Being able to defend yourself is Biblical. Jesus told the disciples to buy swords and Peter was armed when Jesus was arrested.
Yes, and people reading can notice that Jesus never told Peter to turn in the sword to those soldiers. He said to put it back into the scabord. Then He asked him a leading question about fulfilling the Father's will.
There is a time and a place for every defense. I notice what Jesus said there: "Do you not think I can ask the Father, and He will give 12 legions of angels to defend?". The thing many pacifists get hung upon, is that this was THE time when Jesus needed to be vulnerable to evil for our sakes. Defense was out of the question....yet, it it were not His time, the soldiers would not have prevailed. This was a singularly special event where self-defense was not an option for Christ.
Christ's words to Peter - "Put your sword away!" was a command to Peter to THINK rationally before getting himself needlessly killed or injured. He did not tell His disciples to surrender - He instead asked the soldiers present to restrict their attention to Himself, and let the rest go. Far from a pacifistic scene.
His command through Paul - "so far as it is possible, be at peace with your neighbor" - carries with it there ARE those neighbors you simply cannot be at peace with. The Biblical mandates for defending ones house and belongings still remain after the Cross, because man's propensity for evil, corruption and crime did not vanish at the Cross.
Agreement up and down the line on this point....
