SHOULD A CHRISTIAN FIGHT?
By Dick
Carmack
2853
words approx.
QUESTION:
Should
a Christian fight in armed resistance against a tyrannical government, or
should he submit and turn the other cheek? What is our biblical duty?
Because
of the times in which we live and because of the strong possibility that an
attempt may one day soon be made to overthrow the Constitutionally authorized
government of this country and to install a dictatorship, the question arises:
Should or should not a Christian fight to help preserve his country and his way
of 1ife?
What
is our Christian duty? Should we resist not evil (Matt. 5:39)? or do we sell
our garments and buy a sword (Luke 22:36)? Whatever our own predisposition, we
should first determine and then do The Lord’s Will.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Sgt.
Alvin York was a World War I Congressional Medal of Honor winner for his
exploits in the Argonne Forest in France. York single-handedly outshot an
entire German machine gun battalion, killing 25 men in the process, and later
the same day, along with seven of his men brought in 132 German prisoners. His
explanation was that God had been with him during the fiqht.
York
was a rowdy youth, later experiencing conversion in a fundamental Kentucky
church. He was a Christian who applied for conscientious objector status at the
beginning of American involvement in World War I, believing deeply in the
instructions given by Jesus in Matt. 5:39, “resist not evil.” He was denied
objector status and drafted.
He
went then to his commanding officer Major George Edward Buxton, a “devout New
Englander” who so impressed York that he later named a son after him. “The
Major began by quoting Christ’s admonition ‘He that hath no sword, let him sell
his cloak and buy one’ (Luke 22:36), and asked York if the Christ who drove the
moneychangers from the temple would ignore German ‘war crimes’ in Belgium. He
pointed out that Jesus had told his followers, ‘For my kingdom is not of this
world; but if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight” (John
18:36). Buxton argued that the United States was an earthly government due the
‘things that are Caesar’s’ and therefore the Christian servants of that
government should fight for its preservation. He ended by reading a passage
from Ezekiel (33:1-6) that clearly suggested that the Lord expected his people
to defend themselves.”
If
this is true, then if a military coup is executed against this country, the
same would apply to us. i.e. an obligation to defend the Republic and its
Constitution against the aggressors. Is not the presently constituted United
States an earthly government and due the things of Caesar’s?
Regarding
the reference to Ezekiel 33 by Major Buxton, it seems incumbent upon us to at
least “blow the trumpet and warn the people” (Ezek 33:3). Beyond that the
Scriptures clearly state that “whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and
taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be
upon his own head” (verse 4).
Why
blow the trumpet if we are not expected to defend ourselves against evil? Is
the trumpet only for a warning to hide? By the way, in verse 2 of the passage
the Lord says that He is
bringing the sword against the land. Today, in the United States of America it
surely seems the Lord is again bringing the sword against a land, our land. The
very least we must do is to sound the warning.
John
R. Rice says a clear teaching of the Bible is Romans chapter 13 and elsewhere
where Christians are admonished to be subject to the rulers of their country.
The ruler is said to be the minister of God, even in bearing the sword. “The
soldier in the army acting under orders from the ruler or the government may be
the minister of God in helping to put down bandits, insurrection, or godless
rulers who set out to murder millions as did Hitler. ‘The powers that be are
ordained of God’ applies to this matter. So Christians should sometimes go to
war as their government may require."
Again quoting
Dr. Rice: "Question: Is it ever right for Christians to
have a
part in a revolution against the government?
"Answer: I think that the case of
Jeroboam in I Kings 12, who rebelled against Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, and the
case of Jehu in 2 Kings 9, who rebelled against Jehoram, king of Israel, show
that God sometimes is in favor of a revolution against a wicked king.
“As
a citizen, a Christian is to obey the laws of the land and be subject to the
rulers of the land. But as a person responsible to God to help in the
government of which he is a part, a citizen may sometimes need to change the
government. In America we do that by voting for this president or that, and
this governor or that, but sometimes a change may necessarily need to be done
by a revolution. Certainly only in a very clear case of wicked oppression
should a Christian take part in a revolution.”
So
Dr. Rice thinks there are certain times when revolution is justified.
J.
Vernon McGee, another respected commentator says regarding Luke 22:36, “The
Lord said, ‘He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.’ Why?
For self-protection, of course. They were living in days that required a sword.
