Precepts of Biblical Survivalism

By Tim Gamble

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I use a notebook to plan out my survivalist activities. This is the first pages of that notebook, the foundation upon which everything else rests. I recently updated this list (no major changes - mainly fine tuning), so thought I would share it with y'all. The Bible actually says a lot about preparedness, both spiritual and physical. In these precepts I attempt to summarize those teachings.

Precepts of Biblical Survivalism

1- In all things, God first and foremost. Our relationship with God is by far the most important preparation we can make. Everything we say, do, or even think should rest on, or point the way to, that relationship with God. God is our first priority.

2- Follow God's ways; Reject worldly ways. It isn't about survival at all costs, but rather about following God in the ways He would have us follow Him. This means living by God's Commandments and teachings, not by the current, constantly shifting, worldly ways. We are to actively reject political correctness, "woke" ideology, popular opinions, modern "societal norms," fashionable trends, secular wisdom, and even legal and governmental authority when those ways are opposed to God's Word. There is no compromising with the modern world for God's people. We are to live to please God, not man.

3- Read the Book. Do what it says. The Bible is the User Guide for Life, written by the Creator of Life himself. It is how we know what are God's ways. It is how we know God's Laws. It is how we know what Sin is (1 John 3: 4). It is Wisdom. It is absolute Truth. 

Jesus Speaking: "If you love me, you will keep my commands." -- John 14: 15

4- Agrarianism is God's intent for His people. Humans were originally designed by God to live in and tend to the Garden of Eden. Later, after the Fall, we were commanded by God to till the soil and to raise our own food. Throughout the Bible, there are numerous examples of God telling His followers to avoid large cities (a Worldly invention), to live in the mountains and other rural areas, and to basically be "simple country folk" (in my words). 

Biblical agrarianism doesn't  mean everyone must be a farmer or homesteader - after all, there are plenty of support functions and other important jobs that must be done - but that as God's people, our lives, culture, economy, and civilization should reflect the primary importance of agriculture.

5- Hard work is good. In fact, hard work is ordained by God. His example of creation, six days of work followed by a seventh day of rest, is the template we are to follow. 

6- Preparedness and Self-Reliance are Biblical concepts. Not only is physical preparedness allowed, it is in fact commanded by God. In Proverbs 6: 6-8 God points us to the industrious ant's example, who constantly prepares for the future. In Galatians 6:1-5, Paul teaches that we are to both help one another AND to not be a burden to others (meaning we should be self-reliant).

A host of other verses could be quoted also, including Proverbs 27:12 (its prudent to prepare), Genesis 6:21 (food storage), Genesis 41:47-57 (food storage), Exodus 22:2 (self-defense), Psalm 144:1 (self-defense training!), Proverbs 21:20 (store food & oil), Proverbs 22:7 (avoid debt), 1 Corinthians 16:13 (stay alert, be brave, be strong), Luke 22:36 (self-defense), 1 Timothy 5:8 (provide for yourself and your family), 1 Thessalonians 5:6 (stay alert, situational awareness), Hebrews 11:7 (points to Noah's example of preparedness to save his family), and Matthew 25:1-13 (the wisdom of the five prepared virgins compared to the foolishness of the five ill-prepared virgins).

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." -- Proverbs 22:3 (TLB)

7- All human life is valuable. All human life is created in the image of God. All human life belongs to God, not man. Murder, which is biblically-defined as the taking of innocent human life (intentionally or through negligence), is forbidden by God. 

8- Self-defense is allowed by God. God has granted us the right to kill in defense of ourselves or others, and in a few other very limited circumstances.  However, we are never permitted to kill for revenge or out of a sense of vengeance. 

9- There is but one race - the human race. All humans, regardless of the shade of their skin, belong to the same family, the same race - the human race. All people are descended from Adam and Eve, and later through Noah and his wife. There are ethnic and cultural differences that have developed over the centuries, of course, but there are no racial differences. Races and racism are worldly (Satanic) concepts.

10- The traditional family unit is the building block of civilization. This includes traditional monogamous marriage, traditional gender roles, sex only within marriage, honoring your father and mother, etc.

11- Our Rights come from God, not from Government, or by majority vote, or even from the Constitution. Therefore, no government, no legal document, no voting majority, may take away any of those God-given Rights.

12-Debt is slavery. "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." -- Proverbs 22:7

13- Remember the Golden Rule. In Matthew 7:12, Jesus teaches "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Common decency should definitely be a part of our everyday lives, including in the area of preparedness. We are to help one another, according to our abilities to do so. We are even to defend the poor and defenseless (Psalm 82:3) to the extent that we can (God never expects more from us than we are able to give). 

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