I have found that a great many of the Lord’s people lack confidence in the idea that God approves of their past or present involvement with the military. Others have family members serving and are unsure how to feel about their loved ones being part of an organization whose effectiveness comes through the display of, or active use of force.
Can a Christian serve in, pray for, or otherwise support his nation’s military when they go to war?
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines… how does God view your work?
(All Biblical references are taken from the New American Standard Bible)
1. National governments are empowered by God. He places them in power to be His ministers (literally“deacons”) of justice:
Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Romans 13:1-4
The above text teaches clearly that by God’s design, governments “bear the sword” with His approval and authority for the specific purpose of bringing wrath upon those who do evil. Therefore, if a nation’s military functions directly as an arm of the national government for this purpose, it serves as a minister of God in dealing with evil.
2. God has decreed universally that justice is to be maintained and evil punished by human agency:
Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God he made man. Genesis 9:6
God had destroyed the world with the flood because humanity had become completely wicked and violent (see Genesis 6:5 & 11-13). As Noah and his family stepped off the ark, God made clear His intention that from that time on, justice was to be maintained and evil punished by human agency. Righteous people were to accept the responsibility for exacting justice against those who made wickedness and violence their business. Accordingly, God makes a clear distinction between murder, and killing done to bring about justice.
He that strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death…… If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die. Exodus 21:12,
Under the old or Jewish covenant, God’s people were to punish premeditated murder with death. The righteous were required to execute murderers. For them to have chosen otherwise would have been to ignore God’s teaching and neglect the authority He provided to maintain order and peace. Lethal force is not therefore, intrinsically evil. In fact, in the case of premeditated murder, to withhold lethal force would have been to disobey the revealed will of God.
Notice the wisdom Solomon was given concerning the function of a just and wise king:
A king who sits on the throne of justice disperses all evil with his eyes. Proverbs 20:8
A wise king winnows the wicked, and drives the threshing wheel over them. Proverbs 20:26
The Bible consistently teaches that it is the responsibility of those in authority to take action against evil. Along with this, we are taught that it is wrong to support those who seek to escape justice.
A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him. Proverbs 28:17
Those guilty of shedding human blood are fugitives. The very definition of a fugitive is one who flees or seeks to escape. The implication is that someone is to pursue those who are guilty of shedding blood.
Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.. Ecclesiastes 8:11
God expects that there be a righteous force to execute judgment against evil so that evil will not spread in the hearts of men. The above passage teaches that evil will escalate if it remains unchecked. According to the previous passages, human governments are in place and empowered specifically to resist evil with armed force.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and the praise of those who do right First Peter 2:13-14.
Once again, the New Testament of Jesus Christ teaches that government is particularly vested with the responsibility of punishing evil and praising and promoting righteousness. It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that any nation’s military forces, acting in a just cause, serve as God’s ministers of justice.
3. Soldiering for a just cause is an honorable profession even with the understanding that it involves the use of deadly force:
And when Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. Genesis 14:14-15
Abram (Abraham), the man whom God chose as the progenitor of Israel, raised, trained and maintained a small army of men prepared for military action. They were used in this case to pursue and punish evildoers and to rescue their victims. Abram acted as a Godly man to punish evil and preserve the innocent. Upon Abram’s return, he was blessed by Melchizedek, God’s priest, whom scripture says was a fore-type of the Christ. Melchizedek’s specific blessing upon Abram was:
Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. Genesis 14:19-20
Abram was blessed for his righteous use of armed force and his victory over the aggressors is attributed to God. It is also noteworthy that this is the very first mention of a priest of God in the Bible. It should not be overlooked that this first Biblical reference to a priest and only account of Melchizedek’s ministry records him blessing God’s chosen man returning from a just military conflict.
Observe also the sentiments of David on his authority to use lethal force in a just cause:
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” First Samuel 17:45-47
He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze……. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me. They cried for help, but there was none to save, even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets. Psalm 18:34, 37-42
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle…
David attributes his ability to wage war, and for specific skills in combat, to God. He does not apologize in the least for his intent to strike down and subdue an unrighteous enemy. There is no contradiction in the fact that David is also the one man in all of the Bible of whom God says, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will” Acts 13:22..
In addition to David’s words, there is also to be considered the teaching of John the Baptizer given specifically to soldiers. Remember that John’s work was to teach things that prepared men’s hearts for Jesus, the coming Messiah:
And some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.” Luke 3:14
The prophet John did not tell the soldiers that soldiering was wrong or that they should seek another means of employment. Rather, he tells them to be just, fair and content in the exercise of their soldiering. I am confident that John would have told them that soldiering was wrong or immoral, if indeed it was. This is one prophet that never minced words, nor did he back away from anything. Neither did Jesus Himself:
For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, “Go!” and he goes; and to another, “Come!” and he comes: and to my slave, “Do this!” and he does it. Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” Luke 7:8-9
Jesus says of the above Roman centurion, a commander of soldiers, that his faith is greater than any in all of Israel. Without any qualifying comment whatsoever about the centurion’s profession, Jesus holds him up as an example of faith and has preserved his statement for us to read today. If soldiering was immoral, do you believe Jesus would have sidestepped the issue, or used this centurion as an example of Godly faith?
Hear also of Cornelius, another Roman centurion, chosen to become the first Gentile convert to Christianity:
Now there was a certain man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God continually. Acts 10:1-2
Cornelius is said to be devout and God-fearing while being a professional soldier. Here is another opportunity for God to teach us the true nature of soldiering as He shines the light of the gospel upon it. Had Cornelius lived as a thief, a murderer, an adulterer, a tyrant or anything immoral, God would not, could not have called him devout and God-fearing. But of all the Gentiles in the world at that time, God chose a soldier, if fact, a commander of soldiers, to be the first to enter His kingdom. This should tell us something about God’s view of a soldier’s work.
4. Soldiers must use restraint in the execution of justice. Soldiering must never become a work of evil:
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let you heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it and be displeased, And He turn away His anger from him. Proverbs 24:17-18
Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” And he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” Second Kings 6:21-22
Say to them, “As I live!” declared the Lord God, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:44-45
The American military as a rule, has been a model of restraint. Though there have been some exceptions in which God’s will was not honored, American soldiers generally are not known to be unnecessarily cruel to those against whom they fight. The American military does not typically pillage, plunder, rape, torture and commit other atrocities as some other military forces have done.
in closing:
IT IS MY CONVICTION THAT SINCE MILITARY ACTIVITY, INCLUDING THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE (THAT WHICH CAUSES DEATH) IS BOTH ORDAINED AND AUTHORIZED BY GOD FOR THE PURPOSE OF UPHOLDING JUSTICE, THERE CAN BE NO WRONG IN AN INDIVIDUAL TAKING PART IN SUCH ACTIVITY.
OBVIOUSLY, ALL OF THE ABOVE NOTED TEACHINGS AND PRINCIPLES THAT APPLY TO THE USE OF LETHAL FORCE IN A MILITARY CONTEXT ALSO APPLY TO ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT.