Brother Bill

Was Jesus A Pacifist?

Well, he refused to let a disciple attempt to defend him by swinging a sword.A Judas-led mob came to arrest him, and Peter whipped out a sword and attacked the nearest one.  Peter was a fisherman, not a swordsman. His intention was good--to fight for his master’s freedom.  His aim was bad--he sliced off an ear instead of splitting the guy wide open.   To Peter’s confusion, Jesus not only rebuked him for the swordplay, he restored the victim’s severed ear.

Paul tells us to “be strong in the Lord” and to clothe ourselves with “the full armor of God.”We are in a battle “against the devil’s schemes.”But he goes on to say that our struggle is not against flesh and blood and, therefore, not to be fought with “carnal weapons,” but with “the sword of the Spirit.”That sword is identified as “the word of God.”This is the only sword that Christians are commanded to wield.What Paul calls “the powers of this dark world” and “the spiritual forces of evil” are not subdued and conquered by military weaponry.

When you put these passages together, along with others where the Lord commands us to love our enemies, to pray for our persecutors, and to bless those who curse us, it would be easy to make a case for demanding pacifism of all Christians. Some devout and sincere Christians have drawn this conclusion and refused military service even at the cost of jail time.  Others consented to military service but only in non-combat capacities, such as medics and ambulance drivers for example.  These are called “conscientious objectors.”

On the other hand, in the New Testament Jesus is never heard ordering a soldier to leave military service.  He commended the faith of Roman army officer, declared it greater than any faith he had found in Israel, and rewarded that faith by healing the man’s servant..

John the Baptist, when preaching in the desert to huge crowds and calling them to repentance, was approached by a group of soldiers who asked, “What should we do?”He gave them some specific moral demands:Don’t throw your weight around.Don’t bully or rob civilians.Don’t supplement your income with illegal activities--that sort of thing. However, he never said, “Leave the army.”

Peter, whose sword-swinging was reproved by Jesus, was chosen by the Lord and approved by the church to carry the gospel to Gentiles.He initiated that ministry in the household of a Roman army officer named Cornelius.  To him and his household Peter preached Jesus as “Lord of all.”  They believed his message and were baptized “|in the name of Jesus Christ.”Neither Cornelius nor any of his troops were told to quit military service in order to be truly Christian.

How do we reconcile the prohibition of brute force with the continuation of military service? Some have done it by insisting that a believer cannot bear arms as a Christian, but he or she can bear arms as a Christian citizen of the nation.As a Christian you can carry and use the Word to bring people into spiritual freedom; as an American Christian you can carry and use guns to help secure and maintain political freedom.

Frankly, I can’t resolve the conflict.  I’ve known many soldiers who were genuine Christians.  I’ve known many Christians who refused military service on moral and religious grounds.I respected them all, but I have been poor help or none at all when it came to enabling their decisions or resolving their conflicts in the matter.

Would I take a life to save my own?  Frankly, I don’t know and hope I never have to find out.  Would I take a life to save a loved one?  Yes, I would--in a heartbeat, but it would be the beat of a broken heart.