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@theinconceivable1

Yes… Christ’s death and resurrection fulfilled the types and shadows. But as you said, those aren’t what we’re talking about. And I would like to point out that in the OT they were still under a covenant of grace. It wasn’t the law that ever brought man’s salvation, it was and still is God’s grace, just then it was pointing to what Christ what would do, and now we look back on what Christ did do.

And I’m not thinking of times in the OT when evil was done but not condemned. We see in the OT that there is a time to draw the sword, and we see men were fighting for their lives, as well as the lives of others. When someone is attacking me, they are attacking me. But at that time they are also a danger to everyone else. And at what point do we say they are not a danger others?

Also we see evidence in the OT that polygamy is wrong. God refer’s to a man and his wife becoming one… that’s not one man and three women, that’s one man and one woman.  Furthermore, it says in Genesis (OT): “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

There are commands given to draw swords, to be guards. In Nehemiah we read: “And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.'”

When I am fighting in self defense, am I fighting for myself only? No.

And in even though in the NT Jesus wouldn’t let them punish certain people, we see Peter brought death down on Ananias and Sapphira. I would argue that Christ is not calling us to be passive recipients of anything that comes our way.

Yes, Jesus tells Peter not to fight for him, but that was because it would interfere with the very thing Jesus had come to Earth to do… and it was the very thing that Peter was constantly not understanding. Further more, we are not to live by the sword. We don’t pick fights, we don’t invite that… but…

And you question as to why we need self defense… God says he will provide us a way out of temptation, and yet we still need to choose that path. Health is a blessing from the Lord, and yet we are not supposed to just drop diet and say “God will bless me as he sees fit.”

Yes God takes care of us so graciously, beyond our imagination. But He takes care of us through Earthly means. I eat healthy food, because I know I will be blessed with health when I eat that. I don’t eat unhealthy food (as much as possible) because it won’t bless me with health it does the opposite. Do you save money? Or spend it all knowing God will take care of you? We are under grace… but not license to sin. Yes once we are saved we cannot lose that. But we are still expected to follow his commandments.

God calls us to prepare. He calls for us to act. He calls for us to not act in certain circumstances. I don’t believe he calls us not to act in self defense.