The thought of life or death self-defense is something that I have found to be unsettling. There are consequences (beyond the worldly consequences) that bother me that I feel must be examined before I choose to take the life of someone trying to take mine.
(For any of my reasoning to make sense, it has to be considered that I’m looking beyond a worldly perspective. The worldly perspective is a simple “yes.”)
If I have the ability to defend myself against an attacker, do I take their life? The only way I can answer this question is to step out of this world and take a Heavenly mindset. If I shoot someone, I am most likely damning them to an eternity in Hell. The severity of life and death can only be seen through the realization of Heaven and Hell. My eternity is sealed in Christ. Nothing, neither death nor life (Romans 8:38-39), can separate me from my destination. My fate is firm… but my attacker’s is not. In this sense, do I consider my life in Christ to be more valuable than a life damned to Hell (Philippians 1:21-22)? To live is Christ, to die is gain. Kill me and I spend an eternity in Heaven. If I kill you, your fate is sealed in eternal agony and anguish. Is the possibility of giving my attacker one more day on earth with the hope that he’ll find Christ pure insanity (2 Corinthians 5:11-16)? Or is that ounce of hope a sacrifice of hope for my attacker’s eternity (John 15:12-14)?
You may ask, “Well that’s crazy. What about your wife you are leaving behind?” Well. My wife doesn’t need me. She really doesn’t. Her joy, peace, life is found in Christ… not in me.
You may also ask, “Well what if they threaten the life of your wife and yours?” Well. That’s when I unload my gun… through the barrel. But to dive into further insanity, is the life of two believers worth the hope of one soul finding Christ? My wife’s fate is sealed in Christ. The hope for one soul damned to Hell vs the fate of two in Christ?
The only logical conclusion I can come to? As the father told his son when they caught an intruder in the house, “Aim for the legs, son. You won’t kill him.”
