God and the Soldier
Tomorrow is Memorial Day - a day set aside for us to remember those men and women who gave their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It's not particularly a religious holiday - but one I think is vital that we recognize. And the fact that we are free to gather today for worship is in large part due to those who have given their lives.
Now, as I stand here with decorations of red, white and blue - I want to be clear - being an American is of course not the same thing as being a Christian. And I'm not intending anything I say this morning as being particularly political in nature, but it does involve some thoughts and ideas that may be discussed in political circles.
But thinking of Memorial Day, there are several things that come to my mind. And many aren't spelled out in scripture as clearly as I might like. So as we think of those who gave their lives for our country - I'd like us to try to focus on scripture rather than any preconceived ideas we might have. And I'm hoping that's not as difficult as I think it might be.
Let me start with this - depending on religious denominations or traditions - there are many differing opinions in the Christian community regarding the relationship between a Christian and...
I. Patriotism
I want to be up front - yes, I am proud of my country; I do consider myself somewhat patriotic. But there are some ministers - my brothers in Christ - who would strongly disagree with my stance. There are many who equate patriotism with negative connotations of blind nationalism.
I read an article by one minister who wrote, "It's unimaginable to think of Jesus' followers singing patriotic Roman songs or praying for the success of Rome or adorning themselves in Roman symbols. Jesus' call was a call out of nationalism and cultural patriotism and into a Kingdom that knows no political or national boundaries. The flag of any country should never share space with symbols of the Christian faith, especially when the intent is to arouse patriotism. When images of the cross are merged with images of the flag, .... When churches sing patriotic songs, the church's identity has been compromised."
I continued on to read some of the comments posted after the article. One woman wrote, "When I see an American flag in a church, I cringe." One minister recounted, "I had to ask a musician to leave after she played the Battle Hymn of the Republic". Really? You kicked someone out of the Church for playing a patriotic hymn...?
Now obviously we will not all agree on any number of subjects that deal with opinion - but we are all called to respond to one another in love whether we agree or not. Now I do see some big differences between the Roman Government, an occupying force and America which was founded on Christian principles - but of course, my first allegiance must be to Christ. So as I approached this idea, I couldn't start with my beliefs, but rather, I had to look to...
A. The Bible
Can you be Patriotic and a Christian? If you are a Christian and an American are you obligated to be patriotic? Now of course there's nothing specific in the Bible about America. The United States is unique among every other nation based on its founding as a Christian nation - but we know America doesn't equal 'God's Chosen People'. So how do we reconcile national pride and faith in Jesus? Again - scripture doesn't talk about America, but it does talk about a Christian's relationship to government in general. We've previously looked at Paul's words in Romans 13:1 (NIV)...
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
According to scripture, whether I agree with government or not - God has established authorities for His purposes. Now this is not a statement about whether any particular government is good or bad - it simply says they are used for God's purposes. At the time this was written the Roman government was not 'pro-church' at all - but God was using that government for His purposes.
Scripture doesn't seem to dictate patriotic feelings - but whether or not you are proud of your country - there is one obligation of which we can be certain...
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV)
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - (2) for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
The call to pray wasn't for the success of the Roman government at the time - but for God's leading through the Roman government; that God's will would be done through those leaders - whether they acknowledged Him as God or not. However patriotic or unpatriotic you may feel towards our nation - as a Christian, you are called to pray for our leaders. We are uniquely set up as a representative Republic, and politicians ask for your vote - but what they really need is your prayers.
Now, today, we honor those who gave their all in service to this nation. But what does the Bible say about serving in the...
B. Military
What about those who loved their country so much that they were willing to fight and die? Does the Bible prohibit military service? There are Christians on either side of the debate and I want to be respectful of all opinions - but again, the Bible is the authority - not me.
There are a few passages of scripture that reference soldiers. On one occasion John the Baptist was teaching people what was required in order to be right with the Lord. He told some who asked to share what they had with the poor. He told tax collectors who asked to not collect anymore than what was required by government. And then we see, in Luke 3:14 (NIV)...
Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely - be content with your pay."
There's really not much here - but notice what John didn't say. He didn't say, "Leave the military. Soldiers can't follow Jesus." He simply emphasized the need to be just and fair.
In the book of Acts - a man by the name of Cornelius was a centurion - a soldier - and described as a 'God fearing' man. He was among the very first non-Jewish converts to Christianity. Jesus Himself healed the servant of a soldier and even said of that man, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."
Now these are not proof texts for or against Christians serving as soldiers - but they do certainly appear to show respect for military service. But even in Paul's explanation of governments as having been established by God - Paul is not equating all those serving in their government's military as unquestionable saints. We know there have been evil men who have ordered soldiers to do evil things. Serving your country is not the same as serving Jesus - that's not what this is saying. But the government does Biblically have the right to use force to implement the law and keep the peace.
