Question: Bible speaks of turning the other cheek--does this mean standing up for yourself in self-defense is a sin? The text is Matthew 5:39: "But I say unto you, That ye resist no tevil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Ken Green: The passages which teach that a Christian is to turn the other cheek, etc., are speaking of taking personal vengeance for wrongs done....We are told to submit to the government, not to submit to criminals! (GA Vol.5,p.117) Related passages: 1 K.22:24ff; Job 16:10 "They gape at me with their mouth, They strike me reproachfully on the cheek, They gather together against me" (NKJV). "Men open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn and unite together against me" (NIV). "They have gaped at me with their mouth, They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed themselves against me" (NASB)