Just War
Notes
Transcript
Just War Theory
Just War Theory
First, some context.
God is angry with us, but he forgives.
Only the offended party can forgive.
Christians are called to forgive, at times with and without repentance of the offending party. (ex. Acts 7:60, Lk 23:34, Col. 3:13)
Punishment can exist with and without repentance. Rom. 13:4
Forgiving does not mean removing punishment.
Therefore, the government may punish someone or some group with or without Christian forgiveness.
Jesus himself instituted the separation of church and state:
Christian Standard Bible Chapter 12
17 Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
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Two main forms of Christian passivism:
Sentimental passivism (aka naive passivism). War can be avoided by diplomacy.
Rigorous passivism. Recognizes that evil must be restrained by government, but thinks that the Christian should not participate in it.
I want to demonstrate that:
Evil is rightfully restrained by government.
Christians should participate in just wars.
Troops are only responsible for their own actions and do not need to second guess every order from government.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But
If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.
Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks.
Some soldiers also questioned him, “What should we do?”
He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God. About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”
Staring at him in awe, he said, “What is it, Lord?”
The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him. After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
D. A. Carson Sermon Library Just War
i. The only just cause for going to war is defense against violent aggression.
ii. The only just intention is to restore a just peace to friend and foe alike.
iii. Military force must be the last resort after negotiations and other efforts have been tried and have failed.
iv. The decision to engage in such a just war must be made by the highest governmental authority; it is not a private matter.
v. The war must be for limited ends. In other words, to repel aggression, to redress injustice, not in order to exploit or colonialize.
vi. The means of just war must be limited by proportionality to the offense. In other words, if someone comes and bombs one of your cities, you don’t nuke the nation.
vii. There must be no intentional and direct attack on noncombatants.
viii. War should not be prolonged where there is no reasonable hope of success within these limits.
War can only be second best:
He will settle disputes among the nations
and provide arbitration for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
Can a Christian be patriotic?