The December 14, 2012, Newtown, Connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has impacted all Americans—but not necessarily in the same way. Nor should we expect it would. Regardless which side of the gun debate we find ourselves on, all of us grieve for the families of those whose loved ones were killed. However, beyond our shared empathy, we will respond to this needless murdering of innocent lives in ways that reflect our individual world views.
What’s Your World View?
As expected, the anti-gun establishment immediately started calling for stricter gun-control measures, while Second-Amendment proponents reiterated their worn-out retorts that “guns don’t kill, people do,” “you can have my gun when you pry it from my dead cold fingers,” etc., etc., etc. We’ve heard it all before. But such posturing and any laws that have resulted from either side’s position didn’t make a lick of difference to the twenty children and eight adults and their families in Newtown last week. For that matter, they haven’t made any difference in any other similar shooting. Something’s wrong with this picture!
While both sides of the debate focus on whether or not we should have guns, the underlying issues are seldom identified, let alone dealt with from a Biblical paradigm. And the genesis of America’s moral depravities is almost never addressed.
The carnage in Newtown is indicative of the devolved sense of personal and national ethics that has led America to the brink of moral destruction. If we hope to ever halt America’s present suicidal course, we must get to the root of our current cultural abyss.
The Genesis of America’s Cultural Abyss
There has to be a defining point in history that’s responsible for where America finds herself today, as compared with the early 1600s. Until we figure out what it is that caused America to abandon her 17th-century moorings and restore her Christian foundations, we are doomed to more of the same and worse:
If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:3)
What destroyed our Biblical foundations? The Prophet Jeremiah provides the answer:
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? …the land perisheth … [b]ecause they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; but have walked after the imagination of their own heart…. (Jeremiah 9:12-14)
When did this occur in America? It occurred when the constitutional framers rejected Yahweh’s sovereignty and failed to expressly establish the United States Constitution and government upon Yahweh’s immutable morality as codified in His commandments, statutes, and judgments. If you accept Yahweh’s perfect law and altogether righteous judgments (Psalm 19:7-9) as the fabric that creates and maintains a righteous society, you can’t escape the fact that 1787 was the precise point in history when America, as a nation, began her fall into depravity.
Because mankind will always continue to operate from a depraved heart, crime will never be completely eradicated. However, if we intend to turn the tide (identified in Acts 17:6-7 as Christians turning “the world upside down”), we must not only identify the Constitution as sedition against our God, we must also point our people back to Him by way of Christ’s blood atoning sacrifice and His law for ourselves, our families, our churches, and government. For the sake of our posterity, please join me in awakening our people to this imperative.
A good place to begin is by teaching Christians how Yahweh’s moral law still applies today. I recommend Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant.
As for the Gun Debate:
In case you’re wondering, Yahweh’s law settles the gun debate:
It is imperative we understand the authority to arm ourselves comes from Yahweh. Nearly all gun enthusiasts point to the Second Amendment as their authority for possessing firearms, which means their authority to keep and bear arms can be traced back to 1791. Where did the men living in America prior to 1791 get their authority to be armed? Do you suppose they might have gotten it from Exodus 22:2-3; Deuteronomy 22:23-24; Psalm 149:6-9; Luke 11:21, 12:39, 22:36; and 1 Timothy 5:8. Carrying a weapon was already lawful by Yahweh’s standards, so why, in 1791, did we need the authorization of the Second Amendment?
If your authority to keep and bear arms is derived from the Second Amendment – from the god WE THE PEOPLE – it is unlikely you will react any differently from the British and Australians who surrendered their weapons when required to do so by their respective governments. On the other hand, if your faith is in Yahweh’s sovereign authority, you will be far less likely to turn over your weapons to any civil government unauthorized by the omnipotent Supreme Ruler of the universe.1
The Bible knows nothing of rights, only responsibilities.2 Rights are easily licensed and limited (consider what has occurred with the Second Amendment since its adoption by the States). Responsibilities remain unchanged, regardless what the government says or does:
But if any provide not for his own [including protection], and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8)
We don’t need the Second Amendment (which merely recognizes a right) when we have Psalm 149 (which charges us with a responsibility):
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword [or today’s equivalent] in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye Yah. (Psalm 149:6-9)3
Implicit in this Psalm is that only the righteous are to be armed. However, since the Second Amendment was added to the Bill of Rights, the “right” to bear arms in defense of ourselves, our families, and neighbors has been incrementally taken away from the unrighteous and righteous alike. The Second Amendment has actually facilitated gun control, including gun-free zones such as Sandy Hook Elementary School:
All of our mass murders in the last 20 years have occurred in Gun Free Zones [even Fort Hood, Texas was, for the most part, a gun-free zone]…. Hopefully the Connecticut tragedy will be the tipping point after which a rising chorus of Americans will demand elimination of the Gun Free Zone laws that are in fact Criminal Safe Zones…. Gun Free Zones are a lethal insanity….4
Better yet, may Yahweh use this tragedy to start a movement back to Him and His law for all society.
