Christians and Lethal Force

[524 words] Much has been said in recent days about the “church shooting” in Texas on Sunday, December 29, 2019 ― the right and wrong of it. The initial shooter was clearly wrong. He was evil incarnate, whose history of bad choices ended in a final bad choice to take innocent human life. God’s judicial standard played out in textbook fashion: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Gen. 9:6).  Which raises the question, “Is lethal force ever justified?” We are not addressing the war question or whether a Christian can be a cop. Most Christians, I assume, would not object to such, based on Romans 13 and the role of civil government. But what about individual Christians? Is it ever right for a Christian to take the life of another human being? If killing is…