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NASB | Deuteronomy 7:2 and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Deuteronomy 7:2 and when the LORD your God gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall not make a covenant (treaty) with them nor show mercy and compassion to them. |
Subject: How do we respond to war as Christians? |
Bible Note: Greetings Johnny! It is good to hear from you! I really don't want to revive the long debate that occured on the forum in the recent past over this kind of issue, so allow me to simply make a few comments. 1) There isn't a verse anywhere in the Bible that says that "war" is evil. 2) God has commanded wars in the past. We know this from Scripture. We also know that God is holy, so He could not command anyone to do anything which is evil no matter what the reason. 3) We know that as Christians we are to seek peace in our personal relationships and in our national ones as well. 4) We know that war can be done for evil reasons. 5) We know that Rom. 13:4 says that God has granted governments the right to use the sword to bring punishment upon evil doers. 6) In light of all this, I simply don't agree that war in and of itself is necessarily evil. Are some wars evil? Yes, because they are committed for evil reasons. But, others aren't when they are done for righteous reasons. For instance, how could a war meant to stop Hitler from killing 6 million innocent people be described as evil? The Scriptures you refer to simply don't make your case for the following reasons: a) Eph. 2:12: If war is evil, then war to defend Israel's faith is also evil. The reason would not change the fact that war is evil. No matter the reason, God could not have commanded war. Therefore, in light of this and the fact that not one Scripture says that war is necessarily evil, war must not always be evil. b) Luke 21:20-21: These individuals were told to flee because the fall of Jerusalem was a judgement of God because of their sin and could not be stopped by war. So, they are told to flee to spare their lives. Those who believed God and obeyed would be spared. Those who didn't would perish. But, nothing in this passage says that war is evil. In fact, God used the Romans to bring judgement upon Jerusalem. So, was He responsible for a evil act? c) Luke 3:14: The word that your version translates as "do violence to no man" is a word which means "to extort money or intimidate." It was common practice for soilders to abuse their position of power. So, when they asked John what they should do to escape the coming judgement, he basically told them not to abuse their power or extort money from others, but to be content with their wages. Again, nothing here is said about war and it's essential nature. d) James 4:1-2: This passage probably refers to individual fights and quarreles, but even if it does refer to national wars it never says that war is evil. It simply states that most wars are caused by evil desires. We know this from experience. But, again, this never says that all war is evil because God could not command us to do something which is evil. e) Rev. 20:8-10: Satan deceived people into going to war against Jerusalem. They went to war for the wrong reasons, but again this passage doesn't say that all war is evil. I went into such detail to make a point. Should we avoid war? Yes! Should a Christian nation be involved in agressive wars designed to take territory? No! But, it simply isn't Biblical to say that all war is evil. Scripture allows individuals and nations to defend themselves. Scripture records that God has commanded nations to go to war in the past (whether He does now or not can be debated), since God cannot do evil, war cannot be inherently evil. Now, since it is Thanksgiving, allow me to make a positive statement. I am thankful for all of my forum friends, like you, who are committed to God's word and living for Him. I am thankful for the great nation that we live in. Is it perfect? NO! But, it is the greatest nation in the history of the world. It is great in power and in freedom. I am also thankful for all the men and women over the years who have fought to give us these freedoms. I am thankful for the men and women right now who are fighting to protect us from the cowards who would kill innocent men, women, and children. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |