The New Testament verse that overides violence is the very one you have been denying or twisting to your advantage from the beginning. Jesus referenced an eye for an eye passage from the Old Testament and He said, BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, meaning He is making a change. He is saying to turn the other cheek now.
But Jason, again, what do you do with the fact that 'turn the other cheek' was already an old testament concept? The idea of not returning evil for evil, not returning insult for insult, and loving your enemy and not rejoicing when they stumble all come from the old testament.
So yes, Jesus is talking about a change, but it's a change back to the old testament from where his audience had strayed. He was directing them back to God's original revelation, which affirmed eye for eye, but didn't pervert it to mean hate your enemy. And remember, Jesus was still living in old testament times. The new covenant hadn't started yet.
To not render evil for evil. To do good unto your enemies and to bless them that curse you and to pray for them. For vengeance is mine, saith the Lord….
Yep, all in the old testament.
Ex. 23:4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
Deut. 32:35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time;
For the day of their calamity is at hand,
And the things to come hasten upon them.’
Pro 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
Pro 24:17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Do you really think Christ was not aware of these old testament principles? Jesus is not rebuking the old testament! I'm amazed at how uninformed some christians are about the old testament. And unfortunately, the church is becoming less and less familiar with it, particularly the book of Genesis.
I believe Jesus allowed Peter and the others to buy a sword (i.e. the wrong kind of sword), so that Jesus could prove that He did not want us believers using physical swords because Jesus rebuked Peter for using his sword and said He could have called down a ton of angels to protect Himself.
Okay, so Jesus only told them to buy a sword, so that you would know not to buy one. This is modern day exegesis. Jesus initially wanted men to sell even their clothing if they needed to to buy one, but then sort of stepped back and said ha ha, tricked you. Yikes. How about we just trust the word of God, and not try to retro fit it to our personal philosophies.
Also, Jesus made a very important statement that is not in your favor, too. He that lives by the sword shall die by the sword. Meaning, if you take up the sword as a way of life, you are going to die by it.
How does that work against me? That's my attitude toward the sword. It's something you use only if necessary. You don't live it, which is to say, you don't make it a way of life.
Would I be advocating violence by calling the police because they carry guns? No. I am not. First, if it is a situation such as a riot and or a violent situation that has gotten out of control, the police are God's ministers of justice. This is what Romans 13 talks about. If I find that my prayer for the stopping of the violence immediately and my rebuking of my enemies is not applicable to the situation, then God can and does use unbelieving law enforcement officers to bring order to the situation.
Okay, so then you're fine with guns and other weapons that kill, so long as you can get someone else to use them on your behalf. You won't do the deed and kill someone, but you'll be quite happy to call another to do it.
But considering everything you stand for, shouldn't you be relying on God an angels, instead of men with guns?
And BTW, if you can't handle a gun, for various reasons, both physically or emotionally, or logistically, then calling upon a friend or the police for help is perfectly fine.
And Jason, I would say to you, knowing you're not going to change your view on this, I'm glad at least you have no problem calling others with guns. It may save our life one day