Can Christians Kill in Self-Defense?

Are persecuted Christians allowed to kill in self-defense? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now with your question at 833-THE-CORE.

Again, that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts. You can watch us right now live on YouTube and message us that way.

And of course, you can always email us at questionsatcorechristianity.com. Well, our hearts are really heavy with all that is happening in Afghanistan. If you haven't been watching the news for the last couple of hours, there have been a couple of suicide bombings there, many people killed, others injured, including several U.S. Marines. And I thought, Adriel, maybe we should just start off today by praying for that whole situation.

Yeah, Bill, I think that we should. And so would you please, brothers and sisters, join us in praying for those in Afghanistan right now. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you as the God of creation, the sovereign Lord of all, the God who loves mankind and who sent his Son into the world so that we might be saved through Jesus. And God, our hearts are heavy because of the suffering of so many in the world. And in particular, Lord, we think of those in Afghanistan right now and just the news that keeps coming out of Afghanistan with these suicide bombings and people who have died. God, we pray that you would pour your spirit out on that region, that you would draw people to yourself. We ask, God, that you would providentially powerfully intervene in a mighty way, Lord, protecting especially your church in that area, but all those, Lord, who are suffering.

Would you please be there? And, God, stop these attacks that are happening. Lord, would you strengthen the church?

And would you give leaders wisdom as they think about how to address these issues as well? So, Lord, we look to you and we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Man, what a difficult situation.

Those images coming out of Kabul are so difficult. Please continue to pray for that situation. And as Adriel said, for our brothers and sisters in Christ there as well. Well, let's go to one of our listeners.

This is Tim in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tim, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? My question is, when we stand before the Lord on Judgment Day, will all our iniquities be shown unto us that we've committed throughout life, and then the Lord will step forward and say you're not guilty because you believe in me?

Yeah, thank you for that question. Well, one, when we think about the divine judgment, the fact that all of us are going to stand before that judgment seat, one of the ways in which scripture describes that event is it is going to be a detailed accounting, if you will, of everything that we've ever done. I think about what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 12 in verse 36, I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned. So the books are going to be opened, and I think we are going to see and have to give an account for how it was that we lived, for the sins that we committed, those kinds of things. But for believers, and I said this yesterday on the broadcast because we got a couple of questions about the judgment seat, we can have confidence, not because we're sinless, but because our sins have been forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. We've been covered, we've been washed, we've been sanctified, and so you can have great confidence on the day of judgment through the love of God, through the work of Jesus Christ. And of course Jesus said in John chapter 5 verse 24, that if you believe in me you don't enter into the judgment, you've already passed from death to life.

And so that's the hope that we have. I do think that this detailed accounting that all of mankind is going to have to give those is going to make it so that no one on the day of judgment is going to say to God, oh, this just isn't fair, this is not what I deserve, you're not a just God. No, God is going to deal out justice on that day, and no one is going to argue with him because everyone is going to see things clearly in the light of his countenance, but he's also going to be merciful, merciful to those who are in Christ. And so that's I think the way in which the Bible speaks about this, Tim.

I appreciate your question. One other thing that I'll just add here is, you know, sometimes people think of that day as God sort of parading our sinful deeds around for everyone to see that kind of thing. You know, that's just not I think how the Lord is. It's not about shaming people. It's about just judgment. And so God is not going to shame you on that day if that's what you're concerned about. May the Lord bless you, Tim. So there's no video, like of our sins or anything? Gosh, I hope not.

Yeah, no. No, Bill, that's not the purpose, right? The purpose is, again, executing this just judgment.

It's not to put, you know, every bad thing we've done on display so that the world can look and laugh, that kind of a thing. No, God is good and merciful and just. And so we are going to have to give an account, but as I said, we lean on and rest in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for our confidence on that day. Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adrian Sanchez. Our phone lines are open right now. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, give us a call. You can call for the next 20 minutes or so. So hop on the phone and call us at 833-THE-CORE. You can also email us your question at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

Here's an email we received from one of our listeners named Brian. He says, We hear that currently in Afghanistan, Christians could possibly be killed. My question is, in such a situation, what is the biblical view of attempting to defend oneself? Is it a sin to kill people who are trying to kill you?

