Human evil and brutality to one another knows no bounds. A sick, evil murderer saturated with hatred and motivated by Satan committed raw evil against innocent people. It was sickening, disgusting and profoundly sad for the victims and for those who loved them. And yet, the pastor and the remnant of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, have been an amazing witness for the truth of the gospel, and the Lord, Jesus Christ. I am not a pacifist. The Bible does not teach pacifism. It teaches reality about the world we live in and that people are not born "good" as the lost world understands the term. The world is fallen and will remain so until God creates a new heaven and earth. The lost world does not understand this, either. And the effects of living in a fallen, evil world will continue to be seen in shocking ways until the final judgment of man and the eternal kingdom of God is established. Christians understand this, the lost world does not, cannot.
Let me be clear, the Bible teaches that there is nothing morally wrong, or even sinful, about self-defense. There is no moral dilema to wrestle with against the need for self-defense when one is faced with evil brutality, or the threat of evil brutality in all of its forms. It is good, and right, to stop first by any means necessary, those who have evil plans and intentions toward you, your family, your friends, or someone you don't know when evil brutality is present. To kill someone whose intention is to murder or rape or who appears to desire to perform some other evil act of brutality, does not violate the sixth Commandment of God, "You shall not kill" and neither would there be a need to hesitate or wrestle with the idea of taking someone's life when that person is breaking into your house during the day or night, or it appears they will, inflict evil unrestrained brutality against someone else.
Humans will continue to commit evil acts of brutality against others, especially against those they believe to be easy targets and who cannot or will not defend themselves for one reason or another, typically for lack of courage or fear. In such times courage and resolve is needed. It is not the most terrible thing a person can do in taking someone else's life. It is terrible, and, perhaps just as evil, to turn the other way and do nothing, and to allow evil brutality to go on unrestrained when you or someone else is under an attack. It takes a gun to stop a gun.
