Christians are not in agreement about America’s Second-Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Pacifists argue the Prince of Peace would not approve of weapons. When Peter cut off a man’s ear, Jesus said to put away the sword, that “he who lives by the sword, shall die by the sword” Matthew 26:52. But earlier that night, Jesus had told the disciples to sell cloaks and buy swords. Why? That seems contradictory, but Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. Luke 22:36-38.
Nevertheless, the Bible is filled with wars. Few texts can match its bloodshed.
Most say killing is okay in a war, that when a soldier kills, it is not murder. But what about cases of self-defense? Sometimes you could back down—you could give in to satisfy the aggressor, and no one would have to die. What should you do?
Sometimes, you should give the criminal what he demands. If a mugger is going to shoot you to get your purse, surrendering the purse is a morally better outcome (not to mention safer) than killing the mugger to protect your property. But if bad people are trying to break into your home and harm or kill you and your family, would it be wrong to kill them? Would it be a sin?
Not according to the book of Nehemiah. After living in Babylonian exile, the king let the Jews go home to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. But the pagan locals began to attack them, forcing them to stop working on the walls. Nehemiah ordered men to stand guard along the wall, all day and all night, with swords, ready to fight anyone who attacked.
“The laborers who carried the loads worked with one hand and held a WEAPON with the other. Each of the builders had his SWORD strapped around his waist while he was building….We kept working while half the men were holding SPEARS from daybreak until the stars came out…. Each man carried his WEAPON, even when washing.” Nehemiah 4:17-23.
God wants us to love people and seek peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” Matthew 5:9.
But when we are attacked, God allows us to defend ourselves. God does not want evil to win.
Whether you agree or disagree, remember this: the book of Nehemiah must be considered by any Christian wrestling with the right to keep and bear arms.
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*What Nehemiah does not address is the manner in which gunpowder has removed skill and size from the equation. Often called the “great equalizer,” guns place the power of life and death in the hands of children and others who could never have possessed that power in the age of hand-to-hand combat required by swords, knives, and nearly all weapons before the age of gunpowder. Guns allow the disaffected and mentally ill to massacre crowds of the innocent. School shootings and similar horrors do not happen in the absence of guns. Nevertheless, Second-Amendment questions remain complex for reasons too numerous to explore here.
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