We need to recognize that fact also. If we do not resist evil today, all kinds
of evil will befall us. We could end up in a hospital or have some of our loved
ones slain. You do not need to overdo this thing and make your home an armed
garrison, but you do need to protect yourself.”
For
the sake of argument let’s say that our politicians or some other
conspiratorial group attempts to forcibly take this country into an international
“New World Order.” Are they still ordained of God? Or, have they stepped
outside of the definition of “ordained powers” and are now opposing them?
Obviously, they are in opposition to the “powers that be.”
Dr.
Robert L. Moyer says a Christian should not always obey human government.
“There may come times when there will be a clash between state and church…When
such a clash comes, in the words of the apostles, ‘we must obey God rather than
men.’” Moyer continues, “Shall a Christian go to war? Our answer is yes. If
your government calls, you are obligated to obey. In 1 Peter 2:13—14 Peter adds
his voice to that of Paul. saying, ‘Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord’s sake:"
A
secular authority, the American Declaration of Independence tells us, “But when
a long train of abuses and usurpation, pursuing invariably the same Object
evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it
is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for
their future security.”
On the
other side of the coin, Christian history is replete with examples of
Christians that went to their deaths without apparent resistance and it often
seems that the Gospel is furthered more in those instances, than when war is
employed.
Looking
closely at the examples given in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, we realize that these
people were killed (burned, hanged, beheaded etc.) not for turning the other
cheek, but for precisely the
opposite reason. They were killed for resisting the power of the state, that is, they refused to bow down to
the King or Pope and were executed for that reason. If they had turned the
other cheek and resisted not evil, they
would have lived. But they chose to obey God and not men (Acts 5:29).
It
is an important question and one that needs to be answered definitively and
with full authority of the Scripture.
CONCLUSIONS:
First,
we should understand what a “ruler” is. In the case of a monarchy, or a
dictatorship, the ruler is the king or the “Head of State.” In the case of an
oligarchy (such as Saudi Arabia) the ruler is the small group of men who rule
the country. In the case of a democracy, the “ruler” is the whim or vote of the
people at that particular time. In the case of a Constitutional Republic such
as the United States, the constitution and its written body of law is the
ruler. The President and other elected and appointed officials are transient
and are only empowered to carry out the law and to amend it by lawful
procedure. Our President therefore, is not our ruler, he is merely the
instrument by which law (the
ruler) is enforced. To whom does the Supreme Court turn when there is a
question as to the lawfulness or unlawfulness of a particular statute? Do they
ask the President? Of course not, they go to the constitution.
Therefore,
in the case of a military coup or armed insurrection against our constitution
we are both free and duty bound to resist tyranny and to help restore
legitimate, constitutional government.
The
question as to whether we are free to resist, in case the New World Order is
duly voted in and ratified according to the Constitution however has
not been answered.
If
it is the will of the people to become subject to a New World Order or any
other kind of a government, and this is obtained by lawful procedure, then we are duty bound to respect
that decision and to submit to the new government, or leave. But, if that New
World Order is in the process of coming about by deceit, or by disregard of
existing law (therefore God— given power), or by force, we are duty bound to
resist that new government until such time that it is plain, one way or
another, that God’s Will has
been done.
Beyond
the obvious deceit being practiced at every level of government, our present
federal government is in clear violation of the 10th Amendment to the
Constitution and is thereby an unlawful government which must either be
corrected or resisted, because it is in the process of subverting and
thereby overthrowing a God Ordained government.
The
10th Amendment reads: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people.” Has our federal government assumed powers not
delegated to them? The list is endless. Myriad laws have been passed by
Congress giving the central government powers that were not specifically
enumerated, and are therefore illegal.
If
conspirators attempt overthrowal by subverting the law1 we should
resist with the weapon of law. If they attempt overthrowal by force of arms we
should resist with arms.
Surely
we have to use judgment and seek the sense and the context of the verse when
applying Romans 13:1-7, or any other passage. Paul is speaking of duly
constituted powers, i.e. legitimate governments, not just any “power.” “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.”
If
an armed group of bandits break into your home and assault you and your family,
they certainly are “powers that be” at that particular time, but they certainly
are not what Paul is speaking of above and certainly must be resisted.
1
Tim. 5:8 “But if any provide not for his own and specially for those of his own
house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
If
we accept Matthew, “resist not evil,” and reject Luke, “sell your garment
and buy a sword,” or vice versa, we
are indulging in private interpretation. As we ponder these questions we must
be sure to seek the whole counsel of God, not just those teachings that we are
predisposed to adopt. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is
of any private interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:20).
