The Biblical view of Self-defense is not Violence
Our personal safety is not up to the police, hired guards, or the military.
Nehemiah 4:23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.
INTRODUCTION
This study examines the Biblical view of self-defense. We're looking at questions such as, Is it right to employ lethal force to protect the life of yourself and others? Is it right to take measures that might kill an attacker who is wrongfully threatening your life or the life of another?
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Self-defense here is defined as "protecting oneself from injury at the hand of others." Self-defense is not about taking vengeance. Self-defense is not about punishing criminals. Self-defense involves preserving one's own health and life when the actions of others threaten it. When we speak about using potentially lethal force in self-defense, we're talking about using weapons to protect ourselves and others, even if the weapons used could kill the attacker.
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Now why in the world would we take time to look at this subject? First, as Christians, we want to know how to apply the Bible to current social issues. We live in a country with approximately 200 million guns and approximately 300 million people. Furthermore, it is estimated that law-abiding citizens defend themselves using guns approximately one million to two million times a year in our country.
What does the Bible have to say about that many guns actively being used for self-protection?