Is there just cause to kill?

What peaked my interest in class this week was the subject of killing, and if there were circumstances where God would allow us to kill.

First of all, I’d like to look back to Old Testament times, when God’s chosen people were following his commands to enter the promised land.
They start out by taking the city of Jericho, a story which most of us know. They march around the city for a week, and eventually the walls fall down. But it often makes me wonder why most of the time when we hear this story, we miss the next part…

“The rams’ horns sounded and when the army heard the signal, they gave a loud battle cry. The wall collapsed and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.” Joshua 6:20-21

This is evidence that God was telling his people to kill other people. Men, Women and children.

Now, I brought this subject up in class, and someone suggested that though this WAS true in Old Testament times, the rules changed when Christ died. So the question is, since Christ died for us, is there still anything we can do to deserve physical death?

Look with me in the New Testament book of 1 John.

“If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death, he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that. All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.” 1 John 5:16-17

What this verse is saying, is that there IS a sin that results in death, yet not ALL sins result in death. So, I guess what we have to figure out is, what sin results in death? Keep in mind that this covers the subjects of war, the death penalty and self defense.

This is where the conversation part of the blog comes in. I’d like to hear your views on the subject.