Yeah. Well, thank you for that question. And it is sort of a complex question. If we're talking about Christians who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ, we're never called to take up arms as the persecuted church, to fight back. Just think about our Lord Jesus himself. He went to the cross, suffered, and died for his people to atone for our sins. And we follow Christ as his children, as those who are in him.

We take up the cross and follow him. And so the church is not called to take up arms when she's persecuted. Remember what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5, verse 43, You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven. For he makes his son to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. There, Jesus makes it absolutely clear, doesn't he? How do we respond to those who persecute us as believers, as followers of Jesus?

We pray for them. And in fact, that's the way in which we wage war, if you will, in this world. You think about what the Apostle Paul said in the book of 2 Corinthians, in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, beginning in verse 3, For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete, Paul wrote to the Corinthians. And so, brothers and sisters, the weapons of our warfare are not guns and swords, it's prayer. We pray. We take up the sword of the Spirit, as the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians chapter 6. The Holy Gospel is proclaimed.

Now that doesn't mean that there aren't good reasons for governments to intervene and to fight back and to seek to pursue the safety of people, of the innocent. But if we're talking about Christians being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ, never do you see the disciples, who were oftentimes persecuted in the book of Acts, taking up swords and clubs and fighting back. Many of them lost their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ, and yet the Gospel continued to spread and advance, and the Spirit of God worked in and through even their suffering. And so we pray, and you need to be praying for the people of Afghanistan, for the church in Afghanistan, as the author of the Hebrews said in Hebrews chapter 13. We remember those who are suffering and those who are mistreated, because they're a part of the body.

We're one body with them. And so pray for the church there in particular, that God would uphold them, pour out His Spirit on our brothers and sisters there, and keep them safe, protect them in the midst of this very difficult time, and help them to hold fast to the pure Gospel. Thanks for that, Adriel. I was thinking about the situation where Peter cuts off, the servant of the high priest cuts off his ear, and what does Jesus say to him? Put away your sword, right?

He's 53 there. It's interesting because Jesus says, don't you know, Pete, I got 12 legions of angels on standby right now, and I can call them at any moment. I don't need you.

I don't need your sword. It's really important for us to realize that. Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world. And so right there, I think you have a great example in the Gospels of why that's the wrong approach to say, hey, we're being persecuted.

Let's take up arms and fight back. No, Jesus says, don't do that, Peter. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have kids or grandkids, we want to tell you about a wonderful book we have available, and it's one that will help answer some of the tough questions that your kids may have about Christianity. Yeah, it's called How Do We Know That Christianity Is Really True? And it was written for a younger audience, I think in ages 9 to 12 or 13, and it's a really helpful resource, something that you can get for your children or for your grandchildren even as they go back to school and as they seek to grow in their relationship with Jesus and understanding why what we believe is really true and how did we come to those conclusions. Get a hold of this resource, How Do We Know That Christianity Is Really True? We'll make the book available to you for a donation of any amount. Just go to corechristianity.com forward slash offers to learn more.

Again, that's corechristianity.com forward slash offers, or you can call us for that offer or any one of our offers at 833-THE-CORE. Let's go to David in Robinson, Illinois. David, welcome to the program. What's your question for Pastor Adrian? Hey David, are you there?

Yes sir, sorry. Me and my wife both attend church regularly and several of our people. We're all looking forward to Jesus' return, but there seems to be some fear about we're being in the last days and what's happening. Is there something, you know, some passages in the Bible you could enlighten us with? I can share and reduce some of the fears going on.