Unlike today’s constitutional form of government, the Bible does not sanction gun-free zones. Moreover, after being convicted in a Biblical court, murderers are not put away in tax-funded prisons or psychiatric wards, nor are they tried again and again for the same crime at tax payers’ expense. They are quickly put to death (Ecclesiastes 8:11), ridding society forever of their evil influence and deterring others from joining their wicked lifestyle. These are but a few of the advantages of a society based upon Yahweh’s perfect law and altogether righteous judgments.
Related posts:
The Second Amendment: A Knife in a Gunfight (an audio message)
You Can’t Win Bringing a Knife to Gunfight
Amendment 2: Constitutional vs. Biblical Self-Defense
Firearms: Scripturally Defended
5 Reasons the Constitution is Our Cutting-Edge Issue
1. Chapter 12 “Amendment 2: Constitutional vs. Biblical Self-Defense?” of Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective. See also “Firearms: Scripturally Defended.”
2. Chapter 11 “Amendment 1: Government-Sanctioned Polytheism” and Chapter 18 “Amendment 9: Rights vs. Righteousness.”
3. Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, agrees. You can listen to his views here.
4. Larry Pratt, “They Have Blood on Their Hands,” 15 December 2012, http://gunowners.org/a12152012.htm.
wow!thanks for putting into words what is in my heart
Constitutional Rights only apply to US Subjects / or when one is on US owned Property. Gun Control is Common Law ever other location in “America”.
Just to be clear, “rights” are GOD given and cannot be taken away by the state but only surrendered, whereas “privileges” are granted by the state and can be taken away any time the state chooses.
Jim, thanks for your input here. Please consider the following: Rights are but another bill of goods that have sell us down the river.
“The Scriptures provide no evidence of God-given (or unalienable) rights. Even life and liberty are not rights, but rather responsibilities delegated by Yahweh. Of course, rights are much more popular than responsibilities. Everyone, including homosexuals and infant murderers, demand their rights, but few are interested in
fulfilling their responsibilities.
“The Puritan idea of rights and liberty was quite different from what the framers had in mind:
‘John Winthrop [first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony] … reminded his fellow-citizens of Massachusetts that a doctrine of civil rights [as in the Declaration of
Independence and the Bill of Rights] which looked to natural or sinful man as its source and guardian [as in the Preamble] was actually destructive of that very liberty which they were seeking to protect. True freedom can never be found in institutions which are under the direction of sinful men, but only in the redemption wrought for man by Jesus Christ. Christ, not man, is the sole source and guarantee of true liberty.’ ( C. Gregg Singer, A Theological Interpretation of American History (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1964) p. 19.)
“R.J. Rushdoony pointed out the sophistry of governments based upon freedom:
‘….[A] society which makes freedom its primary goal will lose it, because it has made, not responsibility, but freedom from responsibility, its purpose. When
freedom is the basic emphasis, it is not responsible speech which is fostered but irresponsible speech. If freedom of press is absolutized, libel will be defended finally as a privilege of freedom, and if free speech is absolutized, slander finally becomes a right. Religious liberty becomes a triumph of irreligion. Tyranny and anarchy take over. Freedom of speech, press, and religion all give way to controls, totalitarian controls. The goal must be God’s law-order, in which alone is true liberty.’ (Rousas John Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law (The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1973) p. 581)…”
Excerpted from Chapter 11 “Amendment 1: Government-Sanctioned Polytheism” at http://www.bibleversusconstitution.org/BlvcOnline/biblelaw-constitutionalism-pt11.html.
NO matter what your world view on GUNS, you owe it to yourself to critically think about this issue – There’s some LOGICAL DATA which could guide us all into the proper implementation of guidelines in the future to reduce the risk of violent crimes with guns… there’s OTHER spiritual issues needed to be discussed AFTER the review of this statistical information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sFMUeUErYVg#!
Ted, Let me start by saying I am in agreement with your expositions and positions on God’s Law versus man’s US constitution. As well, your efforts to have us reflect on the true nature of the US Constitution have given me a great seed assessment. I thank you for those efforts and the impact in my studies.
Please do not infer below that I am attempting to defend any human codification of God’s Law in this post but rather wish to add my 2 cents regarding the “defining point”. I will
do my best to stay focused even though what has transpired since the beings of
our nation has been a complex web of actions, reactions and manipulations as I see it. I think it is difficult to find the defining point in the decline although re-inventing the Articles of Confederation into a “United States” constitution was surely one since it started the ongoing drive to an all controlling federal government over our original union of independent nation states.
It should be remembered the Articles of Confederation (which we lived under for 12 years) were almost identical to the body constitution with the grave exception the constitution made provision for the relegation of some state powers to a common federal government. This created the framework for what has been expanding it “limited” power over us ever since then. A shift from the constitution originally understood to grant LIMITED powers to a situation today where everyone believes the federal government itself is the supreme law of the land.
