To me this little portion by Charles Leiter on this subject was quite helpful.http://illbehonest.com/pacifism-and-capital-punishment-charles-leiter?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+illbehonest-global-site-updates+%28I%27ll+Be+Honest+-+Global+Site+Updates%29
_________________Rick
Ginnyrose wrote: "And then what happened?"They fell asleep...But more to the point after Malchus' ear was severed, ".. Jesus said to Peter, 'Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?'" (John 18:11)Notice that Peter was instructed to sheath his sword, not get rid of it entirely. There is a time for war and a time for peace (Eccl 3:8). At this particular moment in time, taking up arms could have distracted from God's plan. If Jesus had wanted to state empahtically that passive non-resistance was for all men at all times, this would have been a perfect opportunity to say as much. The context for why Peter was to sheath his sword is the key to the interpretation.Grace and peace,Matthew
_________________Matthew
When Peter went to Cornelius, he did not tell Cornelius to forsake his role as a Roman Centurion. Cornelius, it is said, was a righteous man. This is one example that comes to my mind right away.
_________________Travis