Is War Truly Biblical?

Is war biblical? Perhaps. However, is it Christ like? According to a 2018 poll reported by ABC News, 83% of Americans believe in Christ and consider themselves to be Christian in some form or fashion. This number fluctuates from poll to poll because it’s based on calls to a fraction of all US homes. However, I think that it is safe to say that roughly 80% of US adults consider themselves Christians. According to Gallup polls, a total of 72% of US adults supported the Iraq war. This means that, even if all non-Christian adults supported the Iraq war you still have 52% of all US adults supporting a war while considering themselves to be Christian. So, it looks like almost all US adult Christians support war or can view it as justifiable in some cases.

Although God could rightly be referred to as the god of war can we really say that Christians should support war or justify it? There are many instances in which God promoted war, but are we bound by Old Testament law? Are we not under a new covenant? Did Christ not become the ultimate sacrifice to set in motion a new covenant with new instruction for those belonging to the body of Christ?

Many Christians try to justify their personal support for war by citing verses such as Luke 3:14 because soldiers were not told to quit their jobs and stop being soldiers. The problem with citing verses like this is that it ignores how soldiers back then were primarily law enforces; comparable to modern day police officers.

Luke 3:14
"Some soldiers asked him, “What about us? What should we do?” To them he said, “Don’t intimidate anyone, don’t accuse people falsely, and be satisfied with your pay.”"

Honestly, supporting war as a Christian is similar to supporting gun ownership as a means of self-defense. I would encourage you all to review my blog post (A Guide To Self Defense And Gun Use For Christians).

We are told to live in peace with others as much as we possibly can.

Romans 12:18
"If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people."

We are also told that we will wage war, but it will not be with worldly weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
"For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah."

The world uses guns, bombs, chemicals, etc. They attempt to destroy the flesh as means to intimidate others. As Christians, we should desire a spiritual response to worldly actions. When someone becomes our enemy we are told to leave vengeance to God, retaliate to their evil with good, and to help them as to heap burning coals [of shame] onto their heads.

Our decision to go to war sends a message to the world. In the case of the Iraq war we showed the world that a nation of Christians is of this world and has no part in the body of Christ. Revenge is more important to us than pleasing God and showing the love that we were commanded. Our punishment was a world that hates us, the unnecessary loss of life, and the added financial burdens on an already weakening economy.

What message would it send to the world if we, as a Christian nation, responded to an overwhelming attack by reaching out to help those that harmed us? In the case of the Iraq war we would have shown the world that Christianity is truly a religion of peace and love; which it is supposed to be. We would have shown the world that no matter how badly you try to pull us into this world that we will always be part of the body of Christ. We would have shown the world what Christians truly are and what it means to put your faith in Christ.

As Christians, we need to start following Christ and stop supporting war.