SHOULD CHRISTIANS DEFEND THEMSELVES?

I have spoken with believers who try to frame cowardice as a Christian virtue. Many believers have confused softness with spirituality and passive surrender with Christlikeness. Somewhere along the way, “harmless as doves” stopped being balanced with “wise as serpents.” The result is a generation of Christians who believe the most spiritual thing they can do is to let a criminal carve them up like Thanksgiving turkeys while they recite the Beatitudes through a forced smile.

Let us ask the question plainly: Should Christians defend themselves or their families? The sentimental crowd says no. The Scriptures say otherwise.

THE MISUSE OF “TURN THE OTHER CHEEK”

The favorite verse of the Christian pacifist is Matthew 5:39. Matthew 5:39“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Left to their interpretation, this verse means if a thug breaks into your house at three in the morning, you should hand him a flashlight, offer him a snack, and apologize for not having the silverware polished.

But context matters. Christ was addressing personal insult and persecution, not criminal assault or murderous intent. A slap on the cheek in Jewish culture was an insult, not attempted murder. Christ was teaching Christians not to retaliate over personal offenses. He was not teaching Christian men to abandon their wives and children to violent men.

If “turn the other cheek” prohibits all self-defense, then it also prohibits police, military, and all civil justice, which even the pacifist does not believe. The pacifist expects the police to defend him. He just refuses to defend himself.

SCRIPTURE DOES NOT OUTLAW SELF-DEFENSE, IT ASSUMES IT

Exodus 22:2 settles the matter with divine clarity. Exodus 22:2“ If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.”

God Himself said a man who kills an intruder in the act of home invasion is not guilty. Why? Because self-defense is not murder. Murder is the unauthorized taking of innocent life. Self-defense is stopping the unauthorized taking of innocent life.

Nehemiah also understood the principle when rebuilding Jerusalem. Nehemiah 4:17“ They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.”

Why weapons? Because bad men exist. Because prayer without preparedness is presumption. Because the God who hears prayer also expects obedience to reality.

Luke 22:36 makes it plainer still. Luke 22:36“ Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip, and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.”

Jesus told His disciples to purchase swords. Not decorative, not ceremonial, not for cutting fruit. Rome did not fear cutlery. Swords were tools of defense.

The modern pacifist explains this verse away with more gymnastics than a Russian ballet troupe. They say Jesus did not mean it or did not expect them to use it. Yet He commanded it. The Bible says what it means and means what it says.

DEFENDING OTHERS IS A BIBLICAL DUTY

Proverbs 24:11“If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain.”

God condemns inaction in the face of violence. To stand by while evil men harm the innocent is not spirituality; it is sin.

A father who refuses to defend his wife and children is not displaying Christlikeness; he is displaying cowardice.

1 Timothy 5:8 rebukes such men with severity. 1 Timothy 5:8 “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.”

Provision includes food. It includes shelter. It includes protection. A man who will not defend his home is worse than the pagan outside the church walls.

PAGANS KNOW WHAT MANY BELIEVERS HAVE FORGOTTEN

Even lost men understand duty. The firefighter runs into the fire. The soldier dies on the hill. The police officer shields the stranger. Yet too many Christians fold like wet cardboard at the first sign of force, then wave a Bible verse they do not understand as justification.

It is disingenuous to hide behind “trust God” while refusing to act responsibly. Trusting God does not eliminate responsibility. Noah trusted God and still built the ark. David trusted God and still carried a sling. Nehemiah trusted God and still strapped on a sword. To refuse action is not trust. It is laziness baptized in piety.

WHAT ABOUT PERSECUTION?

Ah, yes, the sentimental objection.“What about persecution? Should we not suffer for Christ?”

Indeed, we should. When persecuted specifically for the Gospel, we are called to endure. The apostles did not fight Rome over preaching. Paul did not pull a sword when arrested. But persecution for preaching Christ and criminal assault against your family are not in the same category. Rome flogged the apostles to silence their message. Criminals assault to silence your pulse.

Different offenses. Different contexts. Different responsibilities.

CHRISTIANITY IS NOT COWARDICE

The Bible never commands weakness. Christ was meek, not frail. He turned His cheek when insulted but flipped tables when righteousness demanded force. The God of Scripture is not a pacifist. The God of Scripture is a warrior who rides a white horse.

Christians should love their enemies, forgive personal wrongs, refuse petty retaliation, endure persecution for the Gospel, and defend the innocent from harm. These truths are not contradictions. They are compliments.

Heaven does not applaud cowardice. It crowns courage.