Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-42 (KJV):
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
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.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Okay, so I am not to resist evil then and if someone wants to do evil to me, I should allow it twice? I simply cannot grasp that concept. I know most of it has to do with how I was brought up, but part of it is my perception that Jesus would not want us to be victims, I believe this passage to trend toward not causing another human being physical harm. What would I do if I were in a situation? I would definitely try to run away, which I believe would be ok, even though that is "resisting" in a way, it is not causing evil or harm to another person. Is that a sin? To not want to be a victim...? I am tending towards it not being a sin.
To what extent are we supposed to take non-resistance? Is it not bearing arms for our country in one way or another? Is it not physically harming another person? Is it to the point of allowing anyone do anything to us? What do you think? I think it is to the extent of not intentionally causing harm to another person.
Blessings in Christ,
Just my thinking but Jesus let people do horrible horrible things to Him and still praised God. I try and follow His example of non-resistance. He was the son of God He could've done ANYTHING to them yet He prayed for them as they nailed Him to a cross. That is true non-resistance at least in my opinion. That's what I strive for. No matter what people do or say nothing will be worse than what Jesus went through to save us. In a book I read about missionaries (Angels in the Night, a CAM book) they were robbed over 30 times and each time they let them take whatever they wanted all while trying to preach to them. A few of those robbers ended up coming to Christ if I remember right. I don't think those souls would've came to Jesus had they beat them up or taken out guns etc. This is not to say that I think we don't need a little bit of self defense, especially women, but that there is a line. I guess it's finding the line that is the hard part isn't it :-) I still haven't found that line but I'm searching and praying! I hope you can find it too! God bless friend,
ReplyDeleteKate
Kate,
ReplyDeleteI agree in not taking out guns or violence to others, it is the line that I wonder about. Where is it drawn in the sand at? Can I run away or resist without causing harm to another individual without being in sin?
Blessings,
Chelsea
Jesus set the perfect example. What did he do in the type of situations you mentioned? Study it out and perhaps you will get some guidance. The Lord will not leave you confused if you diligently and sincerely seek His will and ways. His Spirit is not the spirit of confusion but of light and transparancy.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you as you seek Him.