Via Codrea, Gottlieb outs himself again.

“Like it or not,” Gottlieb observed, “the Courts have the final say whether you have gun rights or not.”

You can also read a related discussion thread at reddit/r/firearms.  Here is the problem.  The courts don’t have the final say on whether we have gun rights.  I appreciate that we need good judges in position, but only because we want to be peaceable men if possible.

Even if my rights aren’t observed by society, they still exist.  This is Alan’s moral malfunction.  He reflexively turns to the state for disposition of God-given rights, which I’m sure is why he has shown himself so willing to compromise in the past.

It’s pagan and statist thinking that turns to the state for cradle to grave security and for a delineation and protection of our rights.  I’ve explained this before – our rights come from God Himself, the Almighty king of heaven and earth, the maker of the universe, the one who determines what He will do with the clay vessels he creates, the only potentate and sovereign.

The constitution is a covenant by which men have agreed to live together.  We derive our authority to bear arms from God, in whose image we are made, and who Himself made war when necessary, and thus we are to protect that image.  This is His immutable law.  If the covenant within which we live does not reflect God’s laws, it is an abomination and dishonors God.  It is null and void.  Second, to the extent that it does, when we fail to live within the framework of that covenant it is null and void.  Therefore, if the government breaks covenant with the people, the government has declared itself null and void before God.

A man-made document can never … never … establish rights.  It can only recognize what has already been established by the almighty.  God grants men the right to self defense, as well as the right to enter into covenant with a government, that covenant having blessings as well as curses, just like the covenant of marriage comes with blessings and curses (e.g., divorce in the case of infidelity, which recognizes that the covenant has been broken and is null and void, cursing the one who broke it).  Self defense properly interpreted means not only personal defense from evildoers who would cause him or his family harm, but self defense from a tyrannical government.

Gottlieb couldn’t have been more wrong.  Judges are important for the opposite reason he boasts.  They are important in that they have a duty before God almighty and His laws and to honor the covenant we have made.  They don’t get to make decisions concerning whether such rights exist.  Their purview comes with duties and responsibilities, not the freedom to be cavalier, insolent or capricious.  Theirs is a terrible responsibility and they should justly fear God.  When it comes to the rights of men to defend themselves, there is only one decision of which God approves.

Psalm 2 says “The kings of the earth shall take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed … He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (2-3).  Isaiah 6 describes what happens when men meet God face to face.

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. ² Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called out to another and said,“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”  And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. ⁵ Then I said “Woe is me, for I am ruined!

To be sure, there are wicked rulers and judges, and all gun control is wickedness conducted by men bent upon evil.  Resisting them is not only acceptable, but expected and even commanded.  I’ve even demonstrated that when Jesus commanded his disciples to sell their robe and buy a sword, he was quite literally commanding them to arm themselves in violation of the law.  He was commanding them to become law breakers in order to effect self defense.  That’s how seriously God takes this issue.

The position of judge and ruler is a terrible position because they will answer before God for what they do, and if they push it far enough, they may answer before men in time and space before they ever get to God.  But always remember, if you are a ruler or judge who happens to be reading this.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is watching you and will judge with a righteous judgment.  There is no escape from His laws or the day of judgment, and no fealty to a document, interpretation, or political bias will be allowed as excuse or justification for your high handed sin against God.