War

He leads me …

Whether we accept it or not, war is part of our lives. Wikipedia has an article which shows that most existing high death conflicts occur in developing countries. Some of the countries who have suffered ongoing or successive conflicts for several years include the Congo, Iraq and Syria.

 When Wikipedia looked at conflict deaths in various countries from 2016 to 2020 – the drug wars between Mexico and the cartels topped the list in 2020, with over 50,000 deaths, followed by Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Nigeria who have had particularly high levels of conflict deaths over the past 5 years.

 So what is the Christian perspective on war?

 God's Word has something to say about five different attitudes to war, so let us consider each one.

 First there are the doves. These folk are pacifists who are opposed to all war and all violence. All Christians will have some sympathy for this position. We are familiar with the biblical image of Heaven as a place of peace and harmony, " And He shall judge between the nations and shall decide [disputes] for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah. 2:4 AMPC). We also know that the Prince of Peace will lead during the time when "the wolf will live with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6).

 The point is that the pacifists' position is for the future and not for the present time. Now is not the time for world peace. We live in a fallen world of human sinfulness, where evil people do immoral things and where God has given governments authority to administer justice with the sword (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13). Pacifism has the right intensions, but it fails to take the sinfulness of humans seriously. Wicked people do exist and do need the constraint of law and order administered by good government.

 The second attitude is the opposite of the dove: the hawk. These people are always looking for a fight, for controversy and the use of force to get their way. Unlike the godly mistake of the dove, there is little or no sympathy for the man of violence. The Scriptures say, "The Lord … hates the wicked and the one who loves violence" (Psalm 11:5, ESV), and "human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:20). So we are warned: "Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence" (Proverbs 3:31-32). Nowhere in the Bible do those who love violence get God's approval. To clarify - those who are pleased, thrilled, and excited about war should look to themselves and repent, for they are out of step with God.

 Despite this, the Crusades were ordered by various Popes and took place between the 11th and 13th centuries, and are the most famous example of what is called a holy war. The intention was to recover Jerusalem from the Muslims. Sadly, the Crusades resulted in many brutalities being carried out in the name of God.

 The concept of a holy war is rejected by all mainstream Christian Churches today

 The third and fourth attitudes are neither pacifist nor militaristic. The difference between them is timing. In Ecclesiastes we read the striking verse, "a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace" (Ecclesiastes 3:8). There is a time for governments to take action, to step into the affairs of the world with corrective force. This could be done by using the police, the court system, or the military. Note - there is "a time for war."

But when is the time? It is a matter of human judgment using practical considerations along with the strategy of war. We are not God, and we do not know what to do. "Not yet,"

 On a personal level, Christians are told by Paul in Romans to support the state. “For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due” (Romans 13:6-7) Most Christians accept that fighting for your country is included among these 'dues'.

 The third position is that many believe their government acts too quickly and therefore condemn it as immoral and simply slaughterers. Regardless of this the Bible says we must respect those who are appointed over us in government. The first-century Christians were called upon to respect and obey the oppressive and persecuting Roman government of their day as being appointed by God. It is no less a requirement of us to respect our leaders too (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13). And we must not attack the servicemen and servicewomen who, being obedient to the elected government of the day, are willing to lay down their lives to protect our freedom, including our freedom to disagree with government opinion.

 The fourth attitude is that of "at last" we have had to act. Those who hold this position must remember that God does not take sides in war. He is not completely neutral, but neither does he identify completely with one side or the other. Wars are from people, not the Lord. Our wars cannot be fought in the name of God.

 It is important to remind ourselves to keep listening to others and seriously consider the costs and benefits of war. For as the Bible teaches, "Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers" (Proverbs 24:6). And as Jesus said, "Suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace." (Luke 14:31-32).

 And then the fifth and final attitude: the fence. What if we do not identify with any of the previous attitudes? What if we do not want to go to war, but we do not want to see evil grow either? We certainly do not want weapons to multiply and fall into the hands of terrorists, but then what is the best way to prevent that?

 Those in this position may not know what to do politically, but they can always pray. Paul tells us to pray for those in government over us "that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:2).[1]

 The most important thing we can do in a time of war is to pray for godly wisdom for our leaders, pray for the safety of our military, pray for quick resolution to conflicts, and pray for a minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides (Philippians 4:6-7)

[1] What is the Christian perspective on war? Phillip Jensen, Christianity Today/ChristianBibleStudies ; https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/personalconcerns/perspectivewar.html?start=2