01/15/21 BEING BIBLICAL IN A VIOLENT WORLD

01/15/21 BEING BIBLICAL IN A VIOLENT WORLD

THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING BIBLICAL POINTS. 

The New Testament view of Christian response to violence as a peacemaker is little known, seldom understood, widely rejected.

God ordained human government, to protect the righteous, punish wicked.

God entrusts societal and national law and order into the hands of legitimate law enforcement and military.

God commands Christians to pay taxes for legitimate law enforcement and military.

God directs Christ followers to be personally non-violent, peacemakers.

The State is obliged to wield the sword of steel in worldly government, to ensure law and order and national safety.

The Church is obliged to wield the Sword of the Spirit in spiritual warfare.

The State must take life, sometimes.

The Church (Christians) must not take life, but rather spend our lives in proclaiming salvation and be willing to give up own lives.

God uses the nations of the world and their swords of steel to accomplish His will in an unredeemed world.

God uses His people (the Church) and the Sword of the Spirit to wage spiritual warfare for the souls of the unredeemed.

There is not one place in the New Testament that Christians are COMMANDED to take up arms against an enemy.

There is not one place in the New Testament that a Christian is COMMENDED for taking up arms against an enemy.

There is not one place in the New Testament that a Christian is EXCUSED for taking up arms against an enemy.

There is not one place in the New Testament that a Christian is ALLOWED to take up arms against an enemy.

The New Testament does COMMAND Christians to NOT TAKE UP ARMS against an enemy.

The New Testament does CONDEMN Christians taking up arms against an enemy.

The New Testament does INSTRUCT Christians to love, feed, care for, pray for, and do good to an enemy.

The New Testament does DIRECT Christians to suffer persecution, imprisonment, injury and even death without hating or retaliating against an enemy.

Other than Peter pulling a sword against Malchus (for which he was reproved by Christ) there is no New Testament evidence of Christians taking up arms against an enemy.

There are passages in the New Testament where believers were persecuted, mistreated and even killed by an enemy, YET THE BELIEVERS NEVER REACTED IN VIOLENCE.

My argument is concerned with Christians faith and practice during this present age of grace and New Testament revelation.

Though the book of Revelation was given during the early days of the New Testament, the prophecies are addressing a period of time after the Church Age, or the Age of Grace or The Dispensation of Grace or The Dispensation of the The Church.

The Church Age (from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 until the Rapture of the Church) is not to be confused with the Tribulation period or the Millennial Reign of Christ. The directives to the Church in this period of time refrain Christians from taking up arms against our enemies.