Yeah, there is a lot of fear right now, isn't there? And there are a number of passages that I think I could go to. One that I would encourage you to look at is what Peter said in 1 Peter 4. And this is not a text that we oftentimes go to when having discussions about the last days, but I think he highlights really the heart that we should have as Christians in the midst of these very difficult times. 1 Peter 4, verse 7, the end of all things is at hand. Now, the disciples, they were under an extreme amount of persecution. Peter was under an extreme amount of persecution.

He would be martyred for his faith. He's talking about the coming of the Lord, right? The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, here's what we encourage each other with, David. Be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. And so I just love this here because he says, look, the end of all things is at hand. And what do you expect to come after that?

Let's move to the mountains, stockpile ammunition, create these secret communities where we can hide out that kind of a thing. No, that's not what Peter says. Even though they're in the midst of a situation that was dire, even though the church was being persecuted at that time, he says, be self-controlled. Put to death the sin that still lives inside of you by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly. Continue going to church.

Show hospitality without grumbling. That, my friend, is what we need to be committed to right now as Christians. Not giving way to fear and, you know, freaking out.

No. We love and we set our eyes on Jesus and we know that he is the sovereign king of all who is in control and we rest in him. We remember what he told us in John chapter 16. In this world, you will have tribulation. Yeah, there is tribulation in this world. There is suffering.

There is difficulty. But he said, don't be afraid. I have overcome this world. And so I would encourage you and your wife and your friends to continually set your eyes on Jesus and to pursue love for the church and for all people and that steadfastness in prayer during this time. God bless you. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We'd love to hear from you if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. And by the way, our phone lines are open 24 hours a day. You can leave us a voicemail at 833-THE-CORE. So if you're listening to this radio program later in the day, some stations do air it on a tape delayed basis.

You can still call in and you can leave your voicemail at 833-THE-CORE. Let's go to Mark in Hannibal, Missouri. Mark, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Yes, can you hear me? Hey, Mark, I can hear you. What's your question, brother?

Sorry. Hey, my question is this. There are a lot of different religions in the world today. There's the Jewish faith, Jehovah Witness, Hinduism, but none of them put Jesus Christ as the center of their beliefs. In fact, they don't recognize that he is the Son of God. Throughout the Bible, I read where in order to get to heaven, we have to go through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. So are these other religions that don't recognize Jesus as the Son of God, will they or will they not go to heaven? Yeah.

Thank you for that question. You know, we're talking right now about the exclusivity of the gospel, the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ. And this is one of the more controversial subjects in our day today. We really, so many people today want to have this sort of pluralistic view of religion and salvation. So long as you're sincere, no matter what you believe is fine. So long as you believe it and you're sincere to that practice, that faith, whatever it is, you choose Buddhism, I choose Christianity, that kind of a thing. We almost treat religion like we treat our favorite foods.

You know, you like pizza, I like Chinese food or Mexican food, that kind of a thing. And Jesus didn't teach that, as you know, Mark. I mean, he said in John chapter 14 verse 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. In Acts chapter 4, while the disciples were preaching, listen to what it says in verse 11, this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders.

He's preaching to a Jewish audience here. And it has become the cornerstone and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Now the reason Jesus is the only way is because he is the God-man who paid for our sins with his very own blood.

It's God's mercy. He sent his son into the world so that we might be forgiven. And so those who reject the gospel, who repudiate Christ and trample him, who deny him, they cannot get to heaven.

They're not going to be in heaven. We do know that there are many people also who are deceived. Paul talks about this and the various false gods that are out in the world. He talks about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. And I think people are going to be judged, Mark, a little bit differently. What I mean by that is outside of Christ there is no salvation. But I think it's going to be more dire on the day of judgment for people like the Jews who knew Christ, knew the gospel, were there while he was preaching. I'm thinking like the scribes and the Pharisees, and yet rejected him, turned away from him. They're going to experience a greater judgment. In fact, Jesus himself even said that about the scribes and the Pharisees.

