Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | John 18:36 Jesus answered, "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." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 18:36 Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world." |
Subject: Is war biblical? |
Bible Note: Dear Lionheart, You asked, "...is this a subject that Spurgeon deals with in any depth." Not to my knowledge. By Spurgeon's day, the notion of covenant nations had finally been abandoned. Much changed in 250 years. We have a lot to be proud of in that time period, as well as a lot for which we should be ashamed. Sometimes things were done wisely, but sometimes things were done in a less considered fashion. The question of how to administer violence in appropriate and controlled doses tends to come up in the last hundred years, at least in America, when war is in the offing. Frankly, I think it is a good thing to discuss. A knee jerk jingoist is little better than a knee jerk rebel! Our faith teaches us to carefully think things through. As technologies and circumstances change, it is good and right to carefully reflect on how we live and what we do, individually and collectively. In Him, Doc |