The words phoneuo and ratsah are both ambiguous and can mean either “kill” or “murder,” depending upon the context. It seems quite certain that in Matthew 5:21 Jesus was quoting the sixth commandment. Ratsah is the word used in the sixth commandment in both Exodus 20:13 and its parallel, Deuteronomy 5:17. ![]() ![]() This verb was always used as the equivalent of the Hebrew verb ratsah in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. One verse that is commonly cited in support of Jesus’ pacifism is Matthew 5:21, which most English versions of the Bible render, “You shall not kill.” The Greek word translated “kill” in this passage is a form of the verb phoneuo. These apparent contradictions may be reconciled by recognizing the Hebraic nuances of the gospel texts, and by developing a deeper understanding of the Jewish background to Jesus’ words. In Romans 12:9, for example, Paul says that one should “hate what is evil,” and in James 4:7 we read that we are to “resist the devil.” It is clear from passages in Luke 22 that Jesus’ disciples were armed, 3 and Jesus himself advised them to purchase swords. 2īut did Jesus teach that it is wrong to defend oneself against attack? Did he really mean that we should not resist evil? Such a view seems to contradict what we read elsewhere in the Bible. 1 Jesus’ teachings seem very much like those of such popular pacifists as Tolstoy and Gandhi, and indeed, Tolstoy based his views on gospel passages. Here was a man who apparently was willing to die rather than defend himself, a man who taught his disciples not to kill, not to resist evil, to love their enemies, not to fear those who kill the body, and that only those who are willing to lose their lives will be able to save them. Many people over the years have seen Jesus as a pacifist - and for good reason. When viewed from a Jewish perspective, the gospel passages on which pacifism is based point to a quite different conclusion. Chapter excerpt from New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus, with permission.)The idea that Jesus taught pacifism arose primarily due to the misunderstanding of a number of his sayings. We provide these articles to help you understand the distinctions between denominations, including origin, leadership, doctrine, and beliefs.(By David Bivin. This article is part of our Denomination Series, listing historical facts and theological information about different factions within and from the Christian religion. Photo courtesy: © Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/srz In 2012, global membership was about 1.7 million. However, worldwide the church is growing. Much of that loss is attributed to differing opinions and the loss of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference in its membership. denominations of Mennonites, numbers have fallen about 17 percent, according to a 2016 report. The Mennonite Church USA, which doesn’t include all U.S. The Mennonite World Conference counts nearly 6,000 congregations in the United States. About 35 percent of the total in the world are in Africa, 20 percent are in Asia, nearly 10 percent is in the Caribbean and Latin America, and about 3 percent are in Europe. Of the total, 32 percent of Mennonites are in North America. ![]() There are some 2.1 million Anabaptist/Mennonites in the world.Īccording to the Mennonite World Conference, there are about 2.1 million Mennonites in 87 countries in the world. Photo courtesy: Unsplash/benwhitephotographyġ0. According to the church’s Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, the church will stay pray for that person to be restored to the church. However, the group also believes that if “an erring member persists in sin without repentance and rejects even the admonition of the congregation,” he or she may be suspended or excommunicated. They thus acknowledge their frequent need of cleansing, renew their willingness to let go of pride and worldly power, and offer their lives in humble service and sacrificial love.” “Believers who wash each other’s feet show that they share in the body of Christ. Mennonites also encourage the practice of foot washing. According to Mennonite USA, the church “believe(s) that, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God offers salvation from sin and a new way of life to all people.” On baptism, the church sees it as a sign of cleansing, a pledge before the church and a testimony to “God’s gift of the Holy Sprit.” Mennonites believe in salvation through Jesus, the Bible’s authority, the Holy Spirit and baptism.Ĭore to their beliefs are many that are in line with other Christian beliefs.
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