Daniel Penny, Defense of Others and The Good Samaritan
BY PGF1 year, 5 months ago
The recent case in New York about the defense of others on the subway will undoubtedly be politicized, and the laws will be abused for those purposes with no respect of persons but to discriminate wrongfully, trashing God’s ordained laws of justice. It would be quite remarkable if any just application of the law were found in this case.
The Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution comes from the ancient biblical legal foundation of not treating persons differently in matters of law as a magistrate or juror. It’s respect of persons, which is not respect for persons. Respect for persons requires discernment and, yes, discrimination in the classical sense of the word.
Though not about firearms, the case concerns the defense of others, something every CCW should consider carefully and pray about. You must know the laws in your state about using deadly force to defend others. It’s biblical to protect those less able from unlawful harm of all forms by the use of arms or other means. If we are commanded to rescue our neighbor’s Ox from the ditch, how much more important, made in the image of God, is the defense of our less capable neighbor?
Here are two articles concerning the matter.
Defending Law And Order Is Social Justice
Rewriting the Parable of the Good Samaritan
The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is considered.
But first, as background, respect of persons in the Holy Bible applies only to law. It stems from Leviticus 19:15 and has nothing to do with outcomes of equality or equity among men and surely not forced results. See also Proverbs 24:23.
Proverbs 28:21 perfectly makes the application as to why any person representing the law of the land must show non-bias. “To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.” What would a judge do for a bit of bread? Some areas of the world operate on “greasing the wheels.” Christendom was supposed to be different (Acts 24:26), but look no further than Congress receiving bread to bias the law, and here we are. There’s a reason money is sometimes referred to as bread and now you know why. Anyone in a position of authority is bound to this Bible truth and will be judged by the Almighty, including parents with their children, teachers, pastors, supervisors, civil leadership, business owners, etc. It’s the Law of God. And James 2:9 says failing to adhere is a sin.
Next, respect of persons in the law of salvation is considered. God is no respecter of persons; all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God by breaking His law and all will be judged rightly on that terrible day. But neither does salvation in Christ grant license to sin. Salvation in Christ is a judicial matter before the courts of heaven as to how you will make restitution to God for your transgressions against Him.
Romans 2:11 mentions respect of persons, and verses 12-16 explain why in God’s law, all men need Christ Jesus, both the Jew and Gentile: if you sin in the law (of Moses / 10 Commandments), you’re judged by that law and die in hell without Christ. If you sin outside the law of Moses (a Gentile), your conscience bears witness, through God’s law written on your heart, about your sin against Him; without Christ, you also burn in hell. That’s God’s law concerning soul salvation without respect of persons; you must have Christ Jesus, as your mediator before the Judge, by faith to enter into eternal life.
That’s how Jesus completed the law by making the final necessary offering, and that of Himself, to God so you might be found not guilty if you place your faith in His payment to God by believing His sacrificial death on the cross is sufficient to cover your sin debt. Christ rose again the third, proving He has the power to go to God for you as your intermediary, or great High Preist proclaiming you to be His by right of payment; by faith in Him, you make this covenant to become His purchased possession, a bondservant of the King, no more bound to death and hell, but an everlasting heir with Christ in the household of God. I say to you, my friends, it’s a far better gig than being trapped by sin under the law of either Moses or conscience; He says: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Much lighter than a life mired in the horrors of sin and its ever-worsening consequences and so much more, for liberty in Christ eradicates the law where men were bound to a set of rules they could never attain. Praise be to God.
Now, the precursive conversation that leads to Jesus’ parable and some application. Context is king. Understanding the parable correctly requires understanding its purpose. Here’s the beginning of the exchange between a lawyer and Jesus that sets the parable’s intent and meaning.
“25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” – Luke 10:25-28
So far, so good, but then comes the tempting in verse 29.
“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?”
If your church skips discussing justification and goes straight to an explanation about who your neighbor is, I’ll caution that you may be in a liberal church. No man will justify Himself before God.
Remember, the question before us is one of law: be it the law of Moses or that which God wrote on your heart. The lawyer is confronted with a matter of Bible law from which comes our now-ending system of jurisprudence that began to mold and then guided Western Civilization since the Gospel went into Europe.
Next, this bit of commentary from the second link above (Rewriting the Parable of the Good Samaritan), though essentially right in its assertions, has glaring results of the dumbed downed churches in America.
“This was the story of a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both saw the beaten man and walked past him, crossing to the other side of the street. But the Samaritan stopped to help the injured man, attending to his wounds, bringing him to an inn, paying the innkeeper to care for the injured man until he was well.”
I realize that article is about current events, but some necessary background would be helpful. Why did the Preist and Levite walk by, even crossing to the other side of the street? They were trying to follow the letter of the law and not become unclean by touching a sinner, getting blood on themselves, or helping a man that might die in their arms. Remember the context, Jesus is talking to a lawyer about Bible law. The Preist and Levite should have violated the immediate letter of the law concerning purification to save the man, then gone through the ceremonial tasks of making themselves “clean” again under the law. It would have burdened them more to take the time to separate themselves from family, fellowship, and work to be purified again than it would to have helped the man. They used the law as an excuse for not doing the right thing; beware the leaven of the Pharisees.
