Should I buy a sword?

[Lambano]

Thus, the swords were not for self defense or for killing those who attack. Two swords would not be nearly enough to combat the Roman soldiers who were coming to arrest Jesus.

They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” - Luke 22:38

I like NT Wright's take on this verse: Jesus is probably rolling His eyes here. The sense is more "Enough of that!" (After three years with Me, you guys STILL don't understand what I'm talking about.)

 

[Lambano]

And BTW, these weren't professional Roman soldiers; this was a mob assembled by the Chief Priests and Scribes; see Mark 14:43 and parallel in Matthew.

 

[Wrangler]

IMHO...Paul spelled it out very plainly that our fight is not against flesh and blood but against SPIRITUAL wickedness.

IMHO, your statement is over-applying Scripture beyond where the text supports. Nowhere in the Bible does it advocate for brushing your teeth. Yet, we fight against carnal bacteria, etc. Yes, we fight against SPIRITUAL wickedness on an individual basis. However, centuries later when Christians formed their own government, the scope of responsibility expanded to include the mundane.

Even in Christ's time, they brought an adulterer and a brother who refused to settle an estate to Christ. Then there is 1 Cor 6:3
Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.

This life > Spiritual wickedness.

Said differently, ordinary things in this life + Spiritual wickedness. Fighting them both. Not mutually exclusive.

 

[Rockerduck]

Psalm 82:4--
Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

No pressure- no harm no foul - I understand why you said what you did. I once thought the same way. Maybe this will help you to see it in a different light.
Maybe not. I make no judgments here. Each person must be fully convinced.
IMO a Christian who owns a gun is not intending to use it for harm but for good. His heart is not bent on wickedness but precisely the opposite.
Now if a person entered my home unarmed and was hungry or attempting to take my cloak- I would not shoot him.
Also- have you considered that a gun many times is enough of a deterrent to stop evil? Also, that a gun can be used not to kill but to injure hence stopping him?

There are people who go overboard with their idea of when a gun should be used- that will always be-
but a true Christian does use discernment and does obey God in all things.
Only God will judge.

last thought- thanks for bearing with me even though you may disagree.
ONE month after the Lord revealed mercy to me in the scriptures about transfusions
- my young husband was in a terrible crash on his way home from work- I was pregnant with our 2nd child- He was 27.
He was in very critical condition and bled profusely at the scene and also had internal bleeding in multiple areas, as well. He also needed several surgeries asap, but some would have to wait.
When I got to the hospital they allowed me to see him just briefly as they were off to surgery, as I bent to kiss him I was covered in his blood. No one thought he would survive.
He was given 26 transfusions of red cells. I had zero guilt - total peace. My JW family showed up to condemn me for forsaking God's law. They said if God wanted him to die I should have let him and that I needed to repent.
They had no impact on me. I truly understood that mercy was before sacrifice.- Praise God.
A month in the hospital- and an induced coma- my husband came home and we had a beautiful baby boy.

Can you imagine if God did not teach me mercy?

What is merciful? Saving the lives of countless innocent people by injuring or even stopping an evildoer? That is not revenge- it's stopping carnage.
No true Christian wants to injure anyone. He does not own a gun with evil intent.
The evildoer does.
The heart's intention does indeed matter to God.

If a person wanted to kill me if I didn't deny Christ I would die. ( I hope!)
The other scenario is very different.
At the very least I hope this helps you to understand another view of a fellow Christian.

A genuine born again from above Christian, born from the gift of the saving Grace of God through Faith in Christ Jesus, does not need protection. God protects His children. You are immortal in your walk with Christ. A police, body guard, or any enforcement position who carried a gun, would have to make that decision, in Christ. I'm sure. Sargent York for example. Violence is not part of a Christians walk. it is God who protects us. Psalm 91:-7-16, Psalm 84:9-12, Psalm 71:3-7, Psalm 61, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 46.,

Cults like JW's can be plain stupid without common sense if it leads to a needless death. It is God who decides, human beings have no say. God is sovereign over all His creation. He makes fools of wise men, who decide who dies and don't. Put your trust in God alone and go to the hospital, and give it to God alone for His Glory. At least you got out of it .

It is the Holy Spirit who told me to get rid of all my guns. The Lord said to me to trust Him, and I do.

 

[MatthewG]

They say that the Bible is the knife and the spirit is the gun. People use the Bible like a weapon to either others throats sometimes and it could be because of their initial intentions. Be then genuine or false. Discerning things for yourself is a great thing along with learning and growing in knowledge but it’s to be careful to not let knowledge override the spirit.

Cause that’s when haughtiness comes into play.
I try to be reasonable with people on the Internet forums and what they believe makes no difference to me cause they are responsible for themselves.

However all one can ever do is share and people from their make their own decisions. I never set out to be right but truthful in reality of what we live in.

 

[Wrangler]

A genuine born again from above Christian, born from the gift of the saving Grace of God through Faith in Christ Jesus, does not need protection.

What verse say that?

