What Scripture has to say about the Christian Church’s Response to the Issue of War
by David Carlson

When it comes to doctrinal statements, the Christian Church has never been able to formulate an authoritative position on the issue of war. Throughout history, different denominations have believed different things about this subject. Maybe no official doctrinal statement, like the belief in the Trinity, is really necessary for the issue of war, but the lack of one central stance on this topic has caused much heated debate. While many people will never see eye to eye about the problem of war, it is still necessary for a Christian living in a world where war exists to formulate an informed opinion on this matter. Naturally, this opinion must be rooted in scripture.

As Christians, we are disciples of Jesus Christ. We look to him as the perfect example of how
we are to live our lives. Therefore, when creating a biblical stance on war, we should first
look to the teachings and life of Jesus. Although Jesus usually addressed his teachings to
individual people and not to sovereign nations, he still had some very relevant things to say
about war. In Matthew 5:38-39, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, “’Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other.” Later on in his sermon on the mount, in Matthew 5:43-45,
Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, “’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I
tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven.” While these verses do not specifically address the issue of war, they are certainly applicable. Jesus says in no uncertain terms that we are not to stand up against an evil person and that we are to love even those that would wish us harm. I believe that this can be applied to both how we treat people in our day to day lives and even to how we are to relate to others on the battlefield. Love and meekness are the examples Christ sets for us.
While Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount serve to lay a good foundation for our
understanding of how a Christian is to treat others, they certainly aren’t the only teachings in
the New Testament that could be applied to war. In Romans 12:18, Paul says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” From these verses, we are clearly shown that it ought to be a Christian’s goal to live in peace with everyone. Obviously it is impossible to always be at peace with everybody (just ask any (martyr), peace is still something that we are to strive after.

Another verse that pertains to the Christian’s response to war is 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. In
these verses Paul states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the
flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the
destruction of fortresses.” Also, in Ephesians 6:12, Paul states, “For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” From these
verses I believe that we learn that it is no longer our duty to participate in human wars. Not
only are we told not to fight with the flesh, but we are told that the only enemies that we are
to be fighting are not human but spiritual. To me, these verses are saying that our fight is to
be against Satan using divine weapons of the spirit and not against man using the weapons of this world.

While the New Testament has many verses supporting pacifism, this view is not universally held by Christians, nor is it conclusive. There are other passages in scripture which could be used to support a view that is contrary to pacifism. For example, In Romans 13, we are told that the governing authorities “do not bear the sword for nothing” and they are “a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil” (verse 4). This passage could be used to show that at times it is necessary for governments to go to war in order to fight evil.

While I believe that this supposition could be valid, I do not believe that the verse is saying that it ought to be a Christian’s duty to participate if it ever becomes necessary for the government to” bear the sword.”

When looking for the Bible’s view on war, we must look not only to the New Testament, but also to the Old Testament. The Old Testament has a lot to say about war. It describes many instances where God calls his people to fight their enemies and destroy them, often in very unmerciful ways (for example, the Lord tells Saul to destroy an entire nation, including women and children in 1 Samuel 15:3). While passages like this in the Old Testament could be used to show that God calls his people to fight at times, we must remember that God was speaking specifically to his people through the prophets at that time. When Israel fought, they fought because God had given them a direct command to do so (most of the time). Often, when God called his people to fight, he was calling them to eradicate a nation that had sinned greatly against him so that his people could safely exist as a nation. In our time, we do not live in a Theocracy where God is the supreme ruler of our nation. When we go to war, it is not because God is giving a direct commandment to the governing authorities. Therefore, I do not believe that the wars fought in the Old Testament can serve as a justification for Christians to fight in the wars today.

Another verse from the Old Testament that could be relevant to this issue is Isaiah 1:17. In it, we are told to “defend the orphan.” On the one hand, this verse could be used to show that we are not necessarily called to pacifism if we are supposed to defend others. But I believe that when we defend someone we must be careful about how we do it. There is a distinct difference between protecting someone with one’s life and protecting somebody by intentionally harming another person. I do not believe that this verse is calling us to harm others, but to self-sacrificially defend those who are helpless. Jesus even said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

While the issue of war is a very relevant topic that needs to be discussed, the Christian
Church has never formed an official stance on the issue. When forming one’s opinion on the
problem of war, a Christian should look primarily at the Bible for insight. Although there is
much room for debate in the Bible and one could easily make a case that any governing authority set up by God has the Biblical right to wage war, when one looks at the life and example that Christ has set before us, it seems likely that it is not a Christian’s duty to participate in it. Instead, we are called to live a life of meekness and self-sacrificing love, just as Christ did.
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David Carlson is an undergraduate at Wheaton College. He plans to go into overseas missionary work sometime after graduation.