Posted by Jake Baker
January 22, 2013
Today, someone on Twitter asked the question, "Where does God give you the right to bear arms
First, let me begin by defining
government. According to
the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the American government is
tri-partied. It consists of We The People, the States, and the Federal
Government (not national which implies power over the people instead of a
federal government, which is assigned certain tasks to complete on our
behalf).
This is an important concept as concerns both U.S. and biblical law.
Government is not just the federal government or the state government,
it is us all of us.
Therefore, all duties of government belong to us all. However, we
tender to the federal and state governments certain duties to be carried
out on behalf of the whole government, which includes us. So, when
someone says that only government should have guns, remember we are
one-third of the government structure in this country.
Further, we are the first nation in the history of this earth which
had no subjects. Every other nation considered their heads of state as
rulers and the people as its subjects. Even Great Britain had—and still
has—as a basis of government, the concept of their people as subjects.
As Americans we have never subjects. We are free men who are citizens
and government is subject to us and to our designs, not the other way
around.
Our history includes numerous wars with Great Britain, beginning with
the Revolutionary War. That war was fought for a number of reasons,
including religious persecution. However, the catalyst for the
commencement of hostilities was the British hubris believing they could
simply march in and take our guns. Men bled and died; fortunes were
committed and lost; families destroyed, and lives forever changed, but
in the end, America prevailed and history was forever changed.
This land remained free for a number of spiritual reasons, but also
because we believed that every man should be armed. We the People were
the government and to disarm us was to disarm the United States.
Now, with the same imperial hubris, the strutting peacocks calling
themselves “representatives” fire about legislation that pretends as if
we have no history. They assume to themselves the position of
royalty—not loyalty—in assuming they can pass gun control or
confiscation legislation and steal the rights of We the People granted
under the Second Amendment.
How would the nation feel if we decided tomorrow to end their rights
under the First Amendment? What if government declared tomorrow that
everybody has to be a Mormon and no one is allowed to criticize the
President, the Congress or the Courts? Would they then say it is not an
infringement, just a defining, or would there be an outcry that
shattered every glass in the great halls of Washington D.C.? I suspect
the latter.
Obviously, there have been stains on our history, such as those left
by the blood guilt of slavery, but even that, after a long hellish
century, was cured by the second Great Awakening as men of faith and
compassion refused any longer to tolerate the ungodly, cruelty, and
horrors of slavery. In the end the might of righteousness prevailed and
the scourge of slavery was ended.
But it was the preaching of men such as George Whitefield (sometimes
referred to as Whitfield), Charles Spurgeon, Charles Grandison Finney,
and Jonathan Edwards that planted the seeds of faith and spiritual
courage in the hearts of what would become the Christian Abolitionist
movement. And this rare blend of compassion, courage and righteous
indignation fueled what would become a demand for justice for all
people, with an understanding that if one man was enslaved, then all
were enslaved because We The People is all of us, united as one of the
three branches of government.
Remember, in those days the army was comprised of the militias of the
several states. It was We The People who often brought their own arms
to the conflict that engaged in the bloody four year conflict that
claimed the lives of 650,000 Americans. Remarkably, that was the same
number of slaves that were present in the United States at the height of
slavery. That amounts to one death for each man stolen from his land
and brought here to the states as slaves.
So, were they right to take up arms to end slavery in America? More
importantly, in the larger sense, are we today—their progeny—right in
our demand to keep and bear arms? Do we truly have God-given rights
protected by the U.S. Constitution; and more importantly, are these
truly God-given rights in the light of scriptures?
The first answer is easy. Yes, we are both allowed and, in fact, I would argue we are expected to keep and bear arms.
The Militia Act of 1792
"Passed May 8, 1792, provided for the organization of the state militias. It conscripted
every "free able-bodied white male citizen" between the ages of 18 and
45 into a local militia company. Militia members were to arm themselves
with a musket, bayonet and belt, two spare flints, a cartridge
box with 24 bullets, and a knapsack. Men owning rifles were required to
provide a powder horn, 1/4 pound of gun powder, 20 rifle balls, a
shooting pouch, and a knapsack. Some occupations were exempt, such as
congressmen, stagecoach drivers, and ferryboatmen. Otherwise, men were
required to report for training twice a year, usually in the Spring and
Fall.
The militias were divided into "divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions, and companies"
as the state legislatures would direct. The provisions of the first Act
governing the calling up of the militia by the President in case of
invasion or obstruction to law enforcement were continued in the second
Act. Court martial proceedings were authorized by the statute against militia members who disobeyed orders."(Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia_Acts_of_1792)
Further, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “A
well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The definition in Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines
infringed as “broken, violated: transgresses. Clearly the Founding Fathers believed that everyone should be armed.
“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the people’s liberty’s teeth.” - George Washington
I will proceed no further with the hundreds of quotes that could be
applied, but suffice it to say, both history and the law support our
unabridged right to keep and bear arms – of any sort – without
limitation. We are the government. We are not subjects of the
government that may be stripped of our rights.
We The People are one-third of the government. You cannot strip this
third of government of guns while allowing the other two-thirds to keep
theirs. That would be as unlawful as Congress attempting to control
the executive or judicial branches of the federal government.
So this discussion once again asks: Does God give us the right to keep and bear arms?
What about the sixth commandment which is oft quoted, “Thou shalt not
kill.” Does that on its face not annul the right to keep and bear
arms? Let’s look and see what the commandment really says.
The Hebrew word used for “kill” is
ratsach. The word literally means to murder or shed innocent blood. Therefore, the command is not prohibition against killing, but against murder or the shedding of innocent blood.
In point of fact, scripture demands the death of murderers because
murder requires the scales of justice to be balanced by the blood of the
murderer. That is why we can be both prolife and pro-death penalty.
