In part three of our series on facing violence we’ll look at the issue of self-defense. So far we’ve learned that life is precious, in part because God thinks so and in part because we are made in his image. Most of the time taking a life is deserving of capital punishment. In the case of accidental death the punishment is less severe but still very real. The only circumstance under which one may shed the blood of another is in the preservation of life, which applies directly to the most recent acts of evil perpetrated in Paris, Colorado Springs and San Bernardino.

I know this isn’t what most of our reader’s expect this time of year. Normally we would be focusing on Christmas and growing nearer to God during this special time of year. Recent events, however, have interceded and opened a lot of questions for believer’s everywhere. Taking a little time now to answer those questions is important as some have gone overboard on the topic (like Jerry Falwell Jr (at about 28:30 in the video, though it is all worth watching). at Liberty University) and some fail to understand the difference between personal and civil responsibilities (such as Jonathan Merrit of The Atlantic). So we’ll finish out the week and return to Holiday relevant content next week.

In one of her Crosswicks Journals books author Madeliene L’Engle tells a story about her young son. He was being bullied at school, his lunch money being stolen every day. He didn’t tell his mother about it, or that this was his motivation for wanting to take a martial arts class. After learning how to dismantle an opponent on the mat, he returned to school with a new confidence. The bully approached, and the young man handed over his lunch money. When asked later why he didn’t fight, he expressed that the bully was more valuable than his lunch money. L’Engle’s son exhibited the Biblical view of life we learned of in part one of this series.

In part two we learned that it is acceptable for a follower of Jesus to carry a weapon. This is important to understand, we are not commanded to carry a weapon, the Scriptures only teach that it is alright to do so.

Drawing down on someone with a weapon is not something to be taken lightly. As we’ve learned, killing someone out of anger or vengeance or revenge is not justified and will result in the wrath of both God and government. If you have harbored ill will against the person in the past it is best to assure yourself that the action you are about to take is not based on yesterday’s emotions. It is imperative your only reason for taking action is the preservation of life.

Also, it is never justified for a person to kill someone for something they have already done. Old Testament teachings on the topic, which permit capital punishment to be exercised by the state, condemn individuals taking vengeance on the perpetrator after the fact. The meaning is clear, even if you know who a murder is, that knowledge is not justification for hunting them down. Only the legal system may do so. Again, the only justifiable reason to take a person’s life is the eminent threat of their taking yours or someone else’s.

I can’t help but wonder how the attacks in Paris or San Bernardino might have turned out if someone other than the shooters were carrying a gun. How many lives could have been saved? With theater killings, school shootings and terror attacks on the rise we are living in a time when a weapon may be more valuable than a garment.

Even though bloodshed is forgiven in the case of self-defense or protecting the lives of other innocent people, it too has a cost. Near the end of King David’s life he wanted to build the first and grandest temple of all time, a house for God. While his intentions were noble God instructed him not to, because David was a man with blood on his hands. The story is told in 1 Chronicles 28. Even though David’s killing was on the battlefield and therefor righteous there were still consequences. The church needs to try and understand this in light of the current era. Perhaps those who have killed, even justly, should not be permitted to perform certain ministry functions? That is a topic for another day.