Episode 24: How Should Christians Respond to War?

War is one of the hardest topics for Christians to navigate.
Some say it’s always wrong. Others justify it completely. Scripture doesn’t do either.

In this episode, we walk through what the Bible actually says about war, the distinction between what God calls governments to do versus individuals, and how Christians are called to respond in their own hearts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Rooted with Emily Talento, where we explore who Jesus is through context, culture, and covenant. Now, I don't know if you noticed, but we are living in an absolutely insane time in history. And what blows my mind the most is that even as Christians, we could all be looking at the same events and walk away with very different perspectives and conclusions. How does that work? We all claim to read the Bible. We all believe we have a biblical perspective, and yet we walk away with so much confusion, which is why this prompts me to go back to the only place that truth can be found, which is the Bible. What does scripture actually say? And this is what we're going to be talking about today. How should Christians respond to war? So the flow of today's episode, first we're going to look at what the Bible actually says about war. Then we're going to unpack one of the biggest misunderstandings that I believe is plugging the church today. And then last, we're going to finish up at looking at our hearts and how it's impacted by the world around us. So jumping in, what does the Bible say about war? Now, the Bible is pretty incredible because it covers every and all topics that we ever come into contact with. It keeps it real. It doesn't sugarcoat things, it addresses things directly. And war is no exception to that. So today we're actually going to be reading a lot of verses because that's the point of this, right? I don't want to be giving you my opinion. I want to be sharing what the Bible actually says about war and about these ideas and what does Jesus himself say? So be ready. We're going to be jumping around a lot. Now, the Bible doesn't ignore war. We address that. War is a part of the realities of living in the broken world that we live in. It's not what God intended, but it is a result of the fall. In Ecclesiastes 3, verse 8, it says, a time for war and a time for peace. There's a recognition that it's just a part of life here on earth. In Matthew 24, verses 6 and 7, Jesus says, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation. No, this isn't Jesus saying whether war is good or bad. He's just acknowledging the reality that we are living in. Okay. A question that often comes up is the Old Testament is full of war and conquests. Now, in many of these cases, it's not just happening passively. God himself is commanding it. So how does it work that that same God who is commanding for death and destruction is the same God that is Jesus who's commanding us to turn the other cheek to pray for our enemies? How does that work? Now, we're going to unpack this in a minute further, but we need to recognize the reality that it is the same God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What I think is so important about the Bible is that we get to see a fuller picture because of the Old Testament and the New. If we just had the New, then we wouldn't have as clear of a picture of His holiness and his justice. If we only had the Old Testament, we wouldn't have the same picture of his love and mercy. Not that love and mercy isn't seen in the Old Testament, and not that his holiness and justice isn't seen in the New Testament. But to get a more full picture, you need both. It's almost like God knew what he was doing. Throughout the Old Testament, God is working in a broken and violent world. Not that he celebrates violence, but he's judging and restraining evil. Now, restoration was always his mission. Throughout the Old Testament, you can see this through one nation, Israel. And throughout the New Testament, that restoration expands to the rest of the world. Now, if we didn't have the Old Testament and we didn't get to see his faithfulness time and time again to Israel, how could we for a single second know that God is going to be faithful to us? I think oftentimes as Christians, we will pick up in Matthew and just read through the New Testament, and yet we miss so much depth of who our God is. Who he is, his character has always been consistent. He is unchanging. But because of the New Testament, we are able to get a clearer picture of the restoration that he has in mind. There are quite a few misunderstandings that we have in the church today. And I think most of it's because we don't read the Bible or we don't know the Bible. But one of the most overlooked misunderstandings is that we don't understand the distinction between the responsibilities of the government versus the responsibilities of the individual. And then we get really confused when we start taking verses that are directed towards one and applying it to the other. It's absolutely so vitally important that we understand the responsibility and the role of the government and the responsibility and the role of the individual. So let's start off with the government. What is their job? Biblically speaking, scripture gives us the parameters that the governing authority's responsibility is justice and protection. Romans 13, verse 4 says, he, he meaning the government, he does not bear the sword in vain. An avenger who carries out God's wrath. The responsibility is to protect the civilians that they are over. Bearing the sword, understanding the appropriate time for violence is necessary and part of the job. That's not the responsibility and role of