Warfare

Another sin that is widely accepted in our society and in every other society on earth is that of warfare.  Although nations may condemn their enemies for being warlike and engaging in hostile acts, those same nations justify their own military on the basis of defending their sovereign rights.  But let’s discuss the individual aspect of warfare at this point.  God never intended that His teachings have application to entire nations, for “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

You may remember how Satan sought to tempt Jesus in the wilderness into compromising the way of righteousness by worshiping him (a creature) rather than God.  Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,” then said to the Lord, “I will give You all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:5-6).  We know that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains” (1 Corinthians 10:26), thus He owns the entire creation.  But we also know that the earth is controlled and even “ruled” by Satan whom Jesus called “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).  Christ’s kingdom was far different than earthly nations.

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36).  We are members of Christ’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13) and are subject to Christ the King.  Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and we are part of God’s “holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9).  We are not part of the kingdoms of this world.  We fight in a spiritual war for Jesus and not in physical and military warfare for an earthly state (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17).

The principles of our life and warfare are the very opposite to the ways of the world.  Jesus said that we are to “turn the other cheek” when someone harms us (Matthew 5:38-39).  Can a Christian do this if he were a soldier in the military?  Christ told Peter to put his sword back into it place “for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).  Can the soldier do this?  Paul said, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone” (Romans 12:17).  Would a soldier be willing to obey Paul’s command in this?  The apostle also wrote, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head,” and, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:20-21).  Would a soldier have this loving and outgoing perspective?

Paul also wrote, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).  Would a commander want his soldier to seek the “good” of all people—including the enemy? In warfare, the commander requires the soldier to be in absolute submission to his commanding officer.  In Christianity, the believer renders absolute submission to God alone (Acts 5:29).  In warfare, there is lying, deception, pride, violence, killing, nationalism, patriotism, and misplaced values—all of which are foreign to the holy ways of God. These instructions show some of the reasons why the Christian must avoid earthly warfare, including any activity that contributes to the war effort.