I want to begin this lesson by acknowledging that when we address the subject of whether or not the Christian should take part in the military we are dealing with a controversial subject. The Church has debated this subject for 1400 years. Many theological scholars and Christian philosophers have reached differing conclusions.
To be frank, I have little interest in philosophical postulates and scholarly suppositions on this or any other subject. I want my convictions to be founded upon the plain and simple teachings of Christ Jesus and His commissioned Apostles. I hope and trust that you feel the same.
It is my conviction that the writings of the New Testament clearly teach that it is absolutely wrong for the Christian to be in the military and to engage in carnal warfare.
It is of great significance that, during its first three centuries, the Church held this same conviction. Religious and secular historians alike testify that the early Church taught and practiced pacifism. The early Church adopted this pacifist stand based on its understanding of the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
1.SCRIPTURAL REASONS FOR CHRISTIANS TO ABSTAIN FROM SECULAR MILITARY SERVICE.
A. CHRISTIANS ARE TO BE AT PEACE WITH ALL MEN.
Hebrews 12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."
Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
B. CHRISTIANS ARE NOT TO HATE NOR TAKE PHYSICAL RETALIATION AGAINST ANYONE.
Romans 12:17, 19, "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men... Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ’Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’"
Matthew 5:38-39,"You have heard it said, ’An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Galatians 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, ... hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,.... murders,... and such like: of the which I tell you now, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
C. CHRISTIANS ARE TO LOVE EVERYONE, INCLUDING THEIR ENEMIES.
Luke 6:27-28, "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Matthew 5:43-45, "You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father Who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Isaiah 2:4, "they [followers of the Messiah or Christ] 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."
Matthew 26:50-52, "Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And, behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut-off his ear. Then, Jesus said to him, ’Put your sword back into its place: for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.’"
D. THE CHRISTIAN IS A SUBJECT IN A SPIRITUAL KINGDOM. THEY ARE SPIRITUAL SOLDIERS INVOLVED IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE RATHER THAN CARNAL WARFARE.
John 15:19, "You are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world."
John 18:36, "Jesus answered, ’My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting.’"
Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
2 Corinthians 10:3-4, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh."
Ephesians 6:11-13, "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the Devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm."
II. TESTIMONY OF THE EARLY CHURCH.
JUSTIN MARTYR IN "DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO, A JEW" (AD 140), "We who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have through the whole world changed our warlike weapons - our swords into ploughshares and our spears into implements of tillage - and we cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith and hope, which we have from the Father Himself through Him Who was crucified."
TERTULLIAN IN "ON THE CROWN 11" (AD 200) "I think we must first inquire whether military service is proper at all for Christians,... Shall it be held lawful to make an occupation of the sword when the Lord proclaims that he who makes use of the sword shall perish by the sword? And shall the son of peace take part in the battle when it is not proper for him even to go to law?.... Of course, if faith comes later to those already occupied with military service, the case is different.... Yet at the same time, when faith has been acknowledged and sealed [at baptism], there must be either an immediate abandonment of the army, as has been done by many; or there must be all sorts of quibbling in order not to offend against God, and that is not allowed even outside of military service. Or, at last, for God there must be the suffering which a citizen of faith has equally accepted. For military service promises neither impunity from wrongs nor exemption from martyrdom."
TERTULLIAN IN "ON IDOLATRY 19" (AD 200), "But now inquiry is made about this point: whether a believer is able to turn himself to military service, and whether the soldier may be admitted unto the Faith, even the ordinary soldier or the lower ranks, to whom there is no necessity for taking part in [pagan] sacrifices or capital punishments? There is no agreement between the divine and the human oath, the standard of Christ and the standard of the Devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot be under obligation to two: God and Caesar.... But how will a Christian war, indeed how will he serve even in peace without the sword, which the Lord has taken away?... The Lord, in disarming Peter, unbelted every soldier."
HIPPOLYTUS IN "APOSTOLIC TRADITION, XVI. 17-19" (AD 200), "A soldier of the government must be told not to execute men; if he should be ordered to do it, he shall not do it. He must be told not to take the military oath. If he will not agree, let him be rejected [from baptism]. A military governor or a magistrate of a city who wears the purple, either let him desist or let him be rejected. If a catechumen or a baptized Christian wishes to become a soldier, let him be cast out. For he has despised God."
CELSUS (the Pagan): "If everyone should do the same [abstain from military service] as you [Origen, representing Christians], nothing would prevent the emperor from being left alone and deserted, and the affairs of the earth would come into the hands of the most lawless and the wildest barbarians."
ORIGEN IN "AGAINST CELSUS VII:68-75 (AD 225), "For if, as Celsus says, "everyone should do the same as I, it is evident that even the barbarians, having come to the word of God, will be most law abiding and civilized, and every religion will be destroyed except that of the Christians, which will prevail. And it alone some day will prevail as the Word more and more holds sway over the souls of men.
We also by our prayers destroy all the demons, the ones who cause wars, violate oaths or treaties, and disturb the peace, and we are more help to those who rule than those who seem to be fighting his battles... We fight better on behalf of the king. Indeed we do not fight at his side, even if he should command it, but we fight on his behalf, organizing our own army of piety through our petitions to God."
Christians benefit their country more than the rest of men because they train up citizens and teach piety toward the God of the Universe."
"A careful review of all the information available goes to show that, until the time of Marcus Aurelius [Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180], no Christian became a soldier ; and no soldier, after becoming a Christian, remained in military service." - The Rise of Christianity (London, 1947), E.W. Barnes, pg. 333.
"The early Christian fathers taught that one should love one’s enemies, and that, in consequence, military service should be regarded as sinful." - The Roman Imperial Army, (Totowa, NJ, 1985) Graham Webster, pg. 279.
"They refused to take any active part in the civil administration or the military defense of the Empire.... it was impossible that the Christians - without renouncing more sacred duty, could assume the character of soldiers." - History of Christianity, (New York, 1891), Edward Gibbon, pp. 162, 163.
"No Christian writer prior to the time of Constantine [AD 300] approved of Christian participation in warfare.... The primary reason for the objection to participation in warfare was the aversion to bloodshed. This objection to bloodshed was based on a feeling for the incompatibility of love and killing. All the church fathers stressed that Christians take literally the command of loving their enemies." - Early Christianity, Roland H. Baintain, pg. 53.
