Human Conflict⤒🔗

Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth;
I have not come to bring peace but a sword.Matthew 10:34

War is as old as sin. And despite all the efforts of the pacifists, this present world will never see an end to war. For conflict and strife are very much a part of the human condition which has existed since the Fall of Adam and Eve in Paradise. Many out of hatred, greed, and envy, lust for power and domination, for spoil and for revenge. Others oppose them with force out of fear, love of one's faith, defence of one's country, or to correct injustice.

The root cause of war is the existence of two opposing forces in the world; namely, the principles of righteousness versus iniquity, God over against the devil. They can never live in harmony together. The one must win; the other must be vanquished. It is a conflict that already began in heaven, when the devil and his angels rebelled against God, and were defeated, but still continued to fight on. With the Fall in Paradise that conflict was extended to mankind. With the death and resurrection of Christ, earth has become the last battle-ground. When Cain out of envy slew his brother Abel, the blood of man was shed for the first time. That unprovoked murder set the tone for future human relations. Man against man; nation against nation.

Human conflict and warfare is better recorded and analyzed than any other aspect of history. That is partly due to man's natural intrigue with violence, power, and action. It usually provides exciting material for novels and films. Interest in warfare is also high because there has been so much of it, usually with dramatic effects on the course of history. The study of war is therefore too important to ignore.

Recorded History←⤒🔗

We read of the wars of the ancient Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and Egyptians to name only a few. Much is mentioned of them in the Bible. At some point in history these nations rose to great heights on the strength of their military prowess, only to fall victim to some new rising power. Small tribes and nations succumbed to first one conqueror, then another, only — like the ten lost tribes of Israel — to be swallowed up and disappear. One glorious and invincible empire followed another.

History books abound on the fall of Rome, the chaos of the so-called Dark Ages, the crusades against the Moslem invaders of the Holy Land of Palestine, the discovery and subjugation of the Americas, the constant warfare between England, France, Spain, and Prussia of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and the American Civil War. These are only some of the well-known highlights of more than 6,000 years of continual bloodshed and destruction.

Most of us are probably much less familiar with the history of such distant regions as Asia, Africa, and South America. It should come as no surprise to us that the records of these parts of the world are no better than those of Europe, Asia Minor, and North America. Warfare is common to all nations no matter how large or small, how rich or poor, whether Christian or non-Christian. No island paradise of innocence exists.

The twentieth century has certainly shown no improvement. World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars. So much of the globe was involved, the military might so awesome, and the killing and destruction so enormous, that when it ended in 1919, the world leaders were determined that nothing like it should ever be permitted to happen again. They established the League of Nations to make sure of it. Scarcely 20 years later the world was again plunged into a world war, one even more destructive and costly in terms of human suffering than the first one. The Second World War is still recent history. It was followed by the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless other wars too numerous to mention and too quickly forgotten.

It is revealing that as man was supposedly progressing and improving his knowledge, his reason, and his under-standing, history shows no consequent improvement in his nature. The same nature that drove the Persians to wage war against the Babylonians, and the Romans against the Carthaginians, still persists in man today. The urge to make war is still the same; only the means to do it have changed drastically and frightfully over the centuries. The musket and cannon replaced the sword and spear. They in turn were made obsolete by the machine gun, tank, and fighter plane. Now the destructive power of these relatively modern weapons pales in comparison to the destruction that nuclear bombs can bring.

Pro and Con←⤒🔗

Over the centuries, not everyone supported the use of war. Some have glorified it as manly and heroic, while others have denounced it as evil. Many of the early Christians opposed war, refusing to serve in the Roman army. This was not so much a matter of principle for them but more a case of objecting to a government which persecuted Christians and demanded the worship of idols. This attitude changed when the Emperor Constantine became a Christian in 312 A.D. Gradually the Roman army became a Christian army and by 416 A.D. all non-Christians had officially been purged. Since then such Christian sectarian groups as the Anabaptists and the Quakers have defended absolute pacifism, if not for the world, at least for themselves. More recently, this belief in pacifism has been adopted by many Modernist churches. With their expectation that they can reform society, many Modernists have become obsessed with the utopian ideal of a world without war. They believe that man is indeed capable of achieving this ideal.

The Bible, the source of our convictions, is condemned as making contradictory statements with respect to war. Both pacifists and militarists appeal to it to support their positions. Those opposed to war for any reason will quote such passages as Exodus 20:13, "You shall not kill," Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God," and Romans 12:19, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God." Those who regard military solutions to many of the world's problems as entirely justified will counter with Exodus 15:3, "The LORD is a man of war,"

Deuteronomy 7:2, "And when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them; then you must utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, and show no mercy to them,"​ and Romans 13:4, " ... for he (i.e., the ruler) does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoers."

How can these apparently conflicting statements be reconciled? The answer is that Bible passages such as Exodus 20:13 and Matthew 5:9 refer to the proper conduct for people as individuals, and does not apply to civil government in the exercise of its authority and responsibilities. A person on his own initiative may not kill someone else, for this would be murder. Yet it is clear from several passages in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy that the civil authorities have the duty to execute offenders against certain laws of God. It is also evident from the Old Testament that God does not forbid war; indeed He often demanded it. Nor does the New Testament prohibit war. When the soldiers come to John the Baptist asking what they should do, he does not tell them to quit the army, or to refuse to fight. Instead he said, "Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages." There was nothing wrong with their military vocation, only they should not abuse the power and authority this gave them over the people.

Last Resort←⤒🔗

All this is not to say that war should be regarded as a desirable thing. It should not be viewed as the first solution to the world's problems, but should be used only as a last resort, and only for the right reasons. The obvious reason is one of self-defence. There comes a time, after peaceable negotiations have failed, that the only recourse to stop aggression is the use of force. If all aggression were to be met with nonresistance only, those who are driven by hatred, lust for power, and by greed, would rule the world. It is clear from the Bible that God repeatedly directed nations to use force for the suppression of evil. Israel was ordered to utterly destroy the nations of Canaan as later Assyria and Babylon were used to punish degenerate Israel and Judah. These were clearly not cases of self-defence but of correcting injustice and un-righteousness.

Instrument←⤒🔗

War is an instrument in the hand of God used throughout history in order that His will may be done and that His judgments may be carried out. It is not a matter of merely permitting war; war is waged at the express direction of God. God says of the Assyrian, "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury! Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder." Moses and the Israelites were well aware they were obeying the will of God in regards to the destruction of the Canaanites. The Babylonians and Assyrians did not receive their orders through prophets of God, yet unwittingly they did His will. The same is true of all human actions throughout history. John Calvin states in Book One, Chapter 18 of his Institutes,

That men do nothing save at the secret instigation of God, and do not discuss and deliberate on anything but what He has previously decreed with Himself, and brings to pass by His secret direction, is proved by numberless clear passages of Scripture. What we formerly quoted from the Psalms, to the effect that he does whatever pleases him, certainly extends to all the actions of men.

Today when there is such wide-spread fear over the possibility of a nuclear holocaust it is reassuring to know that history is unfolding according to God's will. The future, also in terms of war and strife among the nations, is in His hands. Christ did not come to bring peace and harmony to this world but to win the war between good and evil. This He has done. Satan has lost the crucial battle but evil still continues to thrive in this world. And it will do so until the triumphant return of Christ. In the mean-time wars in the name of justice and righteousness will have to be fought time and again as they have been fought in the past.