It is not my intention to deal with this subject in respect of political or general terms but in the specific aspect of its implications for a sincere son of God who is called on to take up arms in the defence of his or her country. This action constitutes the essential and practical test which crystallises the son of Gods attitude to pacifism. Now we must be clear that when we talk of "pacifism" and refer to a "pacifist" we are not simply describing a "peace loving person." All sensible people are included within that category, but what we are referring to is the one who refuses, under any circumstances, to take up arms in the defence of his country, irrespective of who threatens it or for what reason it may be attacked. The Scriptures, if properly understood, does not teach pacifism. Unfortunately, we live in a world which is under the dominion of sin. It is largely controlled by the evil one whom Jesus Christ described as being the "prince of this world."

For that reason a son of God does not always find himself confronted with a clear cut decision between "right" and "wrong". Frequently the choice he has to make is between two evils and the best the son of God can do, is to choose the lesser of them. For instance, no one would suggest that it is a kindly act to deprive a man of his liberty and lock him in a small cell behind iron bars. But the son of God prison officer does this every day, regarding it as a lesser evil than the evil of letting a criminal loose to disrupt society.

The son of God lives his life under the authority of the government of his country and the teaching of the bible is that he must, as a son of God be subject to laws of the government. The verses dealing with this is Romans 13

Ro:13:1: Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Ro:13:2: Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Ro:13:3: For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Ro:13:4: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Ro:13:5: Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Ro:13:6: For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Ro:13:7: Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Now the context of this passage and the tenor of New Covenant teaching indicates that this principle applies up to the point where that authority might be in conflict with the laws of God.In such circumstances the laws of God are always supreme. For this reason we find Peter, when commanded by the Sanhedrin to stop proclaiming the gospel, and quoted this.

Ac:5:28: Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
Ac:5:29: Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

When these two principles; the primacy of obedience to the command of God and that of obedience to the civil power govern Christian action, it means that the Christian will subject the Military service to which he may be called to the test of God's will insofar as he may discern it. Even in relation to the civil authority it has been ruled in trials, following World War II that it is not a valid excuse for a man to commit an act of atrocity and claim he was not responsible for his action due to the fact that he acted under orders from a higher authority.

Now although the circumstances are not identical the principle has a bearing and consequently the son of God will consider the justice of the cause in which he must take up arms. If it then appears, in the light of God's commands that it would be wrong for him to do so, he will have to act in accordance with his conscience. In circumstances such as an unjustifiable and purely aggressive war it would be proper for him to object conscientiously to involvement in that war.

We must consider whether "pacifism" is commanded in Gods Holy Scripture. We know that grace and kindness, love, mercy, peace and a host of other such qualities are commanded. But so also are lawfulness, justice righteousness and the supreme penalty of death for certain forms of wrong doing. Some passages of scripture, if considered in isolation from their context, may appear to teach pacifism. For instance, the words of our Lord taken from the Sermon on the Mount, are often quoted.

M't:5:38: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
M't:5:39: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Now it is interesting to see that in the life of Jesus Christ he resisted evil with force. When he found the temple traders involved in evil practices, he made a whip and physically drove them from the temple grounds.

Joh:2:15: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh:2:16: And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

Again we find that when an officer struck him in the face in the house of Annas he did NOT turn the other cheek but rebuked him and very questioned his right to act in such a manner

Joh:18:22: And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?
Joh:18:23: Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

Consequently, when we find the very one who spoke those words on which pacifists place so much reliance apparently acting contrary to them we are left with only one of two conclusions.

Either:
1) Jesus Christ did not practise what he preached, or
2) He did not preach the "pacifist" message as now adopted and we must enquire whether his words are being correctly interpreted.

The first alternative is unworthy of consideration and completely contrary to the historical record and the person of Jesus Christ.

