Sure, happy to support my research:
We are created in God’s image. Genesis 1:26:27 All the more reason to NEVER kill another human being. Put this on the pro-life side.
Our bodies are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in us. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Same as above!
Before we were formed, God knew us and set us apart. Jeremiah 1:5 Boy, this is great all the verses you are finding to support being anti-gun!
“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.” Genesis 9:5-6 This is the covenant of Noah, not the New Covenant. At this point, humans were allowed to kill animals to eat, too. Sad that the SIN of men brought that on.
Anyone who destroys God’s temple, God will destroy. 1 Corinthians 3:17 Another for the anti-gun side - God is to take vengeance, not man! We are never to be vigilantes and assume to avenge for God!
The Lord has a plan for us, a plan to prosper not to harm. Jeremiah 29:11 I confess I had to check to see your OP to see if you were for guns!! Another anti-gun verse. We should live by the Lord's plan, not men's plans. Prosper means to live well, not to kill or be killed.
“If a thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed…. “ Exodus 22:2-3
Mosaic covenant, not New Covenant
“From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half was equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor… “ Nehemiah 4:16-21 Context is everything. They were rebuilding the temple after returning from exile and getting hit hard by the Canaanites so they had to defend themselves. Also Old Covenant.
“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.” Luke 11:21 Parable - uses different metaphors for effect. Jesus didn't mean it literally but was referring to Satan and spiritual warfare and the accusations of the Jews that he was Beelzebul. Check the whole passage. And it comes right after the Lord's prayer (short version!)
Jesus directs His Disciples to sell their cloak to buy a sword to defend themselves. Luke 22:35-36 It is interesting to research the significance of the cloak in that day... this was no small matter to sell your cloak to buy a sword. Context says that you missed verse 37: "For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” This is the fulfillment of Isa. 53:12.
"Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors." Isa. 53:12
It was about Jesus, not about a command for the future for the disciples to go kill everyone, and Jesus healed the man whose ear was struck off by the impetuous Peter in verses 48-51:
"And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” [SUP]50 [/SUP]And one of them struck the servantof the high priest and cut off his right ear. [SUP]51 [/SUP]But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him." Luke 22:49-51
We are to rescue the weak and needy from the wicked. Psalm 82:4 and Proverbs 24:11 Where does it say we need a weapon to do this? How about poor houses and slavery? The weak and the needy were abused, they need rescuers, not murders!
Anyone not providing for our relatives has denied their faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8 This is about food and drink and housing. Keeping the peace in Jewish society was never about carrying weapons!
The Lord will hold us accountable for innocent death, if we don’t warn people. Ezekiel 33:6 This is to do with warning people to repent. If you murder them, they will never have the chance to hear the gospel, and we will in fact be the ones who have innocent blood on our hands.
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17 This has what to do with carrying guns?? Not sure how it applies. Good is NOT killing people with a gun! That is the worst case scenario.
Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. Psalm 144: 1 Love this Psalm and I have a great song that goes with it. It is about the Jews who were commanded to lay waste to the surrounding countries. And David and Solomon took that a little far in some places. But look at some of the rest of the lines of that Psalm! It is GOD who does the rescuing.
"Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
[SUP]7 [/SUP]Stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners," Ps. 144:5-8
"Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood." Ps. 144:11
Clearly worse things than dying... and certainly very acceptable to lay down one's life for another. But if you believe we should not defend ourselves or others God has entrusted to our care then I presume that to mean, you would take no action if you, your wife, your child, your mom were attacked. You would stand by and let them be harmed or murdered.
I am a the primary means of support for my family. If my life were at risk and I chose to not defend myself and die or am permanently injured, my family is harmed. God expects me to do nothing and thus leave my family to survive without me?
I think God expects you to trust that HE IS IN CONTROL, not you packing a gun or pistol, making wrong decisions and killing someone by accident, or your children, on the one day you fail to put away the gun and check the safety lock??
I agree that we are to love one another. We aren't to murder! We aren't to retaliate. But the question is defending oneself and others.
I'm always reminded of the case in Washington DC where 3 women were brutally & repeatedly raped for over 12 hours. The police showed up multiple times but got no answer at the door so they left. Had these women been in a position to defend themselves, the Lord would not want them to take such action? Likely those women would have also been shot by their own guns if they had them. I have been beaten by men who were much bigger and stronger than me, and they would have disarmed me long before I had a chance to shoot to maim or kill. I'm glad you don't know how much physically stronger the average man is than a woman, because that tells me you have never beaten a woman!