For example, whether good or bad, the 2nd amendment grants the federal government NO powers whatsoever to regulate firearms. “We the people” has succumbed to the idea that it does have power over us by saying we have 2nd amendment “rights” it protects thus inferring (and thus conferring) a power to the amendment it never had nor legally has. (I hope this makes sense…) Any secular right (or responsibility) to bear arms legally remains with the individual states to control. We can thank the public school system for “re-educating” us.
I would like to suggest an additional (and very significant) defining moment that I have never heard anyone suggest as such before… the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This (in my opinion) is one of the most damaging and evil pieces of legislation in the long trail of
ungodly legislation since the adoption of the constitution. It has done more than any other single legislation to destroy the land our Lord gave us.
Let me be clear, my position has NOTHING to do with race or equality. It has been the Civil Rights Act that has opened the flood gates of ungodly “rights”. One just has to reflect on the changes that have taken place in this country since that become the law to see almost every change away from freedom and individual responsibility (and even the free expression of the Christian faith) can be traced to that corrupt law. Think of anything from “child rights” to “gay rights” to the “right to be free from Christ in our schools” and you will see what I mean.
I remain in His service
Stu, thanks for joining the discussion.
I agree with you regarding “civil rights.” However, do not overlook there could be no civil rights act if the framers had not failed to expressly establish American government upon Yahweh’s morality as codified in His law.
Also, what took place in Philadelphia in 1787 was accomplished by many of the same men involved in the Articles of Confederation. Many people think this proves the Constitution a Christian document because the States’ Constitutions included Christians test oaths. Quite the contrary. Despite the States’ Christian tests, the individual State constitutions were already very much compromised from the early 17th-century form of Christianity (excuse me, Christendom). Among other things, they all contain similar humanistic and seditious “WE
THE PEOPLE” language.
You are correct… As I read this post and commented on it it made me think about an event that took place so many 1000s of years ago. We are again living in the same situation as our ancestors did at the time of Samuel… 1 Samuel 8
I agree with you. The original colonies of the 1600’s and early 1700’s were a loose confederation of independent societies, each with its own laws and customs, and all of them cognizant of their dependence on God. They were very similar in this respect, I believe, to the twelve tribes of Israel before Saul became king.
In both these situations, the burden of responsible living was on the individual. He had to maintain right relationship with, not only his neighbor, but also with God. Unfortunately, when a large proportion of citizens refuse to be responsible and live the way they should, the pressure builds for a “king” to take over and make society operate “rightly”.
When the individual refuses to be responsible and live in accordance with God’s Word, God turns him over to another ruler, one who is vicious, cruel, and despotic. This can be seen in the spiritual realm as well as the physical and mental. When one person operates this way, the damage is very limited and can be easily contained. However, when a large number of persons live like this, all of society is affected for the worse.
Like the ancient Hebrews of Samuel’s day and the Jews at the time of Christ, we have despised the rule of God and clamored for a king of our own–“Caesar, we have no king but Caesar!” Today, we are paying for our stubborness and rebellion, just like they did.
Hi Ted. As you know, I am in agreement with most all of your conclusions showing how the U.S. Constitution is woefully inadequate because it is in conflict with our Creator/Savior’s Laws, statutes and judgments as is evidenced by our social, political, economic and environmental condition here in America, one of the “multitude of nations” we, as our Creator/Savior’s covenant people have become pursuant to His promise to our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob/Israel. Of course, when you penned the foregoing, you were not fully aware that the incident was a theatrical enactment conducted by our antichrist adversaries and their proselytes with specific intent to further undermine our sacred liberty & freedom using very deceptive dimensional psychological warfare using the Hegelian dialectic principle. Yesterday, I viewed this: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/25440.html
This hour and a half presentation is very well done and I highly recommend it it to help folks understand what is really going on which will enable them to come out of their “strong delusions” and recognize we have antichrist adversaries in our midst who are very clever by our Creator/Savior’s design, but once they and their evil wickedness is exposed, by the few amongst us, they will flee from us because they know the wrath of our Heavenly Father/Savior is certain. Take care Ted,
David
Thanks David. I’ll take a look first opportunity I get.
You’re most welcome Ted. Be assured, this will be some time well spent. The gal does an excellent job of showing the progression of the antichrist agenda of our adversaries using very deceptive dimensional psychological programming spanning five dimensions of perception. As she points out, it matters not whether the occurrence was planned or not, which, as the available evidence from so-called “9-11” to the present shows that most or all were, we are dealing with wicked and evil (Edomite/Caananite “vessels of wrath fitted for destruction”) psychopaths, which, as you and I know, is their very nature by our Creator/Savior’s design. As you know, our antichrist adversaries use the divide & conquer method to pit folks against each other, and otherwise create dissension. This is, as I’m sure you know, a part of the deception to keep people feuding amongst themselves so as to keep them from realizing who their real enemies are. Of course, a key element is to try to convince folks to disarm or otherwise invoke gun control ignoring historical evidence that a fully armed society has less crime and is a free society, and that such is essential to our sacred liberty & freedom.
Even a year later, the evidence mounts that the whole thing was fake.