Many peoples will come and say… “Come, let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob…” He will
judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many people. They
will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into
pruning-hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will
they train for war any more. Isaiah 2:3-4
Jesus said, “When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen…” Mark 13:7
Will you (assuming you are British) be wearing a poppy this coming weekend, in remembrance of those who died for their country in various wars? Or will you feel uncomfortable about doing so, afraid of seeming to join in an act which glorifies war?
It’s a tricky one, isn’t it?
I assume that every Christian hates the very idea of war. Isn’t Jesus, the one to whom we give our loyalty and promise our obedience, “the Prince of Peace”? Doesn’t he call us to be “peace-makers” (Matthew 5:9)?
Doesn’t the Bible hold out for us the truly wonderful vision of Isaiah 2? – a picture of people (as I imagine it – bear with me!) finding in some forgotten corner of their home an old sword, and laughing, and thinking, “Goodness, I didn’t know I still had this! Well, I certainly won’t need it again. Shall I throw it away, or see if someone will buy it? No! – it would be a shame to get rid of it – there’s good metal there, even if it’s a bit rusty. I know – let’s hammer it into a plough-share for the oxen…”
“Nation will not take up war against nation, nor will they train for war any more.” A mouth-watering vision indeed for our troubled world. No more war. And that is the way it one day will be.
But then there is Jesus himself, stating very bluntly that there will be “wars and rumours of wars”, and that “such things must happen.”
He is, of course, simply predicting what is to come, not suggesting that this is something he welcomes or takes any pleasure in.
This is typical of the Bible in many places: it is both gloriously idealistic and also starkly realistic. And we who believe in the Bible must hold the two strands in balance, for both are true and both are important.
So… how should we view the grim subject of war? Should a Christian ever be willing to fight for his or her country?
The strict pacifist takes a very clear line: it is grotesque to imagine Jesus holding a rifle, sitting at the controls of a war-plane, or operating a grenade-launcher – so, if we claim to be his followers, shouldn’t it be impossible for us too?
Put like that, it’s hard to disagree. There is just one place in the New Testament where Jesus is portrayed as a warrior leading his army into battle – but it’s hard to imagine any thoughtful Christian treating Revelation 19 as remotely literal.
Yet many Christians feel they must disagree.
They point out that, whether we like it or not, we Christians are citizens not only of God’s heavenly kingdom, but also of a country here on earth. We have a foot in two camps, and will until the day we die. And the fact is – as Jesus explicitly said – wars will continue until the end of time, when he returns in glory to wind up the affairs of this world. So the question is: if/when war breaks out, what should we do?
A key question is: Is this a just war? – that is, a war which aims to right a great wrong, and to prevent evil spreading and growing? Assuming that to be the case, is it then right for Christians to stand back and, in effect, allow others to do the fighting for them? – you could even say, to do their dirty work for them? Putting it another way, if all Christians agree that war is always an evil, are there times, nonetheless, when it is the lesser of two evils, as the time-honoured expression puts it?
It is up to each of us to think and pray it through and make up our own minds.
I hope it goes without saying that when Jesus says “Don’t be alarmed, for these things must happen”, he is not suggesting that when it comes to war we can simply shrug our shoulders and treat it with indifference. War means suffering – immense suffering, terrible trauma. And how can we be indifferent to that?
No. He is telling us that we mustn’t let these things undermine or wobble our faith. God is ultimately in control.
So whatever conclusion we come to regarding war and peace, it goes without saying too that we must both work for it and pray for it.
However peace is to be achieved and, hopefully, maintained, Christians can only ever be “peace people”.
Lord God, look with mercy and compassion upon our troubled, warring world, and cause the name of Jesus the Prince of Peace to be lifted high. Amen.
Jesus said, “When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen…” Mark 13:7
Will you (assuming you are British) be wearing a poppy this coming weekend, in remembrance of those who died for their country in various wars? Or will you feel uncomfortable about doing so, afraid of seeming to join in an act which glorifies war?
It’s a tricky one, isn’t it?
I assume that every Christian hates the very idea of war. Isn’t Jesus, the one to whom we give our loyalty and promise our obedience, “the Prince of Peace”? Doesn’t he call us to be “peace-makers” (Matthew 5:9)?
Doesn’t the Bible hold out for us the truly wonderful vision of Isaiah 2? – a picture of people (as I imagine it – bear with me!) finding in some forgotten corner of their home an old sword, and laughing, and thinking, “Goodness, I didn’t know I still had this! Well, I certainly won’t need it again. Shall I throw it away, or see if someone will buy it? No! – it would be a shame to get rid of it – there’s good metal there, even if it’s a bit rusty. I know – let’s hammer it into a plough-share for the oxen…”
“Nation will not take up war against nation, nor will they train for war any more.” A mouth-watering vision indeed for our troubled world. No more war. And that is the way it one day will be.
But then there is Jesus himself, stating very bluntly that there will be “wars and rumours of wars”, and that “such things must happen.”
He is, of course, simply predicting what is to come, not suggesting that this is something he welcomes or takes any pleasure in.
This is typical of the Bible in many places: it is both gloriously idealistic and also starkly realistic. And we who believe in the Bible must hold the two strands in balance, for both are true and both are important.
So… how should we view the grim subject of war? Should a Christian ever be willing to fight for his or her country?
The strict pacifist takes a very clear line: it is grotesque to imagine Jesus holding a rifle, sitting at the controls of a war-plane, or operating a grenade-launcher – so, if we claim to be his followers, shouldn’t it be impossible for us too?
Put like that, it’s hard to disagree. There is just one place in the New Testament where Jesus is portrayed as a warrior leading his army into battle – but it’s hard to imagine any thoughtful Christian treating Revelation 19 as remotely literal.
Yet many Christians feel they must disagree.
They point out that, whether we like it or not, we Christians are citizens not only of God’s heavenly kingdom, but also of a country here on earth. We have a foot in two camps, and will until the day we die. And the fact is – as Jesus explicitly said – wars will continue until the end of time, when he returns in glory to wind up the affairs of this world. So the question is: if/when war breaks out, what should we do?
A key question is: Is this a just war? – that is, a war which aims to right a great wrong, and to prevent evil spreading and growing? Assuming that to be the case, is it then right for Christians to stand back and, in effect, allow others to do the fighting for them? – you could even say, to do their dirty work for them? Putting it another way, if all Christians agree that war is always an evil, are there times, nonetheless, when it is the lesser of two evils, as the time-honoured expression puts it?
It is up to each of us to think and pray it through and make up our own minds.
I hope it goes without saying that when Jesus says “Don’t be alarmed, for these things must happen”, he is not suggesting that when it comes to war we can simply shrug our shoulders and treat it with indifference. War means suffering – immense suffering, terrible trauma. And how can we be indifferent to that?
No. He is telling us that we mustn’t let these things undermine or wobble our faith. God is ultimately in control.
So whatever conclusion we come to regarding war and peace, it goes without saying too that we must both work for it and pray for it.
However peace is to be achieved and, hopefully, maintained, Christians can only ever be “peace people”.
Lord God, look with mercy and compassion upon our troubled, warring world, and cause the name of Jesus the Prince of Peace to be lifted high. Amen.
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