SHOULD CHRISTIANS BEAR ARMS?
Nehemiah 4:16 (NIV 1984) From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armor.
Should Christians bear arms? Jesus thought so. He told His disciples to carry a sword, “and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” (Lk 22:36-38) Those words are in red and the sword was a real sword that would have been considered a dangerous weapon in that day; however, this command was intended for self-defense, as the roads they traveled while doing their mission work were dangerous. So the right to bear arms in our constitution is biblical, at least from a self-defensive standpoint. But let’s pivot to what really matters – the kingdom of God and the advancement of light and truth. From a spiritual viewpoint, Christians are called to bear their spiritual swords, which is the Word of God (Eph 6:17); in fact, some in the kingdom are called to bear their spiritual swords in a much more aggressive fashion. We tend to look with frustration at the prophetic-type preacher that wields his sword more aggressively; after all, we want people to come to our church, join us, and like us, and those “mean” prophetic-type preachers hurt our cause. But we forget that our message, though good news, is also constraining, condemning, and condescending news for some. Constraining in that it describes a narrow road that few will actually follow (Matt 7:13). Condemning in that those who reject it will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity (Rev 20:15; Mk 16:16). Condescending because we imply in our message and our testimonies that people are sinful (like we “used” to be), and that they can be forgiven and made righteous (like we “are” now). Can you see how condescending that sounds? Oh, our message is wonderful news, but only to those who will accept it. For the rest, we are an unpopular sort (2 Cor 2:15-16).
There is a place for the aggressive Christian who wields his spiritual sword and stands as a faithful witness to a pagan culture; in fact, we all should be a little more aggressive. There is no excuse to sit by idly in our Christian “niceness” while a perverted culture comes after our children to confuse them about their gender, their sexuality, the value of unborn babies, and every other sort of flipped version of morality they spew. Yet some will be called to fight while others build, and brothers and sisters, we need both. Builders, don’t despise fighters; they fight on your behalf. Fighters, don’t despise builders; they build the very thing you are fighting to have. And one more thing, this whole process takes decades or longer. We are to think long-game. Consider Joshua, God’s mighty warrior. He “waged war against all these kings for a long time.” (Josh 11:18, underline mine) Yes, Christians must fight. Yes, Christians must bear arms, specifically the sword of the Word of God. We are in a war! Beloved, either strap on your sword or tool belt, or both, and settle in. This battle is going to take a while.
