What would Christ have done?
An interesting question. I've seen several books on that subject [which I haven't read]. An except from one for your consideration.
SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE INVOLVED IN WAR?
(Excerpted from "A World At War; Should Christians Be Involved? By Col. Rick Bereit.
Warfare is not God's first and best plan for humanity. His first plan was a perfect garden where man and woman enjoyed perfect fellowship with their Creator. However, when they rebelled against God, the perfection of His first plan was broken. That began God's second and much less attractive plan. He closed the gate to the garden and posted an armed guard (Genesis 3:24). Since that time, families, tribes, and nations have developed weapons to attack others or defend themselves. Over the centuries, conflicts expanded from family feuds to national wars, and the means of warfare became organised, and refined. Militaries became distinct "organisations" with uniformed soldiers.
FIGHTING FOR A MORAL CAUSE - Today, militaries are organised to secure and defend national objectives. They can be used for moral purposes or for selfish, destructive purposes. Every Christian who contemplates military service must answer this question: "Is my country using its military to achieve noble objectives?" If the answer is "No," the Christian must refuse to serve in a military whose aims are immoral or illegal. Throughout the centuries, Christians in many nations had to make this decision. If you are a soldier nearing a battlefield, you want to know that "right" is on your side. You want to hold the moral high ground. If possible, you'd like to know God is on your side and is working to give you victory.
General Joshua, leading the armies of Israel, had [an] encounter with the commander of the Lord's army. (Joshua 5:13-14) Joshua wanted to know whose side God's warrior was on. The angelic commander's answer is important. He claimed to be on God's side, not the side of either combatant. God does not join us in our purposes. We either join or refuse to join Him in His purposes. This is an encounter worth remembering. God does not belong to a nation, nor does His protection and favour belong to any single nation.
WAR WILL CONTINUE - "You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." (Matthew 24:6-7). Although we see that war will exist until God brings it to a close, should Christians be involved? Let's look at some of the Bible verses that address this question. On occasions, God appeared to men and instructed them to fight battles. God trained, directed, and helped them, thereby ensuring victory. The Bible records many examples in which God used combat to accomplish His purposes. Joshua, Gideon, Saul, and David. were all soldiers from Israel that were "God's warriors." But God also commanded and helped soldiers from other nations, including Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus. God has trained warriors and assisted them in accomplishing His purpose.
Moreover, war is not solely an earthly issue. God has seen war in heaven! There will be another battle in heaven before all war is finished. "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back." (Revelation 12:7). War in heaven has spilled over to earth. Many of our wars are rooted in a struggle between good and evil.
WHAT DID JESUS DO? - Jesus, during His life and ministry, had opportunities to declare the military profession "off-limits." To the woman caught in adultery, He said, "Go and sin no more." He could have given these same instructions to the Roman centurion in Matthew, chapter 8, but He didn't. If Jesus wanted to condemn the profession of arms, this encounter provided an ideal opportunity. Instead, He commended the Roman soldier for his faith. The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith" (Matthew 8:5-10, emphasis added).
John the Baptist also had direct communication with soldiers, who asked him how they should show works of righteousness in their lives. This is a vital passage of Scripture for people in the military. Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay" (Luke 3:2-3, 7-8, 14).
This was an important question from the soldiers. What should soldiers do to "produce fruit in keeping with repentance"? John could have said other things, including, "Get out of the military. It's immoral, and you shouldn't be involved!" But he didn't. Speaking as a prophet, inspired by God, he told soldiers not to abuse their power and to lead honest, content lives. This is still true today. Both Jesus and John the Baptist could have condemned military service as an option for men and women of God. They did not.
SUMMARY: War is a result of man's rebellion against God. War has existed first in heaven and now on earth, and it will continue until God brings it to a close. Militaries exist to secure national objectives. National objectives can be good or evil, and you should evaluate your nation's military objectives in light of your own beliefs and conscience. The Bible gives examples of how God has used warfare to accomplish His purposes. Although they could have, neither Jesus nor John the Baptist forbade military service to Christians.
You can likely extract either answer to your question. |
