The Bible and the Right to Bear Arms

In the United States, citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. Is there a biblical right for Christians to do that as well?

That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of Core Christianity. Well, when it comes to COVID lockdowns, some people just can't handle being cooped up inside. Police in the Czech Republic say they issued a warning to a man who was caught violating a COVID curfew. He was attempting to disguise his actions by walking a stuffed toy dog on a leash.

The man was caught walking in a public area after the 9 p.m. curfew there. He initially claimed to be out walking his dog, which is permitted after curfew hours, but police quickly determined that the object at the end of his leash was actually a stuffed toy dog. It reminds me of the people who put a big stuffed animal in their passenger seat to drive in the carpool lane.

I've never done that. I feel like that's going the extra mile. I did hear about one guy that had a skeleton in his passenger seat and he had like a hat and a coat on it.

I guess he worked for some kind of medical lab and so he's trying to get away with the carpool lane with a skeleton. Well, let's get to our first question of the day. This is an email from April and she says, I met someone at the coffee shop that I frequent and we had a nice conversation about life, our favorite restaurants in the area, etc. I was hoping there would be a moment when I could bring up the fact that I go to church, but it just never happened. Now I'm feeling somewhat guilty that I missed a moment to evangelize. Do you know of any helpful ways to bring up the faith in conversations that is not awkward or abrupt? Or should we always try to evangelize even if it makes regular conversation awkward?

Yeah, April, I have been in your shoes before. I think I've shared this story before where we had some friends who invited us over for lunch, people who don't go to church, and they asked me, you know, what did you preach on this last week? And I was so caught off guard. I should have just shared the gospel and talked about Jesus, but I was so caught off guard that I said, well, I'm preaching on one of the epistles in the New Testament. The person looked at me like a pistol. And I said, Peter, who is writing to the saints in the diaspora.

And when I said the word diaspora, this person just sort of like, yeah, okay, let's get back to our lunches. And I just remember feeling like, oh man, what a missed opportunity. And here I am a pastor just totally blowing it when it comes to evangelizing. And so I've felt that same guilt. And you know, the Lord is gracious. But I think it's a wonderful thing that you're thinking about. How do I do a better job sharing my faith in Jesus with others? Now, one thing I want to say is, you don't have to feel guilty just because you don't insert Jesus into every single conversation you have, conversations with strangers even. I think sometimes that that can come off actually in a way that's really unhelpful.

It could sort of be salesperson-y. We're sharing the good news of the gospel. I mean, it really is.

There's no better message than this. And I think a lot of times Christians feel obligated to share the gospel. And so when they do, it comes off in this way. It doesn't come off as good news.

It comes off as like, oh, okay, you're trying to get me to believe this because you love me? I think we have to be careful that we don't come off in such a way that we're actually not helping the cause of Christ or advancing the gospel in any way. But at the same time, we have to be careful that we don't fall into the other trap, and it's the trap of always having excuses for why we don't share Jesus, why we don't actually talk about the gospel with the people who God has brought into our lives. You hear it over and over again, preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words. Well, it's always necessary to use words when it comes to communicating the gospel, because the gospel is the message of what God has done for us in Christ. And let me just say, if you're going to do this, you need to begin with prayer.

This is just so key. I mean, you see this all over the place in the New Testament. Think of Colossians chapter 4, verse 3, for example. Listen to what the apostle Paul said there. Paul said, continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak. See, Paul's saying, you know, pray for us that the Lord would open the doors for us to preach the message of Jesus. And the disciples repeatedly throughout the book of Acts prayed for boldness to continue to preach the gospel. Peter in Acts chapter 4, verses 29 and following, prayed specifically for boldness in the face of persecution. Later in Acts chapter 16, you have this amazing account of a young woman named Lydia who comes to faith through the preaching of the gospel, and we're told that the Holy Spirit opened her eyes, her heart, to receive the things that were being spoken. And so really, the work of the Holy Spirit is key in our evangelizing and even in having the boldness to be able to share Christ with others. And sometimes it might be awkward. I remember reading a book some time ago that was talking about how a lot of our evangelistic attempts are awkward.

You know, sort of like shifting gears awkwardly in a car. You're watching a football game with some friends maybe who don't know Jesus, and a penalty is called, and you say, well, you know who paid the penalty for your sin? Well, I don't know that that should be the approach, but I think, April, we pray for opportunities, and when the Lord does open those doors, we take them. We share the message, the good news of what Jesus has done to forgive our sins, the hope that we have. And I do think that that does happen best when you're able to get to know someone and to get to understand their story and to share the gospel with them in a way that speaks to them in their particular situation, wherever they are. When I think of Jesus with the woman at the well, He goes to her and He says, the water that I give, that's the water of eternal life. She spoke to her.

What she was longing for in that moment, quenching her thirst, He says, I am the true and the living water. So as we get to talk to people and hear their story, we get to share Jesus with them in a way, I think, that speaks to them specifically, and so that might take time, but if God gives you an opportunity and a one-off conversation with a stranger, great, you know, take advantage, but don't feel guilty or ashamed just because you're not able to do that. And so may the Lord bless you and pray, pray that the Lord gives you these opportunities. You know, Idril, I found that as we have those conversations with strangers, a lot of times it's when we get into areas of personal pain that the opportunity comes up to share the gospel with them. That might not come up in a conversation, but sometimes it does when you're talking about, you know, their job or their life or their health, and they tell you about something and then you can just dig a little bit deeper, and that's when the opportunity to connect spiritually can happen.

Yeah, you're absolutely right, and of course, some of those conversations don't happen when you first meet someone. I know for me, you know, when I talk about what I do, people ask me, you know, what do you do for a living, and I say I'm a pastor. A lot of times that just shuts the conversation down because people feel like, oh, okay, what are you going to preach at me, that kind of a thing. So a lot of times they'll say, oh, you know, I'm a spiritual teacher, but that doesn't, I think, fare any better, so I have to find a better answer. Now you can say you're a radio announcer, you know, and then you can just, well, what kind of show do you do when you can talk about it?

That's right, yeah, maybe I should try that one out and see what happens. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and here's a call that came in at 833-THE-CORE. My name is Simona, I'm from Omaha, Nebraska, and my question to you gentlemen, how do you pray in the Spirit? I've always thought just praying was good enough and God heard all prayers, but now I'm finding out praying in the Spirit is something totally different.

Thank you. Simona, thank you for your question, and there is some confusion out there these days about what it means to pray in the Spirit. Some people will say praying in the Spirit, that's a reference to speaking in tongues, and they'll appeal to what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 where he talks about praying in the Spirit, and in that context there, it does seem like he's talking about the apostolic gift of tongues speaking in unknown languages that were meant to be interpreted in the context of corporate worship, and you see that specifically in 1 Corinthians 14, but there are other places where Paul and others talk about praying in the Spirit.

For example, in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18, and this is in the context of spiritual warfare, we read this, Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, to that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And so you have that phrase there, in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, and then in the book of Jude, in verse 20, Jude says this, But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And so I don't think that in these passages, the disciples are talking about praying in tongues, and the reason I think that that's absolutely clear is because in 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul says that not everyone has the same spiritual gift. So not everyone there in the first century had the gift of tongues, some people did, but not every believer has the same spiritual gift. We have a diversity of gifts, which is how we complement each other within the body of Christ. And so in places like Ephesians 6 and in Jude chapter 1, when it talks about praying in the Spirit and it's this exhortation for everyone in the church to do it, I think it has to be something different than speaking in tongues.

And so then what is it? Well, I think it's our prayers being guided by and influenced by the Holy Spirit rather than our own fleshly desires. We can pray in the flesh, can't we?

For things that maybe aren't honoring to the Lord or aren't in line with His will, we can pray selfishly. And we're called, instead of praying like that, to pray in the Spirit, that our prayers would be shaped by God's Word, by God's will, by God's Spirit. And so we pray filled with the Holy Spirit. And how do you get filled with the Holy Spirit? Well, I think the clearest text on this is in Colossians chapter 3 verse 16, where Paul talked about letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.

