Jesus says..
“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” (Mat 5:39).
Taken at face value, this says that if someone wants to hurt you, you should not resist. (See also John 18:36, Rom 12:19-21, 1 Thess 5:15, 2 Tim 2:24.) Instead you should have faith in God to keep us safe. Here’s an example from Paul:
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim 4:18).
But this leaves open the difficult question of what to do, as a husband and father, about self-defense of defending your family from someone who might try to rape, murder, or otherwise harm them. How would a New Testament believer handle this issue?
Unfortunately, the New Testament doesn’t answer this. We have the principle defined above, set against with natural urge to defend our family (sometimes it’s a marriage vow too). It’s not clear how to resolve this. A clue comes from the general context of Jesus’ remarks in Matt 5:21-45:
- Forget about murder, don’t even be angry with someone
- Cut your eye out rather than look at a woman with lustful intent
- Don’t swear at all — simply tell the truth
- Don’t resist evil — pray for evildoers who hurt you
- And finally: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48).
Jesus is describing a radically different kind of behavior — completely at odds with our instinctive behavior, with behavior that comes naturally. And it’s a standard that no one can meet either. According to this standard, we shouldn’t protect our family. Perfection: it’s something to strive for, every day.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One