Is Self-Defense Biblical?

It is surprising to find Jesus advising the disciples to buy a sword in Luke 22:36: "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." Did Jesus in this verse advocate the use of a sword for self-defense purposes?

Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus revealed to His disciples the future hostility they would face and encouraged them to sell their outer garments in order to buy a sword. (Luke 22:36-38; cf. 2 Corinthians 11:26-27) Here the "sword" (Greek: maxairan) is a dagger or short sword that belonged to the Jewish traveler's equipment as protection against robbers and wild animals. A plain reading of the passage indicates that Jesus approved of self-defense.

Self-defense may actually result in one of the greatest examples of human love. Christ Himself said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:14) When protecting one's family or neighbor, a Christian is unselfishly risking his or her life for the sake of others.

He said, in sending His followers out into the world like sheep among wolves: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 NRSV) The Greek word for “wise,” phronimos , can likewise be translated as “cunning” or “shrewd.” Jesus wants followers who are streetwise, who are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right —using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.(Luke 16:9)

But this dependence on the Shepherd is not the only way God wants us to live as his followers. We are to be "shrewd as snakes." Here Matthew records the same word used in Greek translations of the Old Testament in Genesis 3:1 , "Now the serpent was cunning." Jesus urged the disciples to be cunning, resourceful, and use every gift they had at their disposal. Human reason, for example, is a useful tool God has given us, but we must remember that reason is only a tool, and does not supplant faith in God’s revealed truth in the Bible.

Jesus also urges his disciples to be "innocent as doves." "Innocent" here is the Greek word meaning "unmixed." It is the same word used in Romans 16:19 "be innocent about what is evil," and Philippians 2:15 "so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God…" We are not to be mixed with sin. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we strive to lead lives that are blameless and pure in the eyes of God.

That's a lot to live up to: have a pure life, be cunning and shrewd about the world and about spreading the gospel, yet be sheep among wolves. How can we do it? Only with the help of Jesus, who has sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts, and who enables us to daily put to death the sinful nature with which we were born, and to be "eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:14 )