What does the Bible say about going to war?

By Joe Keim

April 21, 2013

The question, "is going to war against God commandments" has caused a lot of division in the body of Christ.

1. Should a Christian go to war, take the chance of killing other people when the Bible says to "turn the other cheek" (Luke 6:29)?

Those against going to war, might bring up Luke 6:27-29, where Jesus said:

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

2. Since the Bible clearly states "Thou shalt not kill", how can going to war and killing be right?

Those who are against going to war often refer to Exodus 20:13 where God said, "Thou shall not kill," and make the mistake of applying this command to war. However, the Hebrew word (in this case) literally means "the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice; murder."

3. Before we move on, let's consider a truth that all believers agree on. The Bible says God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If we truly believe that, then let's consider how God handled wars and killings in the Old Testament.

God often ordered the Israelites to go to war with other nations (1 Samuel 15:3; Joshua 4:13).

God also ordered the death penalty for numerous crimes (Exodus 21:12, 15; 22:19; Leviticus 20:11).

Note: At this point, we would have to conclude that God is not against killing in all circumstances, but only murder.

4. War is never a good thing, but sometimes it is a necessary thing. In a world filled with sinful people (Romans 3:10-18), war is inevitable. Sometimes the only way to keep sinful people from doing great harm to the innocent is by going to war. Let's look at some more instances where God was involved and commanded His people to go to war.

In the Old Testament, God ordered the Israelites to:

Numbers 31:2: "avenge (or take vengeance) on the Midianites for the Israelites"

Deuteronomy 20:16-17: "But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them...as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:"

1 Samuel 15:18: "... Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed."

5. Someone once said, but that was in the Old Testament; we are living in the New Testament and, according to Jesus, we live under different guidelines. To that I would say, don't forget, the bloodiest and goriest battle ever fought in the history of mankind is yet to happen in the New Testament.

Revelation 19:11-21 describes the ultimate war with Christ, the conquering commander who judges and makes war "with justice" (v. 11). It's going to be bloody (v. 13) and gory.

We are told that birds will eat the flesh of all those who oppose Him (v. 17-18). In this case, God has no compassion upon His enemies, whom He will conquer completely and deliver to a "lake of fire burning with brimstone" (v. 20).

6. It would be wrong to say God never supports a war. In a world filled with evil people, war is sometimes necessary to prevent even greater evil. Consider for instance:

If Hitler had not been defeated by World War II, how many more millions would have been killed?

If the American Civil War had not been fought, how much longer would African-Americans have had to suffer as slaves?

7. War is a terrible thing. Yes, some wars are more "just" than others, but war is always the result of sin (Romans 3:10-18).

8. Christians should not desire war, but neither are Christians to oppose the government God has placed in authority over them (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:17).

9. The most important thing we can be doing in a time of war is to be praying for godly wisdom for our leaders, praying for the safety of our military, praying for quick resolution to conflicts, and praying for a minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides (Philippians 4:6-7).

-- Joe Keim

Keywords: is war wrong, joe keim, mission to amish people, what does the bible say about war

Comments (5) - Post a Comment

The War between the States was totally unnecessary. If Baptists and other Christians had taken the Amish position on slavery, Christian brother would not have killed Christian brother. Unfortunately "The Bible does not condemn slavery and actually regulates its practice, especially in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_slaveryI don't find your argument against Christ's teaching in Luke 6 convincing. If the Old Testament or the highly symbolic book of Revelation contradicts Jesus, I'll go with Jesus.

Jeff at 4:53am EDT - June 6, 2013

It used to be in the early church that the church and thegovernment were seperate and the two to mingle was outof the question. Did you know that about 60 to 70 percentof americans are"Christians"? Yet we are among the most godlessnations in the world. The influence of such powerless and unholy"Christianity" has darkened our minds to where black and whitehave become gray, the church and the world look and act almostidentical, holiness is scoffed at, and somewhere along the lineit was decided that the weapons of our warfare are now carnal.If you really want to live by the theology presented above, thenwhy don't you kill your children when they're lazy and rebelliouslike God said to do? the early church was so alienated from thegovernment that they got slaughtered like animals in apallinglyhorrific fashion. And here we are holding hands with the world as theymurder one another on their way to hell.

sam at 6:37pm EDT - June 6, 2013

Joe,You did a great job laying out the many sides to the issue of war. In my opinion, there are just no easy answers. I have two sons and have forbidden them to join the military. This is spoken from a mother's heart. Yet I know, they will do what they choose to do as men. In the case of Hitler murdering the Jews I am glad we went to war. He was a mentally ill lunatic and needed to be stopped. My grandfather was in WWII. When he came home he spent a while trying to sort through things in his mind. The experience was devastating. But he did find peace and lived a good and fruitful life. In the case of slavery I feel the same though I've heard, more than once, that's not why the Civil War took place.In the Old Testament one has to do some digging to get to the reasoning of God killing large numbers of people. My pastor recently did a series of sermons entitled "God Behaving Badly?" They can be heard on line if one is interested. The name of the church is "Christian Church of Clarendon Hills." Often times the killings took place to rid the earth of God hating people. Since God gives life is it not in His domain to take it as well? The sermons explain more than I can write on this site. The book of Revelations is also explained more in detail. I hate war and killing. I hate that a few select decide if a war is to take place. And I hate that those promoting war usually don't have their sons on the front line. But when the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3: 8 "...a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." who am I to contradict God's word? The Old Testament isn't null and void because the New Testament came about. The two go hand in hand. They fulfill each other like a bride and groom. There is truth in both.I think we as vulnerable people want to view God as only being loving and gentle and passive. But according to the Bible, God is not always displaying these characteristics. He's tough, gets angry, punishes people, and yes, kills. But like I said, you have to delve into the Bible, talk to Bible scholars, teachers, pastors. Learn about the times when wars and killings took place. Those that were killed- were they trying to cheat God? Were they sacrificing their children to false gods? Were they having orgies and terrorizing widows? Were they being cruel to other cultures? Were they God haters?

Francine at 12:58am EDT - June 11, 2013

Great job Joe! As someone who retired from the U.S. Army with 21 years of service I have had some of the same thoughts that you present here. I would like to add two more. The first is that we are told to take care of the less fortunate, like the widow and the orphan. A lot of times these individuals are suffering because of corrupt governments and if we are to follow what the Bible says and protect them then sometimes war is inevitable. Second is that I have always thought of the soldiers who John baptized and after being baptized they asked him how they should live their lives. He did not reply by telling them to stop being soldiers but instead he told them to treat people fairly. Thanks for this brother.

Peter van Brussel at 9:08pm EST - February 8, 2014

Thank You Joe:At the age of 6 while living with an Amish Bishop, I overheard him and a couple of other men talking about some bad people that were making soap out of people. I never forgot that statement as I grew older I would help butcher hogs and steers, I was the one that would stir the fat in the caldron when rendering lard from the hogs. I also would stir the caldron while making soap, at times I would remember what I had heard before and think I could see faces in the soap as I would stir it. At the age of 8 I told my older brothers I was not a conscious objector anymore. I was going to help protect my children and grandchildren from those bad people. On my 18th birthday I enlisted in the Air Force and served 4 years being discharged the week that president Kennedy was killed, then served 2 year reserve. The only thing I regret is we have more of the people in our congress today, that I (fought to keep out of this country), then there were in the whole country in 1959. I want to thank you for your complete answer as why and when we have to go to war!

Andy Miller at 10:58pm EST - February 9, 2014