I’m getting a lot of questions about the Citizen Vigilante film, and what is the Christian view of this? In particular, aren’t we called to forgive, and isn’t “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” an exclusively Old Testament principle? Well yes and no, it is much more complex than this. Let me take a moment and explain.
God’s covenant to the Jews through Moses is conditional. It is essentially “if you live in the land that I give you, and obey the law that I give you, I shall bless you and magnify you among the nations.” Contrast this against the covenant with Abraham which was conditional based upon conditions Abram had already fulfilled: “because you have not withheld your only son, I will make of you a great nation. . .” God’s promise to make an unique nation is without remaining conditions, which is why God calls it “neverending” and “everlasting”. God bound Himself through his word to create a chosen people and the promises of that covenant cannot ever change nor be rescinded. See Roman’s chapters 6-8.
The Mosaic covenant is the opposite. It’s blessings are completely contingent upon obedience. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon explains that these blessings are not an act of divine intervention, but rather they are the natural result of obeying God’s law. He goes in to explain the “laws of the harvest” and that the blessings that come from obeying God’s laws are essentially that we “reap what we sow.”
Western Civilization is the result of this mechanic. It was created by Christians for Christians and is the result of obedience to God’s laws in part only. Christians have picked and chosen what to follow or not because the law given the Jews was mandatory for making a nation chosen unto God, but is not mandatory everywhere else. Nations around the world thus experience blessing and cursing based upon their adherence to God’s expressed will. Haiti is cursed because it endorses witchcraft, voodoo, sorcery, and other deliberate mockery of what is good and right. America thrives because it was based upon so many biblical principles. However, America is changing.
To be clear, if we used capital punishment against rapists as instructed in scripture, we would have very little rape. We know from statistical analysis that criminals fear the government, law and the sword of justice. When that sword is weak and flaccid, criminals are encouraged to do evil.
Now to the question of the vigilante: no. There is no support in scripture to take law into your own hands. The scriptures tell us rather to seek proper laws, honest judges, reasonable restraints and justice. The state is the proper weilder of law and Justice and in Western Civilization, citizens can have a direct impact upon the law, the seating of judges, etc.
If this movie makes you angry and yearning for justice, take a proper hand in elections that will bring us better law, better judges and real justice. Flaccid, feminine laws and judges are responsible for the crime we see, and you don’t need a gun to fix this.
And finally, as to capital punishment, let me assure you; you are NOT more compassionate than God. He knows the proper place of mercy and he has instructed us to put certain kinds of criminals to death. That is because only fear of the sword can restrain and limit crime. That’s a fact. Leniency destroys deterrence and produces high crime.
BTW, when Jesus taught to turn the other cheek, he was not correcting Moses. Rather, he was correcting the Pharisees who were misapplying Moses. When he says in the Sermon on the Mount “you have heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you if struck on one cheek turn the other”, he is not correcting Moses. He is correcting the religious teachers of his time who were teaching vigilantism. That law about eyes and teeth concerns the limits of punishment in a court of law. It was never intended for interpersonal relations. This difference is crucial so let me point out, had Jesus been quoting scripture he would have said “it is written”. Instead he says “you have heard it said”, because he is not quoting scripture. He is quoting the religious leaders who are misquoting and misapplying scripture. “An eye for an eye” is for the courts only. It is never to be used in personal relations because when it is, the matter never goes to court where it belongs.
So these rapists from foreign lands, they need to be put to death. This is the only way to stop the madness but it needs to be done through the courts, not by vigilantes.
God bless.
God’s covenant to the Jews through Moses is conditional. It is essentially “if you live in the land that I give you, and obey the law that I give you, I shall bless you and magnify you among the nations.” Contrast this against the covenant with Abraham which was conditional based upon conditions Abram had already fulfilled: “because you have not withheld your only son, I will make of you a great nation. . .” God’s promise to make an unique nation is without remaining conditions, which is why God calls it “neverending” and “everlasting”. God bound Himself through his word to create a chosen people and the promises of that covenant cannot ever change nor be rescinded. See Roman’s chapters 6-8.
The Mosaic covenant is the opposite. It’s blessings are completely contingent upon obedience. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon explains that these blessings are not an act of divine intervention, but rather they are the natural result of obeying God’s law. He goes in to explain the “laws of the harvest” and that the blessings that come from obeying God’s laws are essentially that we “reap what we sow.”
Western Civilization is the result of this mechanic. It was created by Christians for Christians and is the result of obedience to God’s laws in part only. Christians have picked and chosen what to follow or not because the law given the Jews was mandatory for making a nation chosen unto God, but is not mandatory everywhere else. Nations around the world thus experience blessing and cursing based upon their adherence to God’s expressed will. Haiti is cursed because it endorses witchcraft, voodoo, sorcery, and other deliberate mockery of what is good and right. America thrives because it was based upon so many biblical principles. However, America is changing.
To be clear, if we used capital punishment against rapists as instructed in scripture, we would have very little rape. We know from statistical analysis that criminals fear the government, law and the sword of justice. When that sword is weak and flaccid, criminals are encouraged to do evil.
Now to the question of the vigilante: no. There is no support in scripture to take law into your own hands. The scriptures tell us rather to seek proper laws, honest judges, reasonable restraints and justice. The state is the proper weilder of law and Justice and in Western Civilization, citizens can have a direct impact upon the law, the seating of judges, etc.
If this movie makes you angry and yearning for justice, take a proper hand in elections that will bring us better law, better judges and real justice. Flaccid, feminine laws and judges are responsible for the crime we see, and you don’t need a gun to fix this.
And finally, as to capital punishment, let me assure you; you are NOT more compassionate than God. He knows the proper place of mercy and he has instructed us to put certain kinds of criminals to death. That is because only fear of the sword can restrain and limit crime. That’s a fact. Leniency destroys deterrence and produces high crime.
BTW, when Jesus taught to turn the other cheek, he was not correcting Moses. Rather, he was correcting the Pharisees who were misapplying Moses. When he says in the Sermon on the Mount “you have heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you if struck on one cheek turn the other”, he is not correcting Moses. He is correcting the religious teachers of his time who were teaching vigilantism. That law about eyes and teeth concerns the limits of punishment in a court of law. It was never intended for interpersonal relations. This difference is crucial so let me point out, had Jesus been quoting scripture he would have said “it is written”. Instead he says “you have heard it said”, because he is not quoting scripture. He is quoting the religious leaders who are misquoting and misapplying scripture. “An eye for an eye” is for the courts only. It is never to be used in personal relations because when it is, the matter never goes to court where it belongs.
So these rapists from foreign lands, they need to be put to death. This is the only way to stop the madness but it needs to be done through the courts, not by vigilantes.
God bless.