I just bought a box of 32 cal. rounds at Cabela’s for my 1943 Walther pp 32 handgun. This is, so far, my constitutional right as an American citizen, and so is my concealed carry license. But, as a believer in Christ whose citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), it is not my right to own a weapon, ammunition for it, and a license to carry it concealed – it is a temporary privilege under the present government of which I am a legal citizen.

If and when my earthly government makes it illegal to own a weapon, overturning the 2nd Amendment, then I will obey the government – the same kind of oppressive government that gave almost no rights at all to its citizens: Roman’s Law! Yet Jesus said to obey it anyway: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment . . .” (Romans 13:1-2). We support many missionaries who are living in other countries. They presently are American citizens while abroad – but while they are in countries whose law says, “Thou shalt not own a weapon or have one in your possession” – then it is not their American right to disobey that law, but rather it is their responsibility to submit to the government of that land, knowing that you don’t have to own a gun to be a Christian and go to heaven.

I grew up around more guns, ammo, powder, fingers in our ears, and hot lead, than the average kid does today – unless that kid lives in the Middle East. Marksmanship, hunting, and shooting cans off a rock was as normal of a pass-time as was skipping rocks across the lake. But times are changing in our country. And the most important thing for me to remember is to be a better citizen of Heaven than America. Therefore, I am not willing to go to jail defending my American right to own a handgun. However, I am willing to go to jail to defend my duty to preach the gospel and its implications. For example, if my government passes a law and says that I am not permitted to promote the sanctity of Marriage between a Man and a Woman, only, then “I will obey God rather than man” because it is now Man who has violated God’s law of sexuality (Romans 1:18ff; Acts 5:29). If my government passes a law and says that I am not permitted to promote the sanctity of human life in the womb, then I will obey God rather than Man – and go to jail for obeying God. There are other things for which I would be willing to obey God and go to jail for – as did Martin Luther King Jr. did. But I am not willing to go to jail for the defense of the 2nd Amendment.

There may come a sad day in this country that I have no legal right to privately defend my property with a weapon, if need be. But this is not the worst thing. The worst is not having the legal right to enter the kingdom of heaven (John 1:12-14). Keep your focus men!