The truth lies in the second. For the real meaning of the words of Jesus Christ, "Do not resist an evil person" , is a prohibition on the Christian seeking personal revenge or retaliating for a private wrong. For example, in Cyprus the Apostle Paul strongly resisted the evil of Elymas the sorcerer when he tried to influence his master against the gospel (Acts 13:)

Ac:13:9: Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Ac:13:10: And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
Ac:13:11: And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
Ac:13:12: Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Paul's resistance to this harmful action upon another person reached the point where he actually pronounced the curse of blindness upon him. But this was not a private injury for which Paul was seeking revenge - it was an attack upon the son of Gods faith, intended to prevent the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus from turning to Christ and, in a circumstance like this, Paul considered positive action to be justified. In Philippi, however, he did not resist arrest although, as a Roman citizen it was his right to do so. When he received a severe flogging (which was in the nature of a personal injury) on account of preaching Christ, he did not withstand it.
Whilst the pacifist frequently appeals to the Bible to support his contentions it is noticeable that it is to the New Testament he refers. Now it is true that the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ is found there. But it is not true to suggest that the God of the New Testament is a different God to that of the Old Testament. He is the very same God. And it was that God who commanded his people to fight, time and time again. Individuals, families, cities and nations had to fight for their very existence in the midst of a sinful society. In respect of the law of that eternal God, Jesus said:

M't:5:17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
M't:5:18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Peace was, in Old Testament times as it is now, the objective of God's people. But there were occasions when peace was only attained as a result of fighting against the enemies of God (like taking over the Promised Land) or fighting in defence of their own land or property (like against forces of the Philistines).

When Jesus Christ came he sought to show men and women the way of peace. If all were to place themselves under the rule of Christ as Saviour and Lord, the peace he taught would be a reality. But as long as his teaching is rejected and his dominion over the lives of men and women is denied, peace will not be the experience of the human race.

Now Jesus Christ recognised this and when he came to the last day of his life, knowing he had been rejected by men he referred back to certain instructions he had previously given his followers. In the light of the circumstances which they were to face from then on, Jesus revised certain practices he had made them follow in the days he was present with them. He finished his discussion with these words:

Lu:22:36: Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
Lu:22:37: For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
Lu:22:38: And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Advice like that is certainly not the advice of a pacifist. But we must look further at the New Testament record and when we do, we find that in the last book to be written, Revelation, we are again face to face with war. Not only do we find the people of God resisting the violence of the enemy but we find Jesus Christ returning to make war against sinful man on earth. This is what we read about Christ:

M't:10:34: Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Lu:12:51: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

Re:19:11: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Re:19:12: His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Re:19:13: And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Re:19:14: And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Re:19:15: And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Whilst much of the Book of Revelation is symbolic, there is no doubting the message of these words and certainly not symbolic of a pacifistic approach. Again, the words of the sixth commandment, which were repeated by Christ are often quoted to support the pacifist argument. They are simply these:

Ex:20:13: Thou shalt not kill.

But when we analyze the word "kill" we find that, in Hebrew or Greek, there are two words for kill. The original word used in the Ten Commandments implies violent killing of a personal enemy and consequently is translated with its real meaning matches the Hebrew (ratsach) and implies to murder.

You shall not murder, or You shall not commit murder

If we were to understand the command, "You shall not kill""in Exodus Ch. 20 compared to (Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.). as a definite prohibition against taking human life under any circumstances, we would be confronted with a divine contradiction
when we read in Ch. 21 that God himself commanded that a person should be put to death for reasons such as murder, kidnapping, assault on one's parents and even the act of cursing them. Referring back to the 6th commandment we should also notice that whenever Jesus quoted it, the original Greek word meaning was used 'MURDER". and matches the Greek (phoneuo)

M't:19:18: He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder.

That there is such a thing as justifiable war is evidenced by the fact that the principles of lawful war are specified in Deuteronomy Ch. 20: 1-20 which commences with the significant statement:

De:20:1: When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies

Numerous references could be given to God commanding his people to make war on those who were opposed to him. and also noted, God not only permitted, but commanded a just war on his enemies:

De:25:19: Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

If it were true that the Bible taught "pacifism" we would not expect to find the imagery of war so prominent in its pages. The son of God is encouraged to fight as wholeheartedly in the spiritual realm as a good soldier does in war.