In the
case of the American rebellion against King George, in the beginning it
appeared to be against Romans 13. Twenty-seven reasons are given in The
Declaration of Independence arid not one of them is religious. Somewhere
however, and assumedly for reasons given above, during the course of the war
(perhaps at Valley Forge and because of the prayers of George Washington and
multitudes of Christian patriots seeking freedom), God apparently stepped in on
the American side and has been there ever since, up to and including World War
II. I believe it is plain in retrospect that King George had overstepped his
authority and had thereby rendered himself, “illegitimate.” When he did, God
plainly came down on the side of the revolutionaries.
Now
however, a new threat looms over our country. A specter of totalitarian
government is seen, presently operating under the “authority” of the United
Nations (1945) and many disciples of Christ are being persuaded into the “New
World Order.” If in fact, either a person or a group of persons act illegally
and perhaps with violence to force our participation in this modern Babel,
under the authority of Romans 13, I maintain it is the Christian’s duty to resist with all possible means
including a retaliatory force if that becomes necessary.
Having
said all this, how can we ignore Matthew 5:39? The answer is Jesus was teaching
us how we should live with, and react to other individuals. In verse 38 He
said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for
a tooth; (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. (40) and if any man
will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.”
This
is not an instruction to a nation, it is an instruction for our private,
personal lives and interactions with others. Instructions concerning our relationships
to governments are given in Romans 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.” That does not include individuals who happen to be the
strongest at the moment, it
does not include renegade groups (be they large or small) who are acting outside
of the law.
Verse
3 makes this plain: “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil
(emphasis mine) Verses 6 and 7 also clarify, “For this cause pay ye tribute
also: for they are God’s ministers (7) Render therefore to all their dues:
tribute to whom tribute is due “ (taxes and allegiance). We don’t
pay taxes or allegiance to terrorists or to illegal "governments."
It is important
to understand the distinction between individuals and governments whether they
are local or national. Perhaps this has
something to do with the fact that as individuals we will live again and will
be judged in a future time. Nations, governments, however have to be dealt with
and judged on this earth.
The
question today however is not our duty in time of declared war. That is clear,
we are subject to every ordinance of government and therefore obligated
to fight as a soldier. The present question is this: If a strong man or a group
of conspirators are in the process of establishing themselves as the new
government but are using illegal means, they are rebelling against “the
powers that be,” and as subjects
of that power we are obligated to oppose them. If they win however, apparently they are ordained, or at least
tolerated by God and therefore to be obeyed.
A
clarifying example: During World War II German soldiers fought against the
Allied Powers. That was their duty as long as the outcome was in doubt. But,
when the Allies won, those same
soldiers submitted to the new government.
I
believe it boils down to this: Once a new government is firmly in place and has
no further resistance, whether it got there by election or by revolution, we
are bound biblically to obey it.
“Submit
yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the
king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the
will of God (emphasis mine),
that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (1
Peter 2: 13-15).
UNLESS
the new “powers that be” order its citizenry to perform in opposition to
biblical teachings.
“Then Peter and the
other apostles answered and said, We ought to
obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
But,
if a group is in the process of illegally overthrowing an existing, legitimate
government, and their success is not yet, then we are biblically bound to
oppose that effort.
In
the present situation, we do indeed have conspirators who are attempting to
take over the United States by stealth and as loyal subjects we are obligated
to resist, in allegiance to our present Constitutional Republic that has been
ordained by God. As Christians, we are duty bound, biblically to oppose with
all our might the present attempt to subvert our country because God has made
it clear through His Scriptures (Ro.13). If however, we lose, then we are just
as duty bound to submit to the “New” World Order. Because of that my advice to
readers is this: Don’t lose.
There
is a story about the animals getting together for the purpose of creating a
world without war. Various proposals were put forth: The elephants and the
rhinos said the world should outlaw all claws and teeth. The lion and the tiger
were insistent that horns should in no circumstance be allowed. The bear said
“let’s all be friends and just hug.”
In
closing let me tell the story of a gentle Quaker who was schooled in, and
subservient to the teachings of the Bible. One night, hearing a strange noise
in his house, he got up and found a burglar busily at work where the silverware
was kept. Reaching for his gun, he entered the room and said,
“Friend, I would do thee no harm for all this world, but
friend, thou standest where I am about to shoot.”