 

[Wrangler]

It is the Holy Spirit who told me to get rid of all my guns. The Lord said to me to trust Him, and I do.

That may be true for you. Jesus drank alcohol but John the Baptist was forbidden.

 

[NayborBear]

Christians, born again from above Christians, should not own a gun for protection. You are to trust in God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 -
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

A college professor stood up on his chair and said, "If God really exists, then knock me off this chair". Nothing happened and he said, "See, I'll give it a couple more minutes". A MARINE vet stood up, punched the professor and knocked him off the chair, and then sat back down. The professor said, "What did you do that for?" The vet said, "GOD was busy protecting my buddies still fighting for your right to say and do stupid stuff like this, so HE SENT ME!

 

[David Lamb]

Another reason I like the KJV ... modern Bibles leave out "without a cause".

A Christian friend of mine in the US is what is called a "prepper" ... besides storing food he has guns to ward off intruders. I have a hard time accepting that as a WWJD sort of thing.

Some modern bibles might leave it out, but by no means all do so. For example:

(Mat 5:22 NKJV) But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.

(Mat 5:22 MKJV) But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whoever shall say, Fool! shall be liable to be thrown into the fire of hell.

(Mat 5:22 WEB) But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

(Mat 5:22 YLT) but I—I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.

(Mat 5:22 ISV) But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother 'Raka!' will be subject to the Council. And whoever says 'You fool!' will be subject to hell fire.


That's five of the eleven modern English translations of the bible I have on my E-Sword program that include "without a cause."

 

[Rockerduck]

A college professor stood up on his chair and said, "If God really exists, then knock me off this chair". Nothing happened and he said, "See, I'll give it a couple more minutes". A MARINE vet stood up, punched the professor and knocked him off the chair, and then sat back down. The professor said, "What did you do that for?" The vet said, "GOD was busy protecting my buddies still fighting for your right to say and do stupid stuff like this, so HE SENT ME!

Some Christians pray for something and are mad when God doesn't answer, but their idea how God answers is different from how God answered it. Until another points it out that God did answer their prayer. Like your example, God uses others to accomplish His will.

 

[Lambano]

An armed society is a polite society. Just having a weapon can serve as a deterrent.

Nice Heinlein quote. While I enjoyed reading Robert Heinlein's sci-fi stories as a teen, we live in a society that thinks emotionally and has few boundaries and little concept of self-control. Remember the doctrine of "total depravity". In an armed society, every conflict of egos can potentially escalate to a story that will lead on the 11:00 news. "Channel 5 News at 11:00, where if it bleeds, it leads."

That said, I do have a concealed carry permit and several "swords", and I have taken training classes beyond the mandatory CC class. The classes always start with a legal section where they teach you when you can and cannot shoot someone. Whether you SHOULD shoot someone is a moral question.

 

[Heart2Soul]

IMHO, your statement is over-applying Scripture beyond where the text supports. Nowhere in the Bible does it advocate for brushing your teeth. Yet, we fight against carnal bacteria, etc. Yes, we fight against SPIRITUAL wickedness on an individual basis. However, centuries later when Christians formed their own government, the scope of responsibility expanded to include the mundane.

Even in Christ's time, they brought an adulterer and a brother who refused to settle an estate to Christ. Then there is 1 Cor 6:3
Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.

This life > Spiritual wickedness.

Said differently, ordinary things in this life + Spiritual wickedness. Fighting them both. Not mutually exclusive.

I agree to disagree with your opinion

 

[Wrangler]

I agree to disagree with your opinion

So, how do you reconcile your opinion to 1 Cor 6:3, in judging this world?

 

[Rockerduck]

What verse say that?

Ephesians 2:8

 

[Wrangler]

A genuine born again from above Christian, born from the gift of the saving Grace of God through Faith in Christ Jesus, does not need protection.

What verse say that?

Psalm 82:4--
Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

Ephesians 2:8

Ephesians 2:8​

8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.[a] This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.​

Doesn't say ANYTHING about not needing protection? You're actually equating eternal salvation with being physically safe here and now on Earth? Wow!

 

[Rockerduck]

Ephesians 2:8​

8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.[a] This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.​

Doesn't say ANYTHING about not needing protection?

Psalm 91:-7-16, Psalm 84:9-12, Psalm 71:3-7, Psalm 61, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 46.,

 

[David Lamb]

An armed society is a polite society. Just having a weapon can serve as a deterrent.

That sounds good, but compare the minuscule number of murders involving firearms here in the UK, where very few people own guns, with the much larger number of deaths, including some horrific mass shootings, involving firearms in the USA.

 

[Wrangler]

Psalm 91:-7-16, Psalm 84:9-12, Psalm 71:3-7, Psalm 61, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 46.,

So, you just disregard Psalm 82:4--
Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

 

[Rockerduck]

So, you just disregard Psalm 82:4--
Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

There are many Psalms you pick yours and I'll pick mine.

 

[Wrangler]

There are many Psalms you pick yours and I'll pick mine.

a la carte faith. Gotcha!