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NASB | Romans 13:4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 13:4 For he is God's servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner's] sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer. |
Bible Question:
Dear Forumites, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazis for plotting to kill Hitler. In light of verses like Luke 6:29: "To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also," and Matt 5:39, is there scriptural justification for a Christian to murder a tyrant? |
Bible Answer: Hi, flinkywood... This is a complicated ethical question. I don't think that Bonhoeffer decided to participate in tyrannicide based on clear Scriptural principles. I do seem to recall that his ethics involved something called "operational guidelines." I'm sure there are written discussions of his exact rationale. Of course, we've must be careful to distinguish immoral violence from sanctioned violence. People often fail to do that, and that muddies a lot of discussions. The administration of violence of a soldier in carrying out his duty is a far different matter than the violent acts perpetrated by criminals. In terms of rebellion, early American divines considered that a Christian's submission was only required when the government in question was exercising its authority according to Romans 13:4. Governments that do the reverse -- reward evil and punish good -- were deemed outside of God's sanctioning authority. The litmus test was the governor's attitude toward and protection of "true religion." For them, these questions were not purely academic! Aquinas asserted that tyrannicide was a communities appropriate reaction to his wickedness. Luther and Calvin agreed that the best and most powerful reaction for believers in the face of tyranny was prayer. Calvin thought that God might even raise up heroes to mete out His justice. It would be interesting to dig up John Knox' thoughts in this area. These thoughts probably don't do much to give you a clear answer, do they? :-) At least they might give you some other ways to think about the question. In Him, Doc |