Though Nehemiah trusted God would support their efforts, he and his men were still worldly enough to hold fast to their weapons. Nehemiah 4 – The builders of the wall armed themselves.Ī historical account of the steps Nehemiah’s men took to protect themselves as they worked on the wall not a call to arms by God. This revenge story seems to be an account of God’s justice being meted out upon the Philistines through Samson’s berserker rage. Judges 15 – The story of Samson killing many Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. While lethal force is not actually condoned by God here, this passage provides legal advice depending upon whether the thief breaks in during the night or by day. The examples he gives are the following:Įxodus 22:2 – Killing a thief found breaking and entering. Bahnsen attempted to illustrate God’s will for us to protect ourselves according to Scripture. James Atwood over the issue of gun control, Dr. Greg Bahnsen.ĭuring a landmark debate against Dr.

In his October 2015 argument against additional gun legislation, Pastor Jeff returns to one of his primary influencers, Dr. Still, this “biblical” slant on the right to bear arms feels out of place when held up next to what is usually spot-on biblical interpretation. Their work has been vital in helping me clarify what I believe and why I believe it. I normally really respect the apologetic training and message these folks are producing. Since I’ve begun voraciously listening to the Apologia Church crew via their Apologia Radio broadcast, I’ve stumbled over a troubling pro-gun, anti-legislation stance that isn’t sitting well with me. One of the ways I have been doing this has been by plugging into learned teachers of the Christian faith like Greg Bahnsen, Joel McDurmon of American Vision and Jeff Durbin of Apologia Church. If there was a true respect for life in humanity, there would be no need or desire for these things to even exist.Īs I’ve entered a period of regeneration in my Christian walk, I’ve been getting clear on God’s guidance in regards to the hot topics that face our fallen world today. The issue is the intent behind their invention, continued production and use. I say the gun, the bomb, the sword-they’re all just inanimate things with no minds or ill-will of their own. A polarizing issue some folks clamor for it while some reject the idea outright. What came next was a brief but emotionally-charged conversation over gun control.

Jeremiah 17:9” I first shared this graphic on Facebook on October 3, 2015, after yet another school shooting. A billboard reads “Cain killed Abel with a rock.

Cain and abel meme