War and the Christian - Tom Elseroad

	WAR AND THE CHRISTIAN
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War and The Christian
Passage	Anti-War	Pro-War
Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder."	The Bible teaches us not to kill (Ex.20:13 "Thou shalt not kill", KJV). Going to war implies the possibility you will have to shoot or kill someone.	The translation of the word "kill" is confusing. Three points should be pointed out concerning this passage: The Bible clearly teaches us to kill animal sacrifices. Capital punishment is plainly taught to purge evil from Israel and as a deterrent (Ex.21:12). The Hebrew word ("ratzach") means premeditated murder. This word is never used for killing in battle. The word "nakah" is used instead for legitimate battle. Killing in battle is not the same as premeditated murder.
Isaiah 2:4 "And He will judge between the nations, And render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war."	The ideal is for Christians to throw away their weapons of war ("sword"), and trust God to protect them.	This certainly will happen. This is fulfilled when Christ returns and initiates the Millennial kingdom. Instruments of war are turned into agriculture tools. This passage applies to Israel not the church. There will be wars and rumors of war till Christ returns (Mt.24:6).
Micah 4:3 "And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war."	God does not want us to train for war. He wants us to trust in Him for protection. When we learn to trust Him we "will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war."	Micah's readers did not want to be told what to do. Even God and His prophets were not listened to. In contrast, during the millennial kingdom men will submit to God's judging and recognize it as right. This is prophetic of the millennial kingdom. This is not fulfilled during the church age.
Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."	God blesses those who seek peace and not war.	? Is this peacemaker idea in a physical or spiritual sense? The peacemaker shows others how to have inward peace with God. Plus he shows he can be an instrument of peace in the world.
Matthew 5:21-22 "²¹You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. ²²But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell."	We should not even be angry with someone except the kind of anger Jesus expressed which was a righteous anger because of sin.	Murder extends beyond the act to the internal attitude behind the act. Also being angry assumes a superior position over another person which may be expressed by calling him a derogatory name "Raca" "you fool."
Matthew 5:43-44 ⁴³You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you…'	Our battle is spiritual not physical.
Romans 13:9 For this 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.	We should love our neighbor as well as our enemy the same.	Love sums up the Law.
Romans 12:17-21	Notice the words "never", "all men", and "enemy".
In the New Testament military service is used as illustrations for teaching life and Christian truths (Lu.14:31; 1Co.9:7; 2Ti.2:3-4). This assumes there will be armies around to relate the teaching to. ? Do the passages concerning Israel warring or preparing for war apply to Christians? (For example: Ec.3:8; Ne.4:7-22; Ps.144:1; Pr.20:18; 24:6). [No, these apply only to Israel who was promised an inheritance of land. ? What is our weapon of war? - [Prayer]. ? What is more powerful, prayer or nuclear bombs? [Prayer]. ? What comes first national concerns or Christian principle of loving your enemy? ? Does one exclude the other? ? What does the Christian battle against? [ (1) the world (2) the flesh and (3) Satan -- These are spiritual]. ? Does preparation for physical war reduce warfare? [Yes. It is a deterrent to other nations. ?Is this what we are called to do?].

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		Tom Elseroad 11-21-1999		©1999 Tom Elseroad, http://www.elseroad.com. Anyone is free to reproduce this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's consent.
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