There is so much fighting and killing in the world. I can no longer understand how any of it is in keeping with Christ’s desire for peace. He came to us as the Prince of Peace. He blesses the peacemakers. He tells us to put away our swords. The Scriptures speak of a time when the Messiah comes and our weapons will be turned into instruments of peace.
Christ himself tells us to love our neighbor. He tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. How then can we sanction the killing of our enemies in His name? He tells us to bless those who persecute us. But we kill those who persecute us.
It seems that we operate in this world on the basis of “an eye for an eye”. But Jesus said that although we are to resist evil as he did, we must not resist by evil means. He tells us to find some way of reconciliation.
The Sermon on the Mount is the way of Jesus and it speaks to our anger and revenge and retaliation. But too often we see the Sermon on the Mount as an ideal for personal use, not for our nation. But Jesus is in every part of our lives, including the politics of our nation. Our country is an extension of our personal selves.
We drop bombs and launch cruise missiles and so we don’t see the graphic deaths of those who are our enemies and the enemies of people who are our enemies, as in the case of Libya at the present time. I have to admit that when I first heard that we were helping the rebels in Libya fight against a cruel leader, I quietly applauded. But I cannot justify my feelings in light of God’s will and Word.
As a nation we say we are killing the people “over there” so they won’t kill us here. Where do we find that in Scripture? I don’t believe that Scripture, the revealed will of God especially in Jesus, gives us warrant for destruction of land and lives. We say it is to protect our liberty. Who has given us our liberty? Has not Christ made us free? Or is that too ideal? Jesus was a practical man, albeit the Son of God, whose practical advice we refuse to put into practice for the sake of the idol we worship – ourselves and our way of life.
People say that democracy and capitalism need to be protected. Certainly from a human perspective that might be true, but I am trying to have God’s perspective in all of this and am having a hard time seeing it. It’s not about democracy, freedom, oil, or any of that. It is about living out the Word of God in the community of this world, even with our toughest foes. We must not think of this as nation against nation but rather as individuals living in this world according to the Kingdom of God commandments.
God alone is Lord of my conscience. This is one of the great principles of the Reformed Polity of the Presbyterian Church. So I stand on what I understand to be God’s will. You may choose to differ. If so please let it be as God guides you. We are all together in this thing called life. It is the church community that can decide together how best to live the will of God.
None of this is to discredit or disparage the men and women who sense that God's will for them is to serve our country in the armed forces. I am grateful for their service although I may disagree with our government’s policy on how they can best serve.
Yours in Christ,
George
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