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NASB | Exodus 20:13 ¶ "You shall not murder. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 20:13 ¶ "You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide). [Gen 9:6; Ex 21:12, 14, 18] |
Subject: 'Conscientious Objection' Biblical? |
Bible Note: Dear Sir, Well said, my friend. Believe me when I say that I respect your opinion, though I disagree with you in several areas. I don't know that I am worthy of summing up, or stating a concensus, but I would like to clear up a few things, then rest my case. I do not believe that the sovereignty of God in eternal mattters absolves us from temporal responsibility to pursue holiness or preach the Gospel to the lost. I could hardly justify my own existence if this were so. I serve the Lord as a missionary in a very lost nation, am obsessed with personal evangelism, and actively seek personal wholeness and holiness in accord with the Bible. I also encourage others to be of like mind every opportunity I get. But I totally depend on the Lord Jesus for the *final* decision, and give Him full credit for all the important steps along the way. This is why I don't qualify for either the Calvinist or Arminian label. :-) Friend, I cannot condemn your zeal for passivism. I, personally, do not believe that 'sacrificing' myself to a murderer will bring him a better opportunity for salvation, nor would providing him with a longer temporal span effect his 'decision' to know God. This honor and power I place entirely in God's capable hands. Just to set the record straight, I am not 'bloodthirsty, revenge-seeking, or battle-hungry' by any means. Nor am I an 'advocate' for capital punishment. I simply see submission to temporal authority and criminal justice as a present-day reality that will be abolished by the Lord at His return. I thank you for a great discussion! I do know your position better now, and will honor it before the Lord, knowing that He will reveal to all of us the truth. (Trust me, I have not 'decided' the truth, I just have an opinion based on study, observation, and my limited sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit) Blessings and peace in Jesus' name, charis |