War and Christians
March 24th, 2003
This is a subject that has received much attention in the last few months especially in light of the current attacks by the US and it's allies against Saddam's regime. Like most things people are firmly divided and can give you biblical evidence on either side of the aisle as to which stance a Christian should take.
I personally believe that war should only be exercised after peace and diplomacy have been fully exhausted. Every situation is different, but I don't believe it was Jesus's intention for us to sit idly by while cruel dictators like Hitler and Saddam butcher innocent people. There is much proof on the subject of Saddam's crime against his own people, and I invite you to do your own research on that matter. While I don't think it should be the Christian stance to cheer for war or revenge, I also don't believe a Christian in good conscious could know about such crimes against fellow human beings and idly sit by, so long as it doesn't affect them or their homeland. I would like to present biblical evidence to the contrary. I will try and stay in the New Testament as much as possible, because many believers point to Christ and His teachings, "Love your enemies". Christ did teach love your enemies, but there is much more to it than 3 words. The Bible does not contradict itself, but you cannot take things out of context to suit your case. We learn in Exodus 20:13 you should not kill, but a few verses down we see that God ordered the execution of people who commit capital crimes (Exodus 21:14-17). This gives us a strong indication that the command not to kill refers to illegal killing. We also see later in the Bible Paul address's the subject of the "sword" and the use of it as it pertains to the government.
Jesus spoke of the good Samaritan that helped the man in need who was robbed while on his way to Jericho.(Luke 10:23-37) We learn in the story that a Priest and a Levite saw this man in distress and badly hurt, but instead of getting involved in the situation bypassed him and went along their way. A Samaritan came upon the man and not only helped him but paid to have him looked after while he was away. Jesus asked the question to the expert of the Law "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?", the expert replied "The one who had mercy on him". Jesus told the expert "Go and do likewise." From this story we cannot assume what Jesus might have instructed if the plot was changed, for example if the people on the road would have came upon the man while he was being robbed. We can however clearly see that Jesus expects us to help those in need. Also it is of significance to note that Samaritans of that time were hated foreigners, Jews viewed Samaritans as half-breeds, both physically and spiritually.
The apostle Paul spoke directly about the authority of the government and the use of the sword. We learn in Romans 13:1-7 that we should submit to the government which God has established upon us. We also learn that those governments bear the sword, and is an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. I think this spells out very clearly not only the difference between the personal relationship between people which is what I believe Jesus was teaching when he spoke the words "Love your enemies", but also the governments right and duty to use force against the "wrongdoer". The Bible illustrates not only in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament the different levels between people and their relationships with others and the governments that God has placed above us. If the government 'Loved their enemies" no matter what the situation or cost, we would have total and complete anarchy in the world today. Evil would consume the world and we would be in a constant state of war. That is why Paul states that the government is a servant of God, that does not bear the sword for nothing. The Bible clearly states that the rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but those who do wrong will bring judgement upon themselves. The interesting thing here to note as in this passage of the Bible it is not talking about eternal judgement but of earthly judgement. Many people try to bring up the argument that we should not judge lest we be judged, or that we will all face judgement before God that is why we should not judge here on earth. But we see here that when it pertains to government that God has given them authority and that they are the agents of wrath of which to bring punishment. A earthly judgement as to which it pertains to the government has nothing to do with the other judgement we all face before God or our eternal judgement. I think the Bible clearly draws distinction between how you are to interact on a personal level with your fellow man and how the authorities are to govern. That does not mean that the government has free reign to terrorize innocent people or to unjustly war against other nations. We see in these same verses and common sense dictates that the government which Paul is describing is a just and righteous government. Not a rogue regime, ran by a mentally instable person or persons. The government Paul describes is established by God and those in authority are chosen by God.
We see all through the Bible that kingdoms are established, and it seems sooner or later evil comes against those kingdoms. Even the heavenly kingdom is in war with evil. In Matthew 10:34 Christ himself states he did not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. That may sound like a contradiction where in other places in the Bible such as Isaiah 9:6 He is described as "Prince of Peace", Luke 2:14 "on earth peace to men". Christ did come to bring peace, peace between the believer and God. This verse is alluding to the fact that the inevitable result of Christ coming will result in conflict between light and darkness, between Christ's children and the Devils children. All through the Bible we see God help the righteous through their conflicts. David who the Bible states was a man after God's own heart was it seems at war constantly. The sad truth is where there is a kingdom there will be conflict until the final days. Peace and righteousness does not come without a price. This does not justify war in anyway, but in some cases to sit by idly while thousands and sometimes even millions of innocent people die would be in my opinion unbiblical and un-christian. Many people who do not take the time to pick up their bible and study it will pull a few key verses out here and there and live by it, but many times the bible is much more complex. We see that God has a order and we are to follow it, we also see that He sent his Son to save us and to set a blueprint for our life.
The sad truth is it usually only takes a few evil people to affect many. If Hitler wasn't taken out of power what would the world look like today? Would all black and jewish people be extermintated from the earth? Many people believe that peace is the only answer, but when you are dealing with a deranged evil mind you cannot reason with peace. Most if not all people would not disagree if you put a murderer of one man behind bars for life, as long as they get a just trial and are found guilty. They believe the government or the system worked in that case. But a evil dictator who has been found guilty of murdering and raping thousands upon thousands of people among other countless evils over several decades and we are to excerice peace with him? Those same people who believed the government worked in one instance are out protesting against the government to stop a war against one of the most evil men of modern time. I think the Bible is very clear on what our government should do, and it makes me wonder just how much power Satan really does have over even the minds of some christians. Saddam had several years to comply with peace, he even had a last 48 hours to comply with peace, he made his choice and sadly the fate of yet even more innocent people.
My hope is that the all people everywhere will pray not only for the soliders but also for the Iraqi's. Not only is this a time of war but it also should be a time of prayer. May God be with the just and righteous governments and may this conflict be resolved quickly and peace restored to the earth once again.
Brian Klinckhardt www.saviorquest.com