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HOUSMAIL HM006 1998 CHRISTIAN
RESPONSE UNDER ATTACK This
is my answer to yet another question about Christian Non-violence QUESTION Should
young ladies carry mace etc. to protect against attacks? Would
gouging at eyes be sin if being wrestled into a kidnapper’s vehicle? ANSWER Spraying
someone with mace, or gouging their eyes, is hardly "turning the other
cheek", is it? There must be a better way to do this, without
compromising the words of Jesus! In
Australia Mace is prohibited. (So are other alternatives such as capsicum
sprays) It is ILLEGAL to carry them or use them for self-defence. So of
course, in this country that is not an option for Christians. (Romans 13:1-5 & 1 Peter 2:13-15) I suspect that at
least some USA states probably have similar laws. However,
the illegality of mace is NOT the real issue. The REAL issue is whether or
not we BELIEVE Jesus enough to lay our safety on the line, by doing things
His way instead of ours. Believing Jesus that way is called FAITH. It is also
called "taking up our cross". The
Sermon on the Mount has a lot to say about how Jesus wants us to handle
things when our "legal rights" to personal comfort, financial
security, possessions, safety, and even life itself, are threatened. Radical
obedience calls us to abandon all of the usual HUMAN concepts of safety
through justice in the courts, or superior strength in battle. It calls us,
instead, to follow the way of peace and non-violence, as God's best answer to
aggression and oppression. It
is a TOTAL way of life ..... not a "part time rule" to be followed
only when there is no danger to test our faith!!! Of
course, it does take REAL faith to lay down our "rights" that way,
and not return evil for evil, when we are threatened with harm. (Especially
when it might cost us our lives!) However, that is an essential element of
our Christian calling! (1 Peter 2:20-21) One
of my favourite stories in the Old Testament is about those three young men,
who were threatened with a terrible death by burning, if they refused to bow
down to the King's idol. (Daniel Chapter 3) They
told the king that God was indeed able to save them, IF HE CHOSE TO. But that
wasn't the real issue. They were going to obey God, whether or not He saved
them ..... even if it should cost them their lives! (Verses 15-18) That
is the challenge of The Sermon on the Mount. It calls us to measure our
safety in terms of our LONG-TERM eternal security, by God's ETERNAL standards
..... not by human standards for short term comfort in this present mortal
life! Of
course, there are some other practical issues which the question does not
address. What
if the kidnapper snatches the handbag BEFORE the young lady can get the mace
out? What if he has a knife at her throat, or a gun at her head? What if he
is bigger and stronger? What if he has a Black Belt in Karate, and knows how
to defend himself against "eye gouging"? What if he has taken the
victim by surprise, and has already rendered her unconscious before she can
attempt to retaliate? Those
questions only serve to emphasise that the HUMAN answer has a VERY limited
and uncertain chance of success. It can't EVER be GUARANTEED to work EVERY
time! Our
REAL safety will ALWAYS lie in God's hands, not our own. I have come to
BELIEVE that the best way to place our safety in God's care, is to do things
EXACTLY the way Jesus says ..... even at the risk of losing everything! (Luke 9:23-26) Just
in case that all sounds a bit too threatening, there is a promise from which
I personally take great comfort. God says that He will NEVER allow us to be
tested beyond our strength! God PROMISES that when temptation comes, there
will ALWAYS be a way of escape. (1 Corinthians
10:12-13) Most often, the best way to find it will be
to respond to temptation with a difficult CHOICE to do what Jesus says! Sometimes
God waits for that choice from us, before sending the angel to walk with us
in the furnace! (Daniel 3:25-28) And
sometimes, in the face of personal danger, the wisdom of God postpones
"rescue" until the OTHER SIDE of the grave. Jesus does promise that
even if obeying Him should cost us our life, that is NOT the end! When
Jesus returns from Heaven, there WILL be a resurrection to ETERNAL LIFE for
those who belong to Jesus! THE
SHORT ANSWER? "Do not
resist one who is evil". (Matthew 5:39) "Repay no
one evil for evil ..... Never avenge
yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God. Do not be
overcome by evil but overcome evil with good." (Romans
12:17-21) Allon |