And finally, here’s the parable:
“30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”
And Christ’s necessary final exchange with the lawyer whose question was, who is my neighbor?
“36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
It’s a merciful duty to defend yourself and others.
Concluding statements. Some states have had statutes on the books where a citizen must help somebody whose life is under threat, making it criminal to do what the Preist and the Levite did. That’s taking Jesus at His word and applying it seriously as a people, as it should be again. In post-Christian America, the law of Christ is fading fast. In much of Europe, it’s now illegal to defend yourself from murder, let alone somebody else under threat. That’s not at all Christian.
Atheists, Agnostics, and mushy Christians declare there is no need for God or His law in government or society; keep your religion private they demand. Look around at the darkening landscape: behold, injustice and violence in all quarters in the absence of the Law of God.
That’s some background to help you understand what’s at stake as a result of the recent event in New York on the subway and the case in Austin, Texas with Daniel Perry. The overall trend in Western law as America comes under judgment is an outright abuse of hundreds of years of Western jurisprudence by removing the biblical foundation of the law including that of having no respect of persons and considering rightly the duty of defense as a good neighbor in light of understanding proper application of the parable of the Good Samaritan.
On May 20, 2023 at 12:50 pm, Bones said:
Well said.
“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?”
Jesus spoke the parable directly at him, and the other teachers of the law. The Priest and Levite had every reason under the law to not help the man, he was bloody, he was naked and of unknown occupation and race. In other words, he was potentially unclean, and contacting him would make them unclean.
Their role in society made ritual cleanliness obligatory, from the law of Moses. Jesus gives them a different law. Us too.
On May 20, 2023 at 3:50 pm, Spanners In the Gears said:
Locales will vary and you are on your own in Bane Gotham CPUSA (D) workers utopias.
Always know your local statutes regarding everything in the big Chiquita FUSA.
Meanwhile in Philthydelphia “utes” are running wild stomping on cars with people inside with no consequences from the bought and paid for Sorrows DA.
The great Sam Francis was way ahead of the curve with Anarcho-Tyranny pressure from above and below.
The rainbow corporations and gov are the above, brown and blackshirts of the CPUSA (D) and professional voters are the below.
The inversion of everything is part of the Long March to burn down the world for Karl and his master in the hot sulfur place.
On May 20, 2023 at 3:52 pm, Eric said:
In the same passage as you shall love your neighbor as yourself in Leviticus 19:18 we read in verse 16 “do not stand in your neighbor’s blood”. Jesus’ parable was on this whole passage.
Interestingly enough modern Judaism agrees with this.
So the defense of others is not merely a Christian ethic.
(I will provide a source for a Jewish viewpoints for those would not otherwise encounter this and might mistake the parable to reflect upon modern Judaism)
לֹא תַעֲמֹד עַל דַּם רֵעֶךָ – Sefaria https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/172297
On May 20, 2023 at 6:54 pm, Chris said:
Biblical Christianity is unpopular.
Popular Christianity is unbiblical.
I’d rather be unpopular myself. Always have, always will be.
CIII
On May 20, 2023 at 11:07 pm, Dan said:
Anyone defending themselves from the commie lefts thugs…including the insane wackos they WANT roaming the streets… will be utterly crucified by the faux justice system. It’s part of the plan being implemented to totally destroy our civilization so they can replace it with their planned feudal society where most of us will be dead and the rest will be serfs slaving away for the tiny powerful minority running things.
On May 21, 2023 at 3:32 pm, X said:
It’s not a duty to defend your neighbors when facing the anti-Christian, anti-white, Satanic Leviathan State. Not only will you pay the legal costs, but even if acquitted you will pay the civil costs. It it worth it to make your own wife and children homeless when you are bankrupted by legal fees and a civil judgment?
There is a secondary question of how you even know the circumstances of the incident. Suppose you see some scumbag-looking guy beating the hell out of a woman screaming “I’m gonna kill you, bitch!” And you draw down on him.
How do you know it isn’t some pimp beating his ho because she didn’t turn enough tricks? How do you know it isn’t some heroin dealer whose girlfriend stole his money or stole some of his stash for a fix?
How do you know it isn’t some guy whose wife slept with five other guys, looted his bank account, and filed for divorce?
Would you drew down on a bank robber when the tellers are instructed to hand the money over? And the money is insured anyway?
You want to risk your own assets for that? When these people see some white guy from the suburbs with a job, home equity, and a loaded 401(k) draw down on them, you can bet that they will find a scumbag lawyer with dollar signs in his eyes to loot every penny you have, and the “victims” are gonna spend the settlement on tattoos, drugs, weaves, bling, and casinos.
On May 21, 2023 at 9:16 pm, PGF said:
@X, I’m not ready to throw in the towel and declare no more heroes. America, she deserves the coming judgment but there’s no point in being Christian if your not going to save a few. At some point there will be no retreat. I’ve never cared for table top hypotheticals, I’ll know if/when it happens; I trust the Lord. Welcome to the killhouse:
“Nobody is coming to save you.
Everything is your responsibility.
Save who needs to be saved.
Kill who needs to be killed.
Always be working.”
– Graham Killhouse Rules