Questions & Answers
With Dr. Bob Burrelli, Grace Bible Church
Is it sinful for Christians to enlist in or answer a call to the Armed Forces?
This question is as controversial as it is timely—given the state of affairs between American and Iraq and North Korea—and, sadly, unlikely to be settled here in this forum. Nevertheless, not only Christians eligible for war need to settle it in their minds; We all need a biblical perspective on it. There will, of course, always be some who believe in their hearts that God does not want them fighting in wars and that it would be sin for them to do so. And for them it indeed would be, according to Paul’s teaching in Romans 14. Consequently, they should not violate their own conscience. There have been many "conscientious objectors" historically, although I wonder if such a status can keep anyone 100% free from supporting a national war effort. Everyone still pays taxes!
The Bible says much about war. God used war to discipline Israel and judge other nations. He sent Israel to battle foreign peoples. The New Testament uses military language to illustrate the spiritual life. Jesus praised the centurion for his faith without condemning his lifestyle. Peter baptized the centurion, Cornelius, without calling him away from military service. Jesus saw the right of kings to use warfare after counting the cost. These are some of the many examples that do not solve our issue one way or the other, but they do point us away from, generally, pacifism as a Christian lifestyle and, more specifically, the notion that there is never any legitimate reason for a God-ordained government to use warfare.
Considers these biblical principles as you work this issue out for yourself. One is that government is God-ordained and has the authority from God to use lethal means to maintain law and order in the land (Romans 13:1-7). Another is that Scripture commands Christians to submit to civil authorities in all situations where it would not be sin to do so. If government calls its citizens to war, they have a responsibility to submit and stand behind the cause. Some might object that war commits murder and, on that basis, rightly disobey government. The problem with this argument, however, is that killing in war is not legally considered murder and the Bible (the Ten Commandments) condemns murder, not killing. The difference lies with motivation. American soldiers are motivated by the concern to make things right. They are out for the best interest of others and want to defend, protect, and maintain the peace in the land and between nations. Murders are completely selfishly motivated.
It is true that the Bible never condemns Christians who fight in their nation’s armed forces. This is an argument from silence, but it screams us when we consider that killing may be involved in war. If killing in this situation were equated with murder, then surely the Bible would have addressed this specific situation clearly and aggressively. May God give us wisdom to live responsibly and biblically in these last days.