Infallibility and Inerrancy of the Bible

Question

What do you if you’re a Christian in the military and you’re put in a position where you have to push a button or pull a trigger that will kill someone?

Let’s Talk About It

Intro:

Given the context that I work in, this question comes up quite frequently and mostly from people who will more than likely never be put in this position.

But it’s still a good question, so let’s get into it.

Head- What are the facts?

(Scripture Support; cite verses on screen, don’t verbally list them all)

The Scriptures do make a distinction between murder and justified killing.

Murder, the evil intent to take a person’s life, is clearly forbidden and whereas justified killing, the action of taking a person’s life morally, ethically, and legally, is actually sometimes called for.

The times that we see it called for deal always with the holy wrath of God being directed towards rebellious sinners.

Perhaps you’re thinking, yeah sure that’s the Old Testament, but what about in the New?

Interestingly enough, in Paul’s letter to the Christians of Rome, in his discourse regarding the necessity to obey the governing authority there established by God, he makes note of the the role of the sword the government bears, saying that the centurion does not bear it for nothing.

While this is not an argument justifying the Christian to kill in the military, it is important to recognize that killing bad people is within the realm of the government’s responsibility and authority.

Heart- What are the reflections?

So what exactly does that mean for FC3 Blue Falcon who is ordered to press the big red button that will send a missile to an enemy target located in a small village? Or for Specialist Window Licker who is ordered to suppress enemy fire?

Given that Scripture does not give any indication that the man or woman in the military is hindered to function within the sphere of their God-given authority, the question to really ask is whether or not the order to kill meets the prerequisites for the following three criteria:

Is it moral?

Is it ethical?

Is it legal?

If an order fails to check all three prerequisites, you might very well be setting yourself up to tied to a war crime. When we consider the Nuremberg Trials, there is a reason that the Nazi defense of “I was just following orders” didn’t fly. As Christians, because we answer to a higher Authority beyond our Commanding Officer, we have a responsibility to ensure that we proceed forward in a manner that honors God and the fellow image-bearer that we are about to execute God’s justice upon.

I am intentional about the phrasing of that, as well. The enemies you may be called to kill are very much image-bearers of God and that should put an important kind of weightiness and burden on your soul.

But it’s for this reason that I believe it should be only Christians out there in the killing field, because it is Christians, more than anyone else, who understands the eternal implications at hand and where they will be able to find their strength to respond in the best, obedient way possible.

To be sure, I certainly don’t want the people who only feel recoil when they take a person’s life. I want men and women who knows what’s at stake and where they can find the grace and hope they need to persevere. This is especially true when it comes to collateral damage, where there is the possibility of killing innocent civilians in the midst of this chaotic mess.

Hands- What is the response?

So how do we move forward from here?

I encourage you to consider the cost of what may be expected out of you and seriously pray to God for the discernment and wisdom to know if you are called to this sort of life.

I encourage you to consider how you walk with God through this, how you keep Christ first through this, and keep sin out of your life through this.

And if you’re the kind of person who joined the military so that you could kill someone, I encourage you to seriously repent from such a murderous mentality and reconsider your life decisions before you follow through on something terrible that you will never be able to take back.

Conclusion

What are your thoughts? Should Christians in the military outright refuse any order of justified killing? Should Christians even join the military at all? I’d be curious to hear your perspectives in the comment section below.

Nomadic Hesed out.