This is a different type of message because I usually have some very specific, in context Bible verses from which to teach solid Biblical truths. In this idea of patriotism and serving as a soldier - I can only say, we must pray for our leaders and we must honor those who deserve honor. And those who have sacrificed all deserve our respect no matter what personal conclusions any Christian might have regarding national pride or military service.
And as we think of how all of this relates to the Bible, the bigger question really could be - how should a Christian view...
II. War
Does the Bible condemn or condone war itself? Does our belief about war being 'just' or not depend on who's in the White House or whether I voted for him or not? In the news recently - the conflict in the Middle East has certainly seen a lot of people taking some very strong stands for or against Israel and its response to attacks. Where should we stand on battles and war?
Many sincere Christians over the ages have studied scripture and concluded that war is never permissible for the believer. They would be considered pacifists or 'conscientious objectors' - not out of fear of dying for their country, but out of respect for God's Word. Much of the persecution of Christians when the church began is attributed in part to Christians refusing to fight for the Roman Empire. The churches were preaching that Biblically, Christians should not fight, based on Romans 12:18 (NIV)...
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Now we don't have time to do an exhaustive study, but I do want to quickly look at the development of the beliefs of those Christians closer to the time when scripture was written. Around 400 A.D. Church leaders conceded that sometimes the only way to peace required taking the road to war. St. Augustine said, "Peace is not sought in order to provide war, but war is waged in order to attain peace."
It would be very hard to come to the conclusion that God's Word applauded or celebrated war. In the Old Testament we do see God commanding His chosen people to go to war and destroy their enemies - but in the New Testament, because of Jesus' sacrifice - the message of God's love and hope was now open to all people. So the matter of war was no longer so clear cut as a Biblical directive.
We know that there have been wars fought 'in the name of Jesus' that certainly did not appear to further God's will on earth. And we know that war is never something to be taken lightly. But it appears that in this fallen world in which we live - there will be evil people who will make war an unavoidable choice. This is not to rationalize war - war is a terrible thing, and yet it seems that war is inevitable in our world. Jesus said this in Matthew 24:6-7 (NIV)...
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. (7) Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
Jesus was talking about the coming destruction of Jerusalem - but wars do seem inevitable. I'm not suggesting that we should look at sin or 'bad things' as 'fuzzy' or situational - but our national response to evil is not always Biblically spelled out as clearly in black and white as we might like. Personally, I know how I am to respond to my enemies - I am called to show them love. But when it comes to a government who has Biblical authority - is war justified...
A. To defend life?
I can't rationalize away my personal responsibility to obey Jesus' words in Luke 6:27-29 (NIV)...
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28) bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (29) If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
As a believer in Jesus - I am called to show love to my enemies even at my own expense. That doesn't always feel very fair - but that is God's higher will. The hope is that in showing them God's love despite their bad actions that they will see God's love in me and ultimately come to Jesus. That's the higher goal - even higher than my personal rights and comfort.
But understanding that - how do we respond when others are being attacked by their enemies? What is our Biblical responsibility to them? I don't mean for this to sound flippant or dismissive - but one writer suggested it was easy for some early Christians to be pacifists sitting in their safe, comfortable homes in Rome while the Roman Legions kept the peace for them.
I'm not suggesting that we let circumstances determine our theology - whether or not the Bible allows for war - but it's one thing for me to turn my cheek when someone strikes me. But can I simply turn my cheek when someone attacks others around me?
There are those who have been convicted by scripture that when confronted with that choice - we should only turn to God and pray because God is indeed more able to handle situations like that better than us. And I'm not implying that prayer is a small thing - but is pray all we are to do? If my house is on fire, I will certainly be praying to God for help - but I will also be picking up a hose or buckets or anything to fight that fire!
But we're not called to show love to fire. We are called to show love to our enemies. So what do we do when showing love to an enemy conflicts with showing love to those who are being attacked? We're not to be the aggressors - but are we called to defend others and put their needs before our own - even at the cost of our own lives?
The answers aren't completely clear in every situation and conflict. I don't believe that God desires war. But as we approach difficult situations with human lives in the balance, we must approach with...
B. Great humility
There may be Christians who emotionally debate the Bible's stance on war or national pride or military service - but we are not the ultimate authority on such subjects.
Micah 6:8 (NIV)...
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
You do not have to agree with me about love of country or whether a war is Biblically just or not to be my brother or sister in Christ. Subjects like this that are emotionally charged or hint of politics can be divisive. As we seek God's will - we must be very careful to approach with great humility knowing that we don't have all the answers to everything. But I'd like to close us out with a different perspective on which we should all agree.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)...
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The major details of this life will occur around us, many times outside of our control - but we are called to God's higher purpose in any and every circumstance. And God will use every circumstance, even the tragedy of war - for His purposes.
So What?
Whatever you do tomorrow, whether it's gathering with family, taking advantage of Memorial Day sales or just taking time off - please do take the time to go to your Father in Heaven and thank Him for those who gave their all. And thank Him for Jesus who gave His life so that this life filled with war and pain would not be all there is for those who trust in Him.