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Are We Peacemakers?

Posted by Chris Case | December 7, 2007 .

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (1 Cor 10.4, ESV)

Its that time again. Time to read countless blogs and articles scrutinizing every word and mundane detail of multiple political candidates that are all at once similar, yet have their little nuances that can make or break them in the public eye. As a Christian, the political world is collectively messy yet vital. But lately, I have become overly curious at the quietness of the Christian voice to speak up against war.

I don’t really have doubts about whether or not what we are fighting against is evil, but in searching through Scripture, I am not sure if support of war is the appropriate biblical response. Yet, the general perception of Christians (predominately Republican Christians) is that we are pro-war. So, the things that the public sphere knows us by is that we are anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and pro-war. Not exactly known by our love as of late.

Through the Old Testament, God certainly commanded Israel to use violence and warfare in the face of those around them in order to establish Israel as a holy and chosen nation. Its important to note that God had a political connection with the people of Israel, establishing them as a separate nation, chosen differently from all others (even though they were still to be a light to other nations). God’s constant urging is for them to be a special political/spiritual nation that has a chosen place and that shares the message of God with others. Yet, we find them constantly failing, a common Old Testament theme.

Into the scene breaks Jesus, the chosen Son of God, to basically point out to them that they can’t live up to the law. He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt 5.17), being the one who lives up to the burden of the law, sinless, and then becomes the human sacrifice. Jesus, in doing so, also seems to perform a transfer of power, from the political-socio power of Israel, into the equality of all who accept him as Savior, no matter what country, race, or sex (Gal 3.28). But now, we who are saved, are the holy nation and the royal priesthood (1 Pet 2.9), terms that were previously exclusively reserved for Israel.

So, if Jesus came to change the nature of God dealing with the political nation of Isreal, how does he prescribe us to live in the face of evil and warfare? Let’s see:

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5.44 ESV, cf. Luke 6.3, 27;)

“Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt 5.39 ESV)

“For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matt 26.52 ESV)

“Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matt 7.12 ESV)

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing” (1 Peter 3.9 ESV, cf. Rom 12.17, 21; 1 Thess 5.15)

We are the ones who are called to love peace (Zech 8.19), and to bear the fruit of the spirit. With all of that, I stand convicted that I need to stand up and say no to war. That is not to say that the threat of Islam is not real or dangerous. The threat of the Roman Empire in the early church was real and dangerous, leading to persecution after persecution, but we do not find the leaders of the early church fighting back with violence.

In our Christian walk and our sanctification, our desire is to be like Jesus, to reflect his life so that our lives may glorify God. Jesus, when confronted by military authority, chose to submit to the point and death and commanded his followers not to fight back, at least not with the sword. And how did Jesus respond to his persecutors? By forgiving them on the cross.

I certainly enjoy the freedoms I have in this country. I am glad I have the ability to worship without hiding, to share my faith, and write this blog. But they are luxuries for us as Americans. We are commanded to pray, share our faith, etc, but never promised that we would not be persecuted for them. Yet, we have grown so in love with personal freedoms, that we feel like that is the ‘good’ that God commands and we must always fight back with violence to maintain those rights. Evil will always exist in this world until the return of Christ. Combating it by force will not put an end to it, but combating it through the spirit is the only way to make progress. Satan is not bound by the amount of evil people we kill or keep out of our borders, but is bound by evangelists who spread the gospel throughout the world.

Let’s no longer let the hippies and far-left politicians be known as the peacemakers. Let us be marked with that brand, as those who love peace so that they may know us by this love.

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