the individual. As an individual, we are not called to take vengeance. There are so many verses throughout the Bible. Romans 12, 19, never avenge yourselves. Matthew 5, verse 39, turn to him the other also. This is when Jesus tells if somebody slaps your cheek, turn the other. Matthew 5, 44, love your enemies. We are called to absorb offense. We are called to love our enemies. We are called to show compassion. Those are opposites. At the same time, the government is called to carry the sword, and the individual is called to turn the other cheek to love their enemies. God gives the responsibility of justice to governments and the responsibility of love and compassion to the individual. Now, this should prompt a further question, which is should Christians serve in positions where violence is necessary? Should Christians be soldiers? Should Christians be police officers? Now, there are quite a few passages throughout scripture that I believe give us a clear answer. So starting with Luke chapter 3, verse 14, soldiers also asked him, him being John the Baptist, and we, what shall we do? And John the Baptist's response was leave your post, defy orders. No, that's not what he said. He says, Do not extort, be content with your wages. He doesn't condemn the soldiers. He defines how they should operate, how they should live, how they should act justly in their post. Another example is Matthew 8 with Jesus and the centurion. Jesus doesn't condemn him. What does he say? He actually says, With no one have I found such faith. If it was that big of an issue, he would have told him to leave his ways in the past, because that's what Jesus did. He did that with so many of the people he encountered. But that's not what happens here. He commends him. So the issue isn't the role. What we're discussing is, again, how to live. And this doesn't matter what role you have, it doesn't matter if you're a soldier, it doesn't matter if you're a doctor, it doesn't matter if you're a teacher. How we live, how we carry out the responsibilities that we have, that is what's important. Across Jesus' ministry, he said quite a few things that could be seen as contradicting one another. And it's important that we see everything in their appropriate context through the appropriate lens. And so in Matthew 10, when Jesus is sending his disciples out to share the gospel, now the gospel that they're going to preach is different than the gospel that we associate, right? Because the gospel we think of is Jesus' death and resurrection. That's not what Jesus originally came to preach. The gospel originally was that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. So he was sending his disciples out. And what did he tell them? He said, Don't bring gold, don't bring provisions, don't bring your staff, don't bring a cloak. Just go as you are and go to the lost sheep of Israel, is what he said in verse 7. Fast forward to Luke 22, Jesus references when he sent them out originally and he asked them, When I sent you out with nothing, did you lack anything? And they said, No, nothing. Luke 22, verse 36 says, But now, this is Jesus speaking, let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. That's a massive shift. But now something's changed. Before there was a sense of they would be welcomed, they would be protected, they would be provided for. Now there's a sense of hostility, of danger, of rejection. I mean, there's so many verses throughout the gospels of Jesus preparing them. John 16, 33 comes to mind, in this world you will have troubles. Right after Jesus tells them to go, you know, sell their cloak and buy a sword if they don't have one. This is so important. Verse 38, they say, Look, Lord, here are two swords, and Jesus responded to them, it's enough. So I just could imagine as the disciples, I would be so confused because at this point, I still don't think I know based on the text, they're still not understanding what Jesus is here to do. They still, a lot of them probably believe that this is a physical kingdom that he is bringing, that there is going to be a physical overthrowing of Rome, that there is going to be this physical kingdom at hand, and that's not what Jesus is doing. And so Simon the Zealot was probably pretty pumped when he Jesus is like, get your swords out. And so, and probably others as well. But the point is, is what good is two swords for 12 men? What this is proving, what this is showing, is that it's not actually about the weapons. It's not actually about this idea that we're going to overthrow Rome or fight or start a militia. This is Jesus acknowledging that the world is dangerous, that it's hostile. Because then if we fast forward to Matthew 26, which is like obviously we're jumping back and forth between Matthew and Luke, but like this is just a little bit after, this is right after, this is right before Jesus' rest, and then this is right after Jesus' arrest. What happens? Peter takes one of the swords and he cuts off the ear of the Roman soldier who's arresting Jesus. And Jesus condemns him and says, All those who take the sword will perish by the sword. So, like, what are we doing here? Like, which is it, Jesus? Like, we're going back and forth. I can imagine that the disciples are like hitting their heads against the wall. Like, what are you talking about? What is he saying? What scripture is pointing to is this idea that Jesus is acknowledging the realities, danger, hostility, rejection, while also recognizing that the kingdom will not be advanced through violence, through the sword, through war. They're two separate things. And this is where things are gray. They're not black and white, they're not clear. Because obviously, Jesus also just said, turn the