Both are just.
Therefore, the sixth commandment is not a prohibition against keeping
and bearing arms; nor is it a prohibition against shooting a home
invader in the dark of night —someone who presents deadly force or even
for the defense of others.
Let’s look at Psalm 82:3 and 4 where we are commanded to: “Defend the
poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the
poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”
The Psalmist says that to do otherwise is judging unjustly. If the
wicked are strong and we are to deliver them—to rid them from the wicked
hand—how are we to do it?
Here is what the Lord commanded David in 1 Samuel 30 when his family was kidnapped and his goods stolen:
8 "And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I
pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him,
Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover
all.
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were
with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind
stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two
hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over
the brook Besor.
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and
brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made
him drink water;
12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and
two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to
him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and
three nights.
13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou?
and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to
an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell
sick.
14 We made an invasion upon the south of the
Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the
south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to
this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither
kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring
thee down to this company.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were
spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing,
because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of
the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto
the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save
four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither
small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any
thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all."
How well do you think this same David would have done against Goliath
had he not been armed with a deadly weapon. He certainly was nowhere
near physically strong enough to take on the almost 10 foot tall giant.
No, he need personal protection. He rejected military hardware, armor,
sword and shield and opted instead for personal protection, a “handgun”
if you will. He killed Goliath and saved his people from the
Philistines.
There are times when only force will do. Here is the Lord’s
commandment in Exodus 22: 2 “ If a thief be found breaking up, and be
smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.”
But one might ask, What about the New Testament? Are we not commanded to love, forgive and turn the other cheek?
Yes, we are, but we are not commanded to be enslaved by weakness. If
we are enslaved without any means to protect ourselves, how do we
deliver the hand of the oppressed from the hand of the wicked? No,
Yeshua says in Luke 22:36: “[Christ] said to them, 'But now if you have a
purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell
your cloak and buy one.”
Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:8: “
8 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.”
This passage is a very wide intent. The words “provide not” are all
inclusive. This passage does not define provision as food and shelter.
No, this passage is purposely open ended. It means total provision,
including protection from whatever may come. It is foolish not to
assume that whatever means of protection it takes to guard ones family
is both legitimate and required.
For Paul declares that one who provides not for his family has “denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.”
Infidel
means someone who is outside the faith. Yahweh forbid that we get
caught falling short of this mandate to protect our families. We then
are charged to protect our household by whatever means necessary, be it
“assault” rifle, or hand gun, or any other weapon essential to the
protection of our family.
Others will remind us that our protection is in the strength of the
Lord for he will provide all things. Does that mean we sit down, do
nothing, and expect a roof to magically appear over our heads, food to
mystically appear on our tables, and money to wondrously show up in our
pockets?
What foolishness! We work to provide a home, food, income and, yes,
guns and ammo that we might be able to care for our loved ones needs,
comfort, and safety, while keeping in mind that we are also responsible
for delivering the downtrodden from the oppressor.
What about turning the other cheek? Just as in the example above,
where the thief is breaking in, we are allowed to use deadly force when
it is required. However, turning the other cheek is applicable for
insults, theft, when no life threatening force is presented, etc.
Romans 12 says that we turn the other cheek saving room for the wrath of
God. Romans 13 describes government as that wrath and it carries not
the sword in vain. For they (government) are to be a rewarder of good
and a terror to evil. In fact, that is the test to determine if an
entity is just corrupt power or government.
We often hear quoted Romans 13:1-2:
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of
God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation."
There are two problems with the way this quote is often used. First,
one must continue reading the rest of the passage which says:
3 "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the
minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be
afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."
But if what is called “government” is not following the command to be
a terror to evil and not a terror to good, not being a revenger to
execute wrath upon him that doeth evil,” then it is not government by
this definition and must be opposed. Disobedience to tyrants is
obedience to Yahweh.
The second problem with this quote is the verbiage. In this passage
the word “power” is mistranslated. Historically we need to remember
that King James was at that time in history usurping a throne that was
not his. He had the power to ascend the throne, but not the authority.
Therefore, he often use synonymously the words power and authority.
The word that was translated “power” is not the Greek word
dynamis which means power (as in dynamite) but the word exousia which means power derived from just authority. Therefore, we are to be subject only to power derived from just authority. If the entity calling itself government does not derive its power from just authority, then it is just tyranny — not government.
The federal branch of American government attempting
to disarm one-third of the American government
is not government, but tyranny.
Therefore, I must conclude that any attempt to disarm the people in
any way, is sedition because it is in violation of our history, deprives
one-third of the government—the people—of a right inherent to all, and
despotically limits armaments to only two parts of government. Further,
it nullifies the ability to carry out the divine command to one-third
of the American government—the people—to deliver the poor and oppressed
from the hand of the wicked. Additionally such a disarmament
dramatically reduces or eliminates one’s ability to protect their
family, home and nation.
As a citizen we are bound to protect this nation against all enemies,
both foreign and domestic. Any attempt to disarm We the People of this
country is immoral, illegal and therefore violates the First Amendment
as well as the Second Amendment, in addition to violating the
commandments in the holy scriptures. To disarm the people is at once an
act of war, and, in fact, a coup d'état. It is treason and sedition
against the government of the United States, comprised of We The
People.
Finally, any home that is not prepared to protect its children,
women, aged, infirmed, or weak is living in an unbiblical state of
wanton disregard of a Biblical edict, historical precedent, and common
sense. As a result, we have not only been given the “right” by Yahweh
to keep and bear arms, we have been given the obligation to keep and
bear arms both as a spiritual matter and as a matter of U.S. law and
historical understanding.
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