Biblical Support for Weapon Ownership

Contrary to the claims of pacifistic, antinomian, and liberal pastors and denominations claiming to be Christian, the Holy Bible is a strong supporter of owning lethal weapons for self-defense. The Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, strongly supports weapon ownership by God's people and self-defense through deadly force.

## Overview

In modern times, it has been increasingly common for preachers and denominations identifying themselves as Christians to oppose gun ownership or even self-defense by deadly force. This has not only been the case with liberal and pacifistic religions such as the United Methodist Church or the Jehovah's Witnesses, but also the case with more conservative yet highly influential and popular preachers such as John Piper, who wrote the article "Should Christians be Encouraged to Arm Themselves?". In that article, Piper questioned the attitude of Christians who support gun ownership and carrying firearms to protect themselves from violent criminals, and cherry-picked a handful of New Testament verses to discourage such practices.

## Biblical Support for Weapon Ownership

While firearms did not exist in Biblical times, one can absolutely be certain that if they did, the people of the Bible would have had them. Nonetheless, self-defense by deadly force is absolutely encouraged and supported throughout the entirety of the Holy Scriptures.

The first instance of such a scenario is in Genesis 14:9-16, where four kings invaded Sodom and Gomorrah, plundering their goods and taking Lot captive. Upon being notified of his brother's kidnapping, Abraham called 318 of his servants, armed them, and pursued the captors, killing some of them and saving Lot.

Exodus 22:2-3 in the Law of Moses specifically permits the killing of an intruder during a nighttime break-in. During a nighttime break-in, one is much less likely to be well-prepared to defend oneself, and it is much more difficult to assess the intruder's intentions. However, during the daytime, one is much more equipped to see the intentions of the intruder and to defend himself.

In 2nd Chronicles 23, Jehoiada organizes a coup to overthrow the usurping Queen Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. In the previous chapter, she had taken power after Ahaziah's death, the latter having been killed by Jehu after his anointment as ruler of the Northern Kingdom by Elisha (2nd Kings 9-10). Athaliah massacred all of her grandchildren, except for Joash, and she ruled over Judah for 6 years. During this period of time, Jehoiada protected Joash, and plotted the coup. In verses 7-10, Scripture mentions that he armed all of the participants of the coup with weapons, including the bucklers, spears, and shields that belonged to King David and were in the House of God.

This passage not only supports ownership of weapons, it tells the story of a godly man organizing a military revolt to overthrow a wicked ruler. This stands in contrast to the popular teaching of absolute submission taught by the most prolific preachers of the modern age, including John MacArthur, S. Michael Houdmann, and John Piper.

In Nehemiah 4, the nation of Israel came under threat from neighboring peoples as they were building a wall around Jerusalem. In verses 7-20, the Israelites arm themselves in preparation for defense, even though they still prayed and relied on the Lord for protection. This shows that there is no inherent contradiction between trusting the Lord and arming oneself for defensive purposes. Many professing Christians claim they rely on the Lord for protection by choosing to not own a firearm, but forget that God expects us to take responsibility for ourselves.