other cheek, pray for your enemies. However, I think a real argument could be made for self-defense. I don't think it's always appropriate to turn the other cheek. I truly believe that scripture points to the fact that it would be poor stewardship if you allow someone to break into your house as your children are sleeping upstairs. Do you know what I'm saying? Like we have to also use common sense and be able to look at scripture in its entirety rather than just cherry-picking verses. One thing we do know for absolute certainty is that the kingdom will not come through force. It comes through humility, through love, through compassion, through surrender, through sacrifice. This is where it's absolutely vital that we are walking in step with the Spirit, that we are living by our convictions, because there are gray areas in this world. There are times where something might be a sin for one person, but it's not necessarily a sin for the other. We have to be continuing to ask God what He's calling us to in each and every situation. But again, this is us speaking as individuals. In most cases, loving first is what we're called to do. However, what governments are called to is different. It's just not the same thing. If governments respond in love first, they are not protecting their people in the way that they are called to. One of the craziest things for me in the past few weeks of watching this war play out is how people are discussing it online. Now, there seems to be, I mean, I don't know why everyone's initial reaction to everything is just to go to one extreme or the other. In most cases, the middle is actually the right place to be. Balance is everything. And so the extremes on both is wild. Seeing people celebrate war doesn't sit right with my spirit. But also seeing people condemn all war also doesn't sit right with my spirit. I feel personally invested with the people of Iran. I want them to be free. I want them to live in a society where they're not under oppression. Now, I care about that very personally. And so there have been multiple times over the last few weeks where I've had to check myself to say, wait, am I celebrating war or am I celebrating justice and freedom or the hope of freedom? Because we're not there yet. And so trying to balance, because truthfully, all of us have this innate sense of wanting goodness and wanting justice. That's something that God put inside all of us. There's nothing wrong with wanting things to be made right. However, the line is very fine and the slope is very slippery. And so we all have to be checking our hearts to make sure that the motives are pure. I don't want to be celebrating people's death. I don't want my heart to be hardened. And ultimately that's what it comes back to. Scripture makes it abundantly clear. Proverbs 24 says, do not rejoice when your enemy falls. Ezekiel 33 says, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. 2 Peter says, not wishing that any should perish. And honestly, there have been multiple times recently when I've felt a sense of, okay, justice is being served, things are being made right. There's relief in that that we are one step closer for the Iranian people to be living in a free society. You can acknowledge justice without celebrating destruction. And it's a very fine line, it's a very slippery slope, but it is possible and it does require us to be constantly checking in with ourselves, being in prayer, asking God to reveal the motives of our hearts. That was a lot. This was all a lot. Um, in a good way, I think that this is an appropriate conversation that we should be having at this time. So, a quick recap. The Bible acknowledges the realities of war on this side of heaven. God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Old Testament, New Testament, same character, same nature. The roles that God gives the government and God gives the individual are distinct. They are different, and we do not conflate the verses. God does not condemn those who are soldiers or police officers. It's a calling. Jesus has said a lot of confusing things that feel like they could contradict one another. However, what he does say is he acknowledges that in this world there is violence, there is danger. However, the kingdom of heaven will not be expanded by force. It will be brought through surrender, through love, through compassion. Our beliefs on all of this matters because it impacts directly our heart and our heart posture towards war at large. We have a responsibility to, as individuals, to live justly, to love, be compassionate, turn the other cheek, pray for our enemies, while also acknowledging the fact that the responsibility of the government does look different. And it's not wrong to want justice, obviously, but we need to keep our hearts in check. I don't want to lose my humanity because of hatred and anger towards those who are evil. That's not a fair exchange. I'm giving up something for why. God will handle it. All I can do is pray. Pray for all of the people that are impacted, pray for wisdom for our leaders, and pray that God's will be done. I hope this gave you a greater sense of what the Bible says about war and how we as Christians should respond. If you liked it, if you could comment, subscribe, like whatever they have on the platform that you are either listening or watching this on, I'd really appreciate it. And if you could share this with somebody who you know that might be a little bit confused on as Christians, how should we respond in this current time that we're living in? You could also follow me on Instagram at Emily Talento and at rooted with Emily Talento. I would really appreciate it. I hope you have a great weekend and I will see you next time.