The heart of the matter is saving life. I'm not saying assassination is the way to go if there are other means. And I understand advancing the kingdom of God through persecution. And that's between the North Korean Christians and God. But what I don't see God saying is that we should sit by and watch the North Korean Christians advance the Kingdom of God through their lives while we pat them on the back and say, "Great job, guys!" If we're not willing to jump in and be tortured and murdered along with them, then we should be willing to call an end to their suffering in whatever way works.
Jesus was not trying to reform civil and criminal law. God had already laid down those laws, and they were just. He was trying to reform people's hearts so that there would be no cause for legal action. But it was the power of the sword that God granted legal authorities that facilitated Jesus' teachings. If you removed that context, then there are some of Jesus' teachings that would, well, be taken out of context and misapplied.
Romans 13:4 For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Obviously the teachings on mercy and forgiveness in the New Testament can be misapplied. When Jesus comes back he is not going to have mercy on his enemies, and he is not going to forgive them. He is going to utterly destroy them. So in what ways do people today misapply Jesus' teachings? In my opinion the New Testament teachings with regard to mercy and forgiveness and turning the other cheek, if not wholly, then at least in large part deal with the treatment of our personal enemies.
We shouldn't ignore the fact that humans interact with each other on different levels. Sometimes we interact with each other within the context of individuals, sometimes within the context of corporate entities, sometimes within the context of national entities. Our individual interactions should be conformed to Christ's teachings, because Christ's teachings fall within the context of personal struggles and changes of heart. But if we misapply his teachings we'll see seeming contradictions pop up elsewhere in the Bible.
And I really don't want this to break down into a New Testament vs Old Testament debate, so I'll let you have the last word on it and call it quits. To me the NT and OT go hand-in-hand. They work well with each other side-by-side. I've seen plenty of arguments to the contrary, and I understand them. But I feel that if either is eliminated in the present context the other is worse off for it.
Hey bud,
I'm not trying to make it into an OT vs. NT debate, however, I do think it is wrong when people try to pull up examples from the OT of certain things and say "Well that still applies to today" but then when someone else pulls up another example that is similar they say "Oh no, we are not supposed to do that anymore."
For example, in what New Testament sense would I be able to drive a stake through the forehead of someone who is sleeping? What about marrying my brother's widow? Could she spit in my face if I refused to take her as a bride? This is part of Jewish civic law as well (save for the first one, but that person was praised for her deed). For the first one, as your New Testament verses says, we respect the authorities with the sword, but we do not walk around enacting physical punishment/justice ourselves but we rather give place to God to enact justice.
I've heard many people say that a central theme of the New Testament is "A better way". Yes, it is true. I believe there is a better way than stoning adulterers now. I also believe there is a better way than not eating pork or catfish or killing witches. I do not annul the law through my thinking but rather trust that there is a better way through Jesus Christ.
A final thought- saving life. What is more powerful, the gun in your hands or God? Dietrich Bonhoeffer found his attempts to save life through killing Hitler failed and rather his was taken.
Should we truly choose to defend our lives with tooth and nail as if these are our choice (and strongest) of weapons or trust in the great
I AM?
Let me leave you with a few verses to think on brother.
Romans 12:
19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.
20"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."
Matthew 26:
51And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
How about instead of killing Kim Jong Un, you give him a cup of water and tell him about Jesus then spend your life praying for him (most likely in prison)? Pretty crazy huh? Christianity isn't meant to be a sustainable religion. It's all about leaning on God who sustains and protects us, not our ourselves.
"You have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors" Hosea 10:13
God bless