This article is the third of a three-part series about Christians and the right to bear arms, written by former Navy SEAL Danny O’Neill. Read the first part here and the second part here.

Sanctification is a Christian taking responsibility with active dependence on God to attain increasing levels of holiness, yet modern Christian men tend to neglect this duty in many critical areas of their lives. As Christian men are called to be providers and protectors of their loved ones, even wielding firearms in some cases to fulfill the latter duty, an abundance of effeminacy in the church has prompted men to neglect these worthy objectives.

Consider the typical American Christian man in contrast with Abraham, who rescued his nephew Lot from his enemies with the use of overwhelming force.

When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

— Genesis 14:14-16

Modern readers must recognize that Mesopotamian armies were no trivial foe. They met five rebel kings in the Valley of Siddim for battle, which they defeated and plundered, as described in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis. Lot and his people were captured during this event. Abraham, at this point still called by the name Abram, did not hesitate to prepare for what could possibly be the first recorded special operations hostage rescue mission in history. Abram called on 318 “trained men” of his own household to approach a far greater enemy. After their infiltration into the territory of Dan, they completed initial actions-on by defeating the Mesopotamian forces. They then pursued the enemy to a flex target in Hobah and completed their mission. In total, Abram and his men traversed approximately 240 miles from their home in Hebron to Hobah.

Seek physical prowess

After traveling the great distance and striking two separate targets, Abraham and his men then exfiltrated back home with Lot and the extra weight of plundered goods. The physical strength of Abraham and his men cannot be understated. The forces of Abram were also clearly tactically sound, as far as the text reveals, because they were able to operate and communicate effectively at night with a divided force. They did not have night vision or encrypted radios at this point in history, so this small note from the text highlights their training and capabilities. This story also characterizes Abram as a leader and a tactician. He was the one who called on his men, divided his forces, and led them through hitting two separate targets successfully.

The contrast of the modern Christian man and these biblical models is not only exposed in the actions of Abraham and the men of his household, but in who they already were before they were asked to complete the mission. The emphasis is that Abraham’s force consisted of trained men, meaning that they were already trained for war and in the necessary physical shape to travel great distances to reach a target before Abraham called upon them to start the mission. Imagine trying to locate 318 Christian men in your local church, community, city, or state who already meet the qualifications of Abraham and his men, or even find the men who would be willing to undergo the training to accomplish what they did.

This contrast is ultimately a moral failure on the church for not cultivating these attributes in men. Christians are called to serve God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). This attribute of “strength” is observably lacking. The original word for “strength” in the Greek refers to the “possession of the qualities required to do something or get something done, especially the possession of physical qualities.” Recalling the definition of sanctification, Christians ought to take responsibility in fostering physical prowess and lethality in the same way as our biblical forefathers, so that they can be efficient protectors and providers. This requires proficiency in the basics, which is physical fitness and having the capacity to defend oneself, one’s family, and one’s innocent neighbors.

Prepare for the worst

Christians are to wisely prepare for the future, not presumptuously predict the future. It is not our place to put God to the test by willfully abdicating a responsibility on a massive scale while passively hoping for the best. There are those who are naturally weak by infirmity, yet there still remains the general duty for Christian men to pursue strength.

Remember that even as the city of God will always remain intact, human institutions and entire civil orders always have the capacity to implode. Christians cannot be solely reliant on a secular state to bear the material sword and protect the innocent in every situation thereafter. Even if the secular state remains, it is not historically uncommon for the state to turn on Christians. However uncomfortable either scenario may be, Christian men should prepare for both possibilities.

There is a time and place for martyrdom, but there is not always a time to sit back and willingly be slaughtered. Due to complacency, Christians have been completely dependent upon the state for survival and defense. We should be thankful that we currently have a state to largely protect us, as well as many Christians who faithfully serve in the military, but there are few outside of the military who have the capability to be providers and protectors. Christians must be cognizant of the reality that authority naturally flows to those who take responsibility in hard times.

Conclusion

Abram took responsibility and called on his men to rescue his kinsmen, which was within the sovereign will of God (Genesis 14:20). In the expectation of counterarguments saying these acts are merely Old Testament miracles, Junius Brutus asserted: “If these visible miracles appear not as in former times, we may yet at the least fall by the effects that God works miraculously in our hearts, which is when we have our minds free from all ambition, a true and earnest zeal, a right knowledge, and conscience, lest being guided by the spirit of error or ambition, we rather make idols of our own imaginations than serve and worship the true and living God.”

Christians worship the same God as Abraham, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We must certainly cultivate the same virtues that Abraham cultivated: remaining capable to defend our beloved people from the wicked when the need arises.