position on self defense.

Christians need to stand for law and order, against the increasing lawlessness in our society, and we need to do it on a personal basis, not counting on the collective to save us. Let’s stop putting our heads in the sand, and abdicating a responsibility God gave us.