Sermon delivered October 26, 2008.
Throughout these recent wars in which our nation has been engaged, our American service men and women have fielded few complaints. Contrary to what we hear on the news, they want to be on that battlefield! Are our military men crazy? Wild? Do they have no regard for life? Many claim to be true Christians! Some may say, “Well, they must not be true Christians! Anyone saved by the blood of Jesus would never want to shed the blood of another!” Yet, we have heard in recent years about the bloody conflicts between the Catholics and the Protestants in Northern Ireland – both groups professing true Christianity – not to mention deadly battles throughout history (especially in the past 500 years) in the name of Christ!
And what about all the wars of the OT, waged by God, not only through His chosen people Israel, but also through other nations? Isaiah says plainly (13:3-6), God mustered up the armies! God brought nation against nation! Is there a difference btwn those wars & the war we wage today? What is the position of Scripture regarding war? How should Christians understand and respond to war?
These are tough questions, but I believe God has given us answers in His Word. I intend to describe the majority position of Christians regarding war, the one I believe to be supported by Scripture as a whole. It is the position of our denomination overall, and that of most Protestant denominations. It is the position of our country’s current President, and most of its leaders. However, I must say that many faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord hold alternate views. We need not condemn them, but understand the great complexity of the questions at hand.
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