1Tm:6:12: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2Tm:4:1: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2Tm:4:2: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2Tm:4:3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

When Paul wishes to describe the state of preparedness in which the son of God must always be found, he uses the analogy of a fighting man. From the armour which he wears in battle, he draws lessons for son of God living. If Paul had been a pacifist it would not only have been illogical but thoroughly mis-leading for him to have written in these terms. However when we read the New Covenant, far from finding the profession of arms to be viewed with disfavour, we find that it is accepted as a legitimate occupation. There is not a hint that the soldier's calling is dishonourable or unlawful. For example, Jesus Christ denounced the merchants in the temple precincts but never spoke a critical word regarding any of the military men with whom he came in contact. Our Lord described his immediate predecessor, John the Baptist, as being amongst the greatest of the prophets. Now when he preached in the Jordan area men of various types came under his stern denunciation. But one day he was approached by a group of soldiers who had been moved by his challenge to repent and they asked him.

Lu:3:14: And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

He told them they must not extort by violence from people with whom they had to deal or falsely accuse or terrorise by virtue of their position. But he did not suggest that they should cease to be military men. In fact, he envisaged them continuing to draw their wages with contentment. If the teaching of the Bible was that of pacifism John would have answered their question by pointing out the error of military service and commanding them to give up that way of life. ln the New Covenant, we also find four centurions mentioned. These were Roman officers who commanded approximately one hundred soldiers. The interesting thing is that each of these centurions is actually commended in some respect.

Lu:7:9: When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Lu:23:47: Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

Ac:10:1: There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
Ac:10:2: A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Ac:27:42: And the soldiers counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
Ac:27:43: But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
Ac:27:44: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

The home of one of them, Cornelius, became the locality of the first non-Jewish Christian church. After he and others with him received the gospel and were baptized, the Apostle Peter stayed and instructed him in the ways of God. But in the preaching of Peter there was no suggestion that, as a member of society or especially as a Christian, he should refrain from following a military occupation. War is a dreadful thing. The true horror of it is most clearly seen by those, especially military men, who are called to engage in it. No rational person would ever choose war in its modern form and all responsible people (civil or military) have peace as their goal.
In this respect the soldier, sailor or airman resembles a policeman. Peace is his objective but the policeman must be ready to deal with those who break the peace.

Pacifism, carried to its logical conclusion. would not only abolish military forces which seek to preserve law and order in relation to the defence of a country. It would have to abolish the police force which seeks to maintain law and order within the boundaries of the state. In an imperfect world there will always be men motivated by evil desires. Jesus himself told of an incident in which the tenants killed the owner's son when he tried to collect the rent. The conclusion was that the young man's father forcibly destroyed them in turn - and this Jesus accepted as the natural outcome of the tenants' wickedness.(Matt 21.33-41)

M't:21:33: Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:..................
M't:21:40: When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
M't:21:41: They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

The Bible gives each man the right to defend his person, his family and his property from attack. We cannot envisage, for example, any normal father adopting the philosophy of pacifism, when an intruder has broken into his home and is attacking his wife and children. Any responsible man would seize whatever weapon was available and use it to drive off the assailant. The principle is exactly the same, whether it is a man defending his family or a policeman defending a community or a soldier defending his country. We may sum up by affirming that peace is the son of Gods goal. He proclaims divine peace in his heart and life through Jesus Christ. He points the only way to peace whether in personal, national or international affairs. But so long as sin prevails and men reject the Peace of God there will be a call for the sons of God to defend himself and others against the violent onslaughts of sinful men. The son of God has the authority of God's word to do so, and even in the midst of a warring world his objective will be peace - real peace- not pacifism.

We should be taking up Spiritual arms against Demonic forces in this world sons of God, and speak against the unrighteous laws, using our tongues as swords and curse the people that create such laws, speak blindness on their person, speak dumbness on their lives speak death to their plans.

Don't let pacifism take hold of you and feel guilty for judging the world with righteousness.

As sons of God he gave us the weapons. We may not always win, but we are still standing so continue the good fight, WE WILL WIN.

1Tm:6:12: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

M't:17:20: And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

M't:21:21: Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

M'r:16:17: And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

Heb:4:12: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Re:1:16: And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Re:2:16: Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Re:19:15: And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Re:2:16: Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.