It's going to be worse for them than thinking of others, maybe who are just deceived, who didn't ever hear the gospel. And yet they're still accountable based on the light of nature and what they see in creation. Creation, Paul says in Romans chapter 1, reveals to us that there is a God. And so we're all going to be justly accountable before that God.

But here's another thing that I want to say. For those who are seeking the Lord, seeking God, wanting to know the truth, that's how the Spirit of God works in the world today. You hear about so many people coming from different religious backgrounds who have an encounter with the preaching of the gospel and they realize, well, this is the truth. I think even of Cornelius in the book of Acts. He's a God-fearer. He's someone who gives alms, who prays, and the Lord sends someone to him to preach the gospel to him so that he might understand the truth. Mark, the Lord is gracious and merciful. He's calling all people everywhere to repent, to turn to Jesus so that they might experience his grace and his salvation. And for those who reject that, there is no hope.

But right now there is the hope as the gospel is proclaimed that they might come into the church and into the faith. So thank you for that question and may the Lord bless you. Mark, thanks for being a regular listener to Core Christianity.

We appreciate that. By the way, I want to mention that resource we have available to parents and grandparents today. It's called How Do We Know Christianity Is Really True?

It's a book that will help you discuss these issues with your kids and do it in an age-appropriate way. And you will make that book available to you for a donation of any amount if you go to our website at corechristianity.com forward slash offers. Just look for How Do We Know Christianity Is Really True?

Well, let's go to Gretchen in Overland Park, Kansas. Gretchen, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Hi Pastor. My question is, I have been a believer. I love Jesus.

I've loved him for 20 plus years of my life and I want so much to be like him and to live my whole life for him. And I read Romans 6 and it says, you know, we're dead to sin. Our old self is crucified with him. And I have some sins that I've been struggling with for years that I just cannot seem to get past. And so it feels like my old self is still very much alive in me. And sometimes I wonder if I really am saved because I've got these things that I want to be rid of them, but just have not been able to, by the power of the Holy Spirit, put those things to death.

God bless you, sister. And I know that as many listen right now, they're thinking, yeah, I'm in that same struggle. It's a struggle that I think Paul's going to articulate in the next chapter, in Romans chapter 7, that battle that we experience.

You know, we want to do the right thing and then we fail to do it. And we just say, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ.

And so you're not alone in this struggle, sister. One thing that comforts me is I think of the Apostle Peter, right? The Apostle Peter denied the Lord, denied the Lord while he was being crucified. You know, the one point where Jesus needed his disciples, if you will, to be there and they flee and Peter denies that he even knows him. Well, and then Pentecost happens. You know, the Spirit of God is poured out and Peter is restored by Jesus at the end of John's gospel.

And it seems like he's doing great. He's preaching the word. And yet later in his life, he's confronted by the Apostle Paul, as the book of Galatians records, because he was not living in step with the gospel. Back when he denied Jesus in the gospels, at the end of the gospels, it was the fear of man. And then there in Galatians, Paul confronts him for still struggling with the fear of man. Because, you know, before certain Jews came from Jerusalem to where he was, he used to eat with the Gentiles and then he stopped because he was afraid of how these Jews would treat him. It was the fear of man. And yet there he was, all those years later, still struggling with the same thing. Sister, if Peter, the Apostle, could struggle still, you will too.

We will. Now that doesn't mean that it's okay to sin. Of course not.

Of course it isn't. And yet we know that we're still going to have this battle. But here's the good news, and this is what Romans 6 is getting at. You have a new identity in Jesus through baptism and faith.

You are one who is alive from the dead. Now, yes, you will still struggle. You'll still experience that Romans 7 struggle. But the reality is, for you, you are justified by your faith in Jesus Christ. You belong to him.

You have a new identity. And so, sister, despite the struggle, present yourself to God as one who is alive from the dead. And your members, your whole body, present it to God for his service. And when you fail, confess and know that Jesus forgives you and that he loves you. God bless you. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.