Can a Christian be a police officer, knowing that they may have to kill?

[Mateo]

Hello, can a Christian be a police officer knowing that they may have to kill. Please explain, why or why not. Biblically of course.

[kwikphilly]

Blessings Mateo

    I was a NYC PO many many years ago......yes,a Christian can,why not......you are ,number one a visual deterrent with hopes & purpose of preventing crime,not catching folks in the act(for uniforms anyway,not plain clothes) secondly you are there to protect & to serve,you are not there as judge & jury......you are a PEACE officer,to diffuse situations & not to ignite them.....deadly physical force is a last resource because you're own life is threatened or someone elses........do I really need to give Scripture to support this occupation/assignment?

Quote

Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exi

Romans 13:4 “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

st have been instituted by God.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Psalm 82:3-4 “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

In NYC......police academy refers to us as "Peace Officers"that says a lot in my Book....                       With love-in Christ,Kwik

   

[Mateo]

33 minutes ago, kwikphilly said:

Blessings Mateo

    I was a NYC PO many many years ago......yes,a Christian can,why not......you are ,number one a visual deterrent with hopes & purpose of preventing crime,not catching folks in the act(for uniforms anyway,not plain clothes) secondly you are there to protect & to serve,you are not there as judge & jury......you are a PEACE officer,to diffuse situations & not to ignite them.....deadly physical force is a last resource because you're own life is threatened or someone elses........do I really need to give Scripture to support this occupation/assignment?

In NYC......police academy refers to us as "Peace Officers"that says a lot in my Book....                       With love-in Christ,Kwik

   

Some would say that Jesus clearly teaches to not avenge yourself and turn the other cheek. Wouldn't you have to reject that teaching in order to be a police officer?

[Guest BacKaran]

No. Here's a good way to think of it.

I'm a saved Christian, I have a choice to make if I want to own guns or not. I need to know that should I use it in self defense, I will answer to God for the killing of another person.

However, if the govt comes to arrest me because I am Christian, I will go willingly, thus turning the other cheek and I would even give up my gun and ammo to them as well, going beyond the extra mile so to speak. And is the govt is killing all Christians, I pray I would act like Stephen and pray for my killers before I die.

 

I hope this helps.

Blessings

Karan

Edited December 7, 2016 by BacKaran

[Mateo]

2 minutes ago, BacKaran said:

No. Here's a good way to think of it.

I'm a saved Christian, I have a choice to make if I want to own guns or not. I needtoknow that should I use it in self defense, I will answer to God for the killing of another person.

However, if the govt comes to arrest me because I a Christian, I will go willingly, this turning the other cheek and I would even give up my gun and ammo to them.

 

I hope this helps.

Blessings

Karan

Not sure I understand the first part. A police officer killing someone, wouldn't that go against loving your enemies as Jesus clearly commanded Christians to do?

[Guest BacKaran]

No because as God, He did give us rules to live by and He created the civil and legal system.

A person would needed to make the choice of becoming an officer knowing he/she may have to kill in self defense or in the defense of others. If it troubles the person applying for a officers job, perhaps they need to pray and re evaluate why they want to be an officer in the first place. IMO.

[Guest BacKaran]

Good question, keep on asking, we are here to serve you!?

[The_Patriot21]

Aaaah. See, to answer the question we need to establish the clear difference between self defense and revenge. No, we are not to avenge ourselves, but defending ourselve, or innocent people is not an act of vengeance. Vengeance, is if someone broke into my house, stole my TV, and left, and I followed him and shot him. That's vengeance. 

Defense is if someone broke into my house and tried to kidnap my child, and I caught him in the act and stopped him, regardless of the method I used to do so. At that point I'm not thinking you dirty scum I'm going to get you, I'm only thinking about protecting my child.

Police officers, likewise are there to uphold the law and protect citizens. And sometimes criminals have guns, and the cops may have to use theirs. That is not vengeance, that is protecting human life, which is a biblical mandate.

The assumption that just because you killed someone means you hate them is just that, a assumption, and a false one. A cop doesn't shoot that monster because he hates the monster, but because he loves that young mother who the monster wants to kill because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

No, protecting people, even if it means you may have to kill someone to do it, is an act of love, not hate.

[Jayne]

Mateo,

You must MUST look at what Jesus was saying in context.  His "turn the other cheek" that you have cited was from the Sermon on the Mount where he is having to undo all the twisted teachings of the Jewish leaders.  They incorrectly interpreted so much and taught those errors to the people for hundreds of years.

For example - They had been taught the an "eye for and eye" mean retaliation and he was saying that it most certainly did not.

Here is what he literally said:  Matthew 5:38-39 = "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."

They were taught that if someone accidentally OR even on purpose damaged your property - cow, house, vineyard - that you had the right to go and damage their property.  That was  a crazy interpretation.  What it meant was that the one who caused the damage must repay the victim equal to the loss NOT that the victim could harm the one who caused the damage.

That's what "turn the other cheek" means - patience, forebearance, longsuffering, forgiveness.

NOT pacifism.

• Jesus told his disciples to take swords with them. In fact, he told them if they didn't have one to buy one.
• And when Peter cut off the ear of the soldier, Jesus told Peter to put the sword back in its sheath - NOT to put the sword away. He said those who live by the sword will die by it. He wasn't saying NOT to carry a sword and to use it if necessary, he was saying that Peter would probably be cut down himself if he didn't put that sword away. He was also trying to tell Peter that He had to die. It wasn't a lesson in NOT having and using a sword, it was a lesson in discerning the right time and place to use one.
• Another example of that is then a group of Roman soldiers came to Jesus (apparently under conviction) and asked him "What should we do?" Jesus didn't tell them to abandon the military or stop fighting wars or lay down their swords. He told them to be fair in their military practices - "don't exhort people and be content with your pay".

What about today? 

• What if some idiot cuts you off in traffic? Let them. It's probably best to get far away from them. Don't try to cut back in in front of them.
• But if some nut is trying to harm you or your family - STOP them. If a drunken driver is recklessly speeding the wrong way down the interstate, the police should STOP them by force if necessary.

If we practiced pacifism, then there would be no military, no police, no authority, no protection, and no peace and no safety.  Life would be utter chaos.

 

[Mateo]

1 minute ago, BacKaran said:

No because as God, He did give us rules to live by and He created the civil and legal system.

A person would needed to make the choice of becoming an officer knowing he/she may have to kill in self defense or in the defense of others. If it troubles the person applying for a officers job, perhaps they need to pray and re evaluate why they want to be an officer in the first place. IMO.

Where does the Bible say a Christian can defend themself. If  a police officer has to defend themself, wouldn't it be impossible and against the teachings of Jesus for a Christian to be a police officer?