The church has long debated whether it is moral for a Christian to go to war. Influential men such as David Lipscomb and J.D. Bales were avid proponents of the pacifist position. Such good people have contended that it is inconceivable of Jesus going to war against another person and killing him. They have contended that as Christ’s followers, we therefore must refuse to go to war ourselves. I maintain however that they do err, not fully seeing the portrait of Christ and not acknowledging the roles of the saint, the soldier and the civil government.

Often when we think of Jesus we picture in our mind the many stories given us in the gospels—of Jesus teaching multitudes; of Jesus blessing children; of Jesus healing the sick. He is the Jesus we love, we learn from, we thank and we serve. He is the Jesus of Bible class coloring books. But the apostle John saw another vision of Jesus:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords,” (Revelation 19:11-16). That portrait of Jesus is one of a Warrior King leading his army into battle. In this picture he appears to dispense, not favors and kindnesses, but “the fury of the wrath of God”. True, it is in the imagery common to the book of Revelation. But the imagery accurately reflects the God of heaven who punishes and destroys the evil doer.

 

Now here, some may object, that vengeance is the sole responsibility of God. Since vengeance is the responsibility of God, it follows, they maintain, that people have no part in it. Let’s look at the Bible. The apostle writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” (Romans 12:19). Well, that settles it, doesn’t it? Well, not quite because Paul is not finished yet. He goes on to describe the Christian’s responsibility to obey they laws of the land because the ruler (the government) “is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing” (Romans 13:4-6). The one who enforces law is “God’s servant”. The one who enforces law “bears the sword”. The one who enforces law is “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”. Avenger. Vengeance. Get the connection? Vengeance does belong to the Lord and one of the ways he dispenses it is through the government.

 

On this Memorial Day weekend take some time to give thanks for those brave souls who put on the uniform and gave their lives to protect you and me from evildoers, whether at home or abroad. If we lived in a Utopian society where everyone did what is right we wouldn’t have to discuss crime and punishment, war and aggression. But we do not. We live in a world racked by sin. War is not a necessary evil. War is simply sometimes necessary.

“Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.” (Proverbs 20:18)

God bless you,

Brad Fry