There's a parallel passage in the book of Ephesians that talks about being filled with the Holy Spirit. And so it seems to me like in Paul's mind, the way in which you and I get filled by the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit, is by meditating on God's Word, by letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. And as God's Word dwells in us and begins to mold and shape us, it also begins to mold and shape our prayer lives. See, it's so important that when we pray, we also study the Scriptures, and that the Scriptures are shaping the way that we pray, so that we pray according to the will of God. And I think that's what it means to pray in the Spirit. So it's an encouragement for you and for all of us to know the Word of God, to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, so that our prayers would be influenced by that, by the Holy Spirit. And we know that when we pray according to God's will, He hears us.

Thanks for your question. Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. You know, research is showing that a large percentage of kids who grow up in Christian families end up leaving the faith as teenagers or young adults. If you're a parent, I'm sure that concerns you, and we have an excellent resource that can help you help your kids keep the faith. Yeah, I mean, this is so important, Bill. One of the things that many of us are often lamenting about is how many of the kids who are brought up in the church end up turning away from the faith.

Maybe while they're in college or while they're in high school, but they just don't stick around. There's a lot that we, I think, need to learn when it comes to helping our kids keep the faith, and that's why we've made this resource available for you. When you sign up for our weekly newsletter, it's called Five Ways to Help Your Kids Keep the Faith. Is there anything that's more important than passing on the truth of God's word to the next generation for the joy and the peace of our own children? So get ahold of this resource by going over to corechristianity.com forward slash offers and sign up for our weekly newsletter to get ahold of Five Ways to Help Your Kids Keep the Faith. This is a great resource that includes practical down-to-earth suggestions to help you help your kids. Head over to corechristianity.com forward slash offers to download it, and you can also call us for that resource or any one of our offers at 833-843-2673.

That's 833 the core. Adriel, here's a question that came in through our website from David. He says, is the story of Jonah and the whale historically true, or was it a myth that was handed down through the generations? It is historically true.

It's funny, because Bill, just the other day, you started off our program talking about, I think it was a couple that almost got swallowed by a whale off of the coast of California. That was a modern day Jonah story. But no, I mean, the book of Jonah, the story of Jonah, this really happened, and it's confirmed by Jesus himself. Look at Matthew chapter 12, beginning in verse 38.

This is what we read. Some of the scribes and the Pharisees answered Jesus, saying, Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. But he answered them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except for the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Now listen to what Jesus says next. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. And so David, when our Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, talked about the story of Jonah, he didn't talk about it as a myth, as something that, you know, didn't really happen, but we're just supposed to gather some cool spiritual insights from it.

No. He said when Jonah went to Nineveh, the people repented. And by the way, the book of Jonah, it's one of my favorite books of the Old Testament.

I preached through it early on in my ministry. The people of Nineveh were known as a ruthless people. I mean, very violent. That's one of the reasons why Jonah is so apprehensive to go there. I mean, they were a very wicked people. Yeah, the piles of skulls. That was kind of disturbing.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And yet the Lord called Jonah to preach his word to the people of Nineveh, to call them to repentance. And when they repented, the Lord relented of the disaster he was going to bring upon them. And then, of course, Jonah, you know, the prophet, is all bummed out. He wanted God's judgment to fall on them. But it is such a beautiful picture of God's gracious and compassionate love for people who don't deserve it, for sinners.

And it really happened. And so it's really good news for us as well, because it shows us who God is. And of course, as I said, Jesus confirmed that it really happened there in Matthew chapter 12. You know, it's interesting, Adriel, how there are several things that Jesus mentions during his earthly ministry that occurred in the Old Testament. And if we believe that Jesus is God, he knows what he's talking about.

That's right. Or I even just go to the resurrection. If we have a hard time embracing some of the miracles in the Old Testament, the creation of the world, the crossing of the Red Sea, you know, those kinds of things. Well, look, the miracle of the resurrection of the dead, I mean, that's what we put everything on.

I mean, if there is no resurrection, the Apostle Paul made it very clear that Christianity is worthless. Find something else to believe. Don't just believe it because it makes you feel good.

Believe it because it's true. And we know that it's true because Jesus really did rise from the dead. And if Jesus really rose from the dead, yeah, splitting water at the Red Sea, you know, creating the world. God can do whatever he wants, and we trust him because he's the Lord. We're finite creatures, you know. We can't accomplish some of these things, but God, the uncreated Lord of heaven and earth, he can, and he does.

He can cause a great fish to swallow Jonah and spit him out on the shore of Nineveh because God controls all things. And so we trust God's word, and we trust that God's word reveals to us the truth. And when it talks about these miracles, we embrace it by faith, recognizing that God is able to do whatever he wants. You're listening to CORE Christianity. Just a reminder that our program is listener supported, so if you benefit from this show, listen on a regular basis, we would encourage you to join our inner CORE.

Those are people who make a monthly gift to keep us on the air. You can find out more at corechristianity.com forward slash radio. Adriel, here's a question that came in from Tessa. She emailed us, and she says, as Christians, how should we respond if the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, were ever to be removed?

From a biblical perspective of live by the sword, die by the sword, is there any biblical mandate that implies the right to protect yourself and your brothers in such a scenario? Well, thank you for that question. Really appreciate you guys taking it easy on me with these questions. I mean, that's not a hard one at all.

But Tessa, it really is an important question, and it's one that a lot of people are asking right now with some of the changes in our country that have taken place. Now, that phrase that you were quoting comes from Jesus in Matthew chapter 26 verse 52, and it's in the context of Jesus actually rebuking Peter. I mean, this is around the time of Jesus's arrest, and you remember what Peter tried to do. Peter stood up for his Lord and started slashing his sword around, cut off a guy's ear, and Jesus says to Peter, verse 52, put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. It's sort of this proverb, and the idea is, you know, if you live by the sword, you're going to die by the sword.

This is just a general truth. But I think that there is a real important point that Jesus is making there. He's saying, my kingdom doesn't advance by the sword.

We need to get this into our minds. You know also, just the very next verse, what Jesus said to Peter, and I love this, I mean, just think about this for a second. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? Peter, I don't need your help. Stop swinging that sword around.

You know, there are twelve legions of angels right now that are on standby, thousands of angels ready to move, ready to be mobilized if I give the word, Peter, take a seat. My kingdom does not advance through coercion, through the sword, through the spear. So the right to bear arms doesn't give us the upper hand when it comes to the kingdom's advancement.

I think this is a really important point. I mean, we're talking about really two different things here. The apostles in the New Testament lived oftentimes under tyrannical governments. I mean, in the New Testament, you see Paul at times appealing to his rights as a Roman citizen, especially when it served the broader purposes of advancing the gospel and giving him an audience.

But you know what? I think Paul would lay down every right if it meant getting people to know about Jesus. For Paul, the most important thing was not his personal rights, it was, do you know who Jesus is? Do you confess Him as your Lord?

Have you been saved? I mean, I think, again, of what the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9. He makes this absolutely clear. There he's talking about how he's laid down some of his own rights for the good of the people that he's serving. He says in verse 8, Do I say these things on human authority?

Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake?

It was written for our sake because the plowman should plow in hope, and the thresher threshen the hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That was the heart of the apostles, and I wonder if we need to recover that, that priority. You know, a lot of times we get so caught up in our rights and what belongs to me.

What if we were willing to set aside a little bit of ourself for the good of our neighbors, for the advancement of the gospel? I know that kind of sounds scary, and look, it doesn't mean as citizens that it's wrong to defend certain rights and that there aren't good reasons for defending them. I mean, I think especially of things like the right to life, abortion. I mean, boy, it's so important that we speak up about those kinds of things, and there are biblical principles, I believe, that do support the right to bear arms and to defend yourself. In Luke 22, it's kind of interesting, Jesus at one point tells the disciples to buy swords, to sell what they have and to purchase swords. Now the idea there, and most scholars or many scholars think that Jesus was being figurative there in particular because of what he says to Peter when he's about to be arrested. But it's just the idea that, look, the Christian life is going to be a fight. But I think there are other passages of Scripture that make it obvious that it is okay for the people of God to defend themselves in certain situations. In Exodus chapter 22 verse 2, for example, we read, If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no blood guilt for him. In other words, under the Mosaic law, it was justified for you to protect yourself, you know, if a thief was breaking into your home. Rights like these are important, but don't confuse them with the essence of what our call is as Christians. God calls us, first and foremost, to share the love of Christ. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this podcast. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.