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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Due to the growing level of violence in our world and the extolment of peace in Scripture, there is much debate among Christians regarding whether it is appropriate for a Christian to own weapons. ...
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Emo Tenorio
The president stated that we cling to Bibles and guns, Yes he's correct on this! As a Bible believing Christian live at peace with your neighbors where and when possible, as a living sacrifice drawing unbelievers to Him. (Psalms 119:98; Psalms 149:6-7)) In this life there are times when peace is not possible and retreat from the battle that is put before you, would be the action of an unbeliever!(Psalms 118:16; Psalms 149:8-9) We must never allow evil to freely pass us, we are always to engage the enemy to protect the weak and innocent behind us (sheepdogs are always in front). (Psalms 112:8; 1 Chronicles 11:12) We stand dead to ourselves alive in Him as directed opposing the enemies of His kingdom if directed going forward and storming the very gates of hell. No matter what the personal cost maybe, (we stand) He is with us and we with Him either here or up there, warrior on and all praise and glory to LORD JESUS. He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one Luke 22:36 If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he is not fit to live Dr. Martin Luther King jr. In the Lord's freedoms.....warrior on
Walt Pryor
Christians have the right to own guns, yes! But Christians do not have the right to initiate violence. Christians do not have the right to act in a premeditated way, to respond to violence used against them. Christians do have an obligation and duty to protect their family and friends, in the immediate sense. That is, during an act of violence or perceived violence against them. A home intrusion, robbery in progress, an act of violence taking place. God expects men to protect their families. That is what Christ meant when He said to love your wife as I love you. Even if it means we may loose our life, as Christ did, during the period of time, of the violence.
Aurel Gheorghe
The use of and possession of weapons, particularly firearms, is a hot topic, especially on the heel of recent US mass shootings. The Bible talks a lot about weapons, mostly in the context of warfare. The nation of Israel was surrounded by hostile nations and fighting was a matter of survival. Many Bible heroes were fierce warriors. However, trying to use these Bible texts to support ownership of firearms in our times would be inappropriate unless a person is part of the arm forces or some type or law enforcement agency. The most telling story related to the use of weapons is found Matthew 26:51-53. Here Jesus admonishes Peter for his militaristic tendencies and tells him: “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Cannot think of a more clear indication of how Jesus felt about weapons. And the fact that Peter was armed is not necessary a good pro guns argument, considering that Peter wasn’t exactly the picture of perfection. Remember, shortly after this incident Peter denies Jesus three times. How about Luke 22:36-38? Isn’t this an order direct from Jesus to carry weapons? Let’s think about it for a minute: we have 12 disciples and two swords and Jesus was telling them that should be enough? How were the 12 going to defend themselves or go to war with only two swords? Obviously Christ wasn’t talking about weapons of war but the word of God being a sword (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17). And in Luke 22:30 where Jesus tells them “It is enough” simply means to paraphrase "enough with this nonsense." And finally, the argument that we live in a violent society and it’s our duty to arm ourselves to protect our families. Although the evening news is constantly reporting on violent crimes, several statistics published recently by FBI and CDC points toward a drastic reduction in violent crimes. The same statistics show that having a gun in the house might not be as great of idea as some believe. Not only that, but the chances of an accidental shooting or having your own gun used against you by a perpetrator is very high. The mantra “only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun” is very popular and for many comforting; however, the reality is that only a very small percentage of US population will ever became victim of a violent crime and an even smaller percentage would benefit from owning a gun. Owning a firearm is a huge responsibility and too often innocent family members are victim of guns. Ephesians 6: 10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This is the only type of weapons I will ever own; for my personal protection and for my family.
Kit Conrad
Regarding Roman's 13: Verse 3 is the Purpose Clause which clearly is linked to verses 1 and 2. Conclusion? God institutes all governments good and bad, but it is a mistake to believe that God would have Christians be subordinate to or align our selves with or obey evil. Think about abortion. We should do everything we can (legally) to end this scourge on mankind and not obey the evil rulers who have instituted it. Regarding evil, we are not even to associate with it, if evangelizing has clearly failed. When expounding on the Bible, it is imperative to examine all of scripture and not just the first two verses as written in Roman's 13. Our Christian teachers need to understand this.
Blessing Bisong
We own guns because we no longer have spiritual authority to deal with any form of violence that present itself to us. The word of God is our weapon. For we overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the words of our testimony, Rev 12 11. We cannot fight evil with canal weapons. We must remember that the violent man is controlled by a spirit. We can disarm that spirit by commanding it to leave in Jesus Name. Brethren, let us not be carried away by sentiments. The Lord is our protection. It is futile to think that you need a gun to protect yourself and your family. If The Lord is not with you your gun is futile. Except The Lord builds a house the labourers only labour in vain.
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