- Guns - Concealed Carry - Hunting - Defense -
Does God Care About These Issues?

by Jim Taylor

Over the years I have had a number of people ask me questions like;    "What does God think about carrying guns?"  or "What about using a gun for self-defense? or "What does the Bible say about killing? Animals or people?"   The fact that I pastor a Church seems to give some folks the idea that I have all the answers!  (And quite a few of my "brethren" in the ministry have fostered this myth.)    I would not presume to speak for God except where He has already spoken.    And, to clarify that statement, I do need to backtrack slightly.

All of us have certain prejudices.  For someone to be totally neutral they could not entertain beliefs of any type.  I speak from certain points of view, or prejudices if you will.  One of those prejudices is that I believe the Bible is the Word of God.   I believe that God spoke to men in a manner that they could understand, and that they wrote down His words, ideas and concepts.  And,  if we want to know what God thinks about something, then what we have to do is research it in His Word.    Now...if you do not believe that I am not arguing the point.   I am not even trying to convert you.  I am simply telling you where I am coming from.  

So....for me to find out what God thinks I look at His Record.   As I said, I would not presume to speak for Him and can only look at what He has already said....... During the times of the writing of the Bible (spanning some 600 years) the common weapons of the day were the bow & arrow, the spear, the sword,  and the sling.     Many people went armed at all times, most carry at least a staff with them which served duty as a weapon besides having other uses.  During the time that Ezra the Priest was encouraging the Israelites to rebuild Jerusalem, the necessity of being armed at all times was heightened by constant attacks from their enemies who did not want Jerusalem rebuilt.    "And it came to pass form that time on that half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, the bows and the habergeons.....they which builded on the wall, and they which bare the burdens....everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work,  and with the other hand held a weapon.  For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side and so builded...." (Nehemiah 4:16- 18   KJV) 

The result of this was that the enemy was afraid to attack and they got the work done.    And...get this...they were doing the Lord's work.  With weapons on!   ( I know that does not fit with some folks theology,  but what they need to do is line their theology up with what the Bible says instead of trying to make the Bible say what they want it to.)   Doing the Lord's work while armed?  Yes.  And it was not uncommon all that many years ago either.  In his book "Butterfield -  7  Years With the Wild Indians" (1945) the author Ben Moore Sr. relates the story of a preacher who got to preaching against some of the favorite sins of the local rowdies.  They threatened him if he did not stop so he took to preaching with Winchester rifle with him. During a service one of the badmen jumped up and took a shot at the preacher and missed.  The preacher fired back and nailed the bad guy between the eyes.  The dead man's partner made as if to draw, then turned and ran for the door.  The preacher took no chances.  He did not kill the man, but he did put a bullet through his shooting arm.

Doesn't the Scriptures tell us, "Thou shalt not kill"? you might ask.     Yes it does, but look at two things.  First look at the context of the Commandment.  Shortly after giving Moses this Commandment (along with the others) God instructs them to attack a country and kill everyone and everything in it.  Men, women, children, goats, sheep, dogs, cats - everything.  So the Commandment cannot be speaking of killing in war. 

Secondly, the Hebrew word translated "kill" in this Commandment means literally "premeditated murder".  Many modern translations rightly translate the Commandment: "Thou shalt not commit murder."  There is a vast difference legally and morally between murder and self-defense.  And the great Commentator on the Scriptures, Matthew Henry, had this to say about the Sixth Commandment: ".....it does not forbid killing in lawful war, or in our own necessary defense, but it forbids all malice and hatred to the person of any and all personal revenge arising therefrom....

I have had those in Law Enforcement ask me questions about using deadly force.  I worked as a Correctional Services Officer for a while and know that some Prison Guards have these same questions.  "Would God be angry with me if I had to use deadly force in the line of duty?"  The Book of Romans in the New Testament addresses this question.  In chapter 13 it says that "rulers" (policemen, guards, judges etc.) are "ministers of God" and they are to enforce justice upon the evil.  I know most cops would have a hard time thinking of themselves as "ministers of God".  But what it says is that people are set in government in order to keep order.  They are set there to see that evil is punished and good is rewarded.  To see that justice is done. Justice is the nature of God.  Those today who would pervert justice, who would "call good evil and evil good" are fighting God's will and will someday pay for it.

What about hunting and killing animals?  I know that some people choose to be vegetarians and that is OK as long as they are honest about it.  A lot of those who argue against hunting have nothing against eating meat.  They gladly scarf down veal that is raised in a confined cage;  or steaks that come from a poor old cow who was bashed in the head to stun it, then hung up and cut upon before it even was bled dry or it's heart had stopped beating.  And they pay good money to wear shoes that come from the same animals! 

What does the Bible tells us?  In Genesis 9:2-3 God told Noah, "And the fear of you...shall be upon every fowl of the air...and upon all the fishes of the sea;  into your hands are they delivered.  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you..." (KJV) In the Book of Acts chapter 10 God showed the Apostle Peter. "...all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowl of the air..." and to him to kill some and eat them.  Apparently God was not a vegetarian.  St. Peter never thought so and said God told him!!  So I have to conclude that hunting is OK, within certain limits of course. God never condones waste.  The harvested game is to be used.

And as far as self-protection, I Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8 says, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."    (KJV)   To those who claim to be Christians and yet will not defend their families I have to say, based on this verse, that many of those you would call "heathen" are closer to following the Lord than you.  Not only do you deny the faith,  you are cowards.  May God have mercy on your soul.

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:  Luke 11:21 (KJV)