The Second Amendment Isn’t The Second Commandment
BY Herschel Smith
4 years, 6 months ago
As a nation we have seemed to somehow elevated the Second Amendment to the status of one of the Ten Commandments as if God positively said, “Thou shalt bear arms.” Of course the irony is there is the commandment that forbids murder, and nowhere in Holy Scriptures do we see the necessity of having weapons.
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The times call for bold action once again in the face of the national epidemic of gun violence by restricting a class of weapons to only the military and our law enforcement personnel. I’m tired of seeing “Thou shalt not kill” being violated in mass killings, but, most of all, I’m tired of lowering the flag to half staff every two weeks when it could be flying high and proud.
You can read the rest for yourself. The problems with this commentary are manifold and too numerous to address in full, but we’ll make a few observations.
As I’ve pointed out before, when Jesus commanded His disciples to go find swords, he wasn’t the Bohemian, peacenik, flowerchild hippie He’s made out to be by contemporary preachers of false theology. No, He was quite literally commanding His disciples to go procure weapons in direct violation of the law at the time. He was commanding disobedience to the law.
… for some evidence, see Digest 48.6.1: collecting weapons ‘beyond those customary for hunting or for a journey by land or sea’ is forbidden; 48.6.3.1 forbids a man ‘of full age’ appearing in public with a weapon (telum) (references and translation are from Mommsen 1985). See also Mommsen 1899: 564 n. 2; 657-58 n. 1; and Linderski 2007: 102-103 (though he cites only Mommsen). Other laws from the same context of the Digest sometimes cited in this regard are not as worthwhile for my purposes because they seem to be forbidding the possession of weapons with criminal intent. But for the outright forbidding of being armed while in public in Rome, see Cicero’s letter to his brother relating an incident in Rome in which a man, who is apparently falsely accused of plotting an assassination, is nonetheless arrested merely for having confessed to having been armed with a dagger while in the city: To Atticus, Letter 44 (II.24). See also Cicero, Philippics 5.6 (§17). Finally we may cite a letter that Synesius of Cyrene wrote to his brother, probably sometime around the year 400 ce. The brother had apparently questioned the legality of Synesius having his household produce weapons to defend themselves against marauding bands. Synesius points out that there are no Roman legions anywhere near for protection, but he seems reluctantly to admit that he is engaged in an illegal act (Letter 107; for English trans., see Fitzgerald 1926).
It was against the law for His disciples to own and bear a sword, especially in a populated area like that, and no amount of Scripture twisting can change that. Jesus commanded them to be lawbreakers by going about armed.
Next, the preacher should be asked if he would allow his wife to be raped and his children to be murdered by home invaders, or if he would attempt to stop it. The police can’t get there in time, and besides, you can’t use a phone when you’re tied up awaiting torture. So the scenario we may pose is this: four home invaders have just busted into his home intent on raping his wife and dousing him with gasoline before setting him on fire. He needs a semiautomatic weapon to handle the four invaders. What does he do, and if he doesn’t make plans ahead of time to defend home and hearth, is he any better than a child molester or wife beater?
We’ve asked these questions before, Mr. Pence. No gun controller or pacifist Christian has ever responded. May we hear yours? Oh, and by the way, what do you think causes all of that violence? Where does it come from? To answer this question, turn to the first few chapters of Genesis like your seminary professors told you to do. Do you really believe that more controls will make the federal headship of Adam go away?
On October 10, 2019 at 9:47 pm, Heywood said:
Wow…just looked at the picture of him. “Thou shalt not have another jelly donut” came to mind.
On October 11, 2019 at 8:59 am, Fred said:
Hmm! Jelly Donuts! Wait, what were we talking about? Oh yeah; I love this blog but I just don’t have time for this right now, maybe over the weekend. But, “…nowhere in Holy Scriptures do we see the necessity of having weapons.”
Nowhere? Not one single instance or example for edification and reproof, not one, anywhere at all, anywhere in the whole Bible? The whole bible is free of killing in violation of the sixth and all remained sinless in this regard and “nowhere” is the need for weapons found in defense of self, family, tribe, Nation, kith and kin, nowhere, nodda, zilch, nothing? The entire earth has been at peace since the fall?
Immediately what came to mind was 1938 Germany where the State had already nationalized the Churches and “pastors” like this were becoming popular…and then I read down to the flag “flying high and proud” and need, yes, we need to understand this: The Nazis killed a million Christians long before they ever got to the Jews. They did this to silence the men of God in the pulpits and the highways and the hedges and nothing but spokesmen for the devil, like this Pence guy, were left to extol the virtues an antiChrist State that went about to kill those who hear the Master’s voice. John 10:27-31.
How many times must the LORD warn America of what’s coming? Liars and devils fill the pulpits and pews chasing after fables of men.
Pray for Chaz who I found convicted by the Father, a lost sinner in need of answers. God had been wearing that boy down relentless, and I had the precious opportunity to lead him into the Kingdom of God yesterday. Pray that seed be planted deep, on fertile soil, and the LORD to water and raise him up in the way that he should go. And pray for his girl(friend? wife?) who listened with great interest and asked very solid questions. I’m not the minister to her, pray the LORD to send the right one for her and pray that she stop seeking a sign, for we Europeans, Asians, and Africans need no sign but to realize of the Father the sign of Jonah, and the resurrection of an Almighty Christ, the only living Saviour. We don’t need a miracle, we are saved by the grace of Holy God through faith upon the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. This is the sign unto you! Amen.
Chaz is now one more man who won’t walk into a super store and shoot random people in the name of the devil. One at a time, that’s how it’s done, “pastor” Pence!
On October 11, 2019 at 12:54 pm, MTHead said:
Matthew 10, 34.” I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword.” What do you think he said that for Mr. Pence?
It’s also important to note extreme measure the lord told them in Luke. To go to get those swords.
On October 11, 2019 at 5:26 pm, MTHead said:
Maybe Mr. Pence failed history to the point that he doesn’t know what has/is happening to Christians that aren’t armed? All over the world? ISIS anyone? Sad for all that believe his lies.
I will say it again. Never in human history, have peace loving humans bearing arms been a problem for anyone but a criminal! And only criminals complain about those that do go armed.
On October 12, 2019 at 8:55 am, Todd said:
This pastors church is a typically liberal christian church. When you publicly celebrate the holidays of the adversary, well, you lose authority on scriptural subjects in my eyes. The original article reads like “I support your right to own guns, but… blah, blah, blah, if it saves one child.” Mushy headed logic for a squishy christian- this pastor is an embarrassment. He fits right in with the white left crowd though. I’m guessing he has a congregation of about 25 people and not a Barean among them.
On October 13, 2019 at 3:44 pm, ExpatNJ said:
James Pence is a neither a pastor, nor any Man of God.
James Pence is a Super Deceiver.
On October 13, 2019 at 4:59 pm, Blake said:
Meanwhile, the church I go to sponsored a 2A mens event a couple of years ago.
On October 13, 2019 at 6:47 pm, CM Dutch said:
“Do not be deceived, many will come in my name…”