What would you say about a father who willfully neglects to provide his children and wife with sufficient clothing?
How about a father who willfully neglects to provide his children and wife with shelter from the deadly blast of a freezing winter storm or proper medical care when they are sick or injured?
What would you say about a father who willfully neglects to provide his children with a secular and spiritual education?
We might very well call this neglect willful dereliction of duty, yes?
Well, the Bible tells us that any man who does not provide for his own, especially those who are members of his own house, he has denied the Christian faith and is worse than an infidel. (I Timothy 5:8).
As a follower of Christ, wouldn’t you agree?
So what can rightly be said of a man who willfully neglects to provide his family with protection from lawless men – criminals – men, who by nature, are inclined to steal, rape and even murder? (Matthew 1:19)
I believe we can rightly say that such a man has denied the Christian faith and is worse than an infidel; just as much as any man who willfully neglects to provide his family with food and water, clothing, shelter, a secular and spiritual education, proper medical attention, or anything else necessary to safeguard their bodies and life.
I believe a man cannot adequately provide his family a defense from its spiritual enemies without himself first becoming acquainted with and learning how to use the spiritual weapon, the two-edged Sword of the Word. We do not deny that a man who willfully neglects the spiritual welfare of his family is unquestionably neglecting his duty to God and his family. Such a man, according to Scripture, has denied his faith and is worse than an infidel. In like-manner, I also contend that any able-bodied Christian man who is willfully neglecting his family’s physical safety by not by being duly armed and properly trained in the use of a firearm, (preferably a good battle-rifle) has denied his Christian faith and is also truly worse than an infidel. For, even the most uneducated heathen brute understands the natural law of self-defense.
Friends, whether it is a weather related crisis, such as Hurricane Katrina or a man-made crisis, such as the large number of violent criminals currently being allowed unimpeded into our country through the willful dereliction of duty by our own lawless Chief Executive, there will be civil unrest. Admittedly, the best protection any of us have in any kind of civil unrest is our God. God blesses us with what we need to effect our physical defense. God expects us to be good stewards of all His gifts. This includes the blessings He so graciously gives us for the protection of self and family. The loyalty and dedication of good friends and family members who "have our backs", and a good semiautomatic battle rifle with loaded, "large-capacity" magazines are all gifts God has graciously provided us. If you don’t currently possess such a rifle, you should go out and purchase one as soon as you can! If money is an issue, you should know that with a little judicious searching, a good used .22 caliber long rifle can be obtained for as little as $100, a good used 12 gauge shotgun for $100-$300. If you don’t have a sufficient amount of ammunition on hand, go buy more now. And if you live in a city or state that enforces unconstitutional “laws”, prohibiting you from buying one, MOVE! For, we ought to obey God, rather than men (Acts 5:29).
According to Scripture, we Christian men have a command from God and therefore, a serious duty to our families and to God to provide for our families. This “providing” inarguably includes protection against potential physical attack by criminals through the keeping and proper bearing of arms; just as it includes food and water, clothing and shelter, education and proper medical care. Jesus, Himself tells His disciples:”… 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.” (Luke 22:36 KJV) Yesteryear’s sword is today’s modern battle-rifle.
Will you heed your Savior's call to provide for your family or will you deny the Christian faith, derelict of your duty to your family and your God?
The Lutheran watchman © 2014.