The Bible Affirms our Right to Self Defense
MG William Flatt
Both the Old and New Testaments teach individual self-defense, even if it means taking the assailant's life in certain circumstances. This is not murder, which is prohibited by the sixth commandment. (Exodus 20:13)
Yet it is written, "...But now, he who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a sack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" (Luke 22:36). Consider that the sword was the finest offensive weapon available to an individual -- the equivalent then of a military rifle today.
Exodus 22:2-3 tells us: "If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft."
One conclusion which can be drawn from this is that a threat to our life can be met with lethal force. After "the sun has risen" seems to refer to a different judgment than the one permitted at night. At night it is more difficult to discern whether the intruder is a thief or a murderer. Furthermore, the nighttime makes it more difficult to defend oneself and to avoid killing the thief at the same time. During the daytime, it had better be clear that one's life was in danger, otherwise, defense becomes vengeance, and vengeance belongs to God.
In Proverbs 25:26, we read: "A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well." Certainly, we would be faltering before the wicked if we chose to be unarmed and unable to resist an assailant who might be threatening our life. In other words, we have no right to hand over our life, which is a gift from God, to the unrighteous. It is a serious mistake to equate a civilized society with one in which the decent people are doormats for the evil to trample on.
God expects us to defend ourselves, otherwise why would He speak to us through the psalm, "Blessed be the Lord my strength, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle" (Ps. 144:1).
Those who trust God should also make adequate provision for their own defense even as we are instructed in the passages cited above. For a man to refuse to provide adequately for his and his family's defense would be to defy God. 1 Timothy 5:8 tells us: "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." For a man to provide shelter, food, clothing, money, and so forth is quite fine, but the man who refuses to defend his family and his community is a man in sin!
It is from the Bible that our concepts of defensive war are derived and the idea that, in war, noncombatants should not be harmed. To attempt to divorce the Bible from the things that it teaches is to deny the Bible. I could go on forever, but there are some fine articles that deal with this issue, written by people with a far better grasp on theology than I do. Therefore, if you wish to read further, I offer you the following links:
