Tag Archives: soldiers

Good soldiers of Jesus Christ

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One other New Testament point against pacifism needs to be examined. What about the positive references to soldiers? Why would Paul compare Christian life to soldiering if being a soldier was inherently sinful? Why encourage Timothy to endure hardship as a “good soldier of Christ Jesus” if being a soldier were unthinkable?

It could be pointed out that the New Testament does use bad people to teach lessons: the unjust steward in Luke 16, the corrupt judge in Luke 18, the idea of Jesus coming as a “thief in the night.” But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Christians aren’t told to imitate any of those men, yet Timothy is told to be like a soldier.

I think we have proof yet again that military life was not repugnant to the early church. This seems to fit with the Book of Acts, where Paul and others seemingly showed courtesy and respect to military men. (Though it should be pointed out that respect was shown to all men; Jesus and His followers only showed anger and condemnation toward those who pretended to be religious but had ungodly hearts)

This is a far cry, however, from Christians choosing to become soldiers. As I pointed out in the comments on Tuesday, pagan worship was an integral part of Roman public life. There was no separation of church and state. Ritual sacrifices were a regular occurrence in military life. It would have been extremely difficult for a Christian to be part of the army without being pressured to be a part of those pagan activities. Rome’s triumphs were victories for Rome’s gods; could Christians contribute to that?

My understanding of 2 Timothy 2:4 prevents me from considering a military life, even as it refers to soldiers. (!) How can I, as an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven, pledge my loyalty to an earthly kingdom? How can I get involved in “civilian affairs” while I’m serving as a soldier of Christ? I don’t see how I can serve two masters, being a soldier of Christ and a soldier of a human nation.

Could what we see in the New Testament possibly be the path for us: respect for those who serve, yet separation for ourselves? That’s the path I feel called to at present. I’ll present more of the whys next week.

[The artwork is of Sabbas Stratelates, 3rd century Christian who became a general in the Roman army, then was martyred upon refusing to renounce his faith. Taken from Wikimedia Commons]

Onward Christian soldiers?

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So what do we do with the positive examples of soldiers in the New Testament? Doesn’t the existence of men like Cornelius mean that soldiering is not inherently sinful? To the dismay of hardline pacifists everywhere, I’d say yes. It does show that soldiers can be pleasing to God.

Just to try and anger everyone, let me point out that the text doesn’t tell us whether Christians becoming soldiers is pleasing to God. Since we don’t see that in the New Testament, we can’t argue either way from these examples. Did these men continue soldiering after becoming Christian? Did they limit their participation in any way? Those questions go unanswered.

But I find the soldiers in Luke 3 fascinating. Who are these guys? It’s extremely unlikely that these were Jews who had joined the Roman army. They might be Romans who had become Jews, though it’s more likely they were god-fearers at best. Still, it’s an incredible sight to see these representatives of Rome coming to a crazy Jewish prophet for spiritual guidance.

And the guidance John gives reminds us that, at that moment any way, these soldiers were performing police duties, rather than fighting on the front lines. But he doesn’t say “Resign,” nor does he rebuke them for their position.

The centurion with great faith (Matthew 8) is another important character. He gets nothing but praise from Jesus. No “Go and sin no more.” No “Sell all your weapons and give the money to the poor.” Nothing but “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.”

Cornelius was a man pleasing to God. His example upsets the theology of many, especially with the text’s emphasis on the role of Cornelius’ good works in his being chosen by God. Good works done while serving as a Roman officer.

Some thoughts on these examples:

  1. Like it or not, in each instance we see men who are serving in a role that today would be a police force. I know that doesn’t set well with those who want to argue that Christians can never bear arms nor with those who want to use these men to argue for Christians serving in the military.
  2. Contrary to what you may have heard, however, the early church was not completely pacifistic. In reviewing a book called Defending Constantine, Ben Witherington refutes that idea rather thoroughly:
    • Both Tertulian and Eusebius relate a story of Christians in Marcus Aurelius’ army who prayed for water for the troops
    • Historians can point to solid evidence that there were Christians in the armies in North Africa and the eastern and western fronts
    • When Constantine had his vision of the cross, he sought out Christians among his troops to help him interpret the sign
  3. As I’ve written about before, Hippolytus gives us insight into how some Christians dealt with military service: soldiers who were converted didn’t have to quit, but they were limited in what they could rightfully do. And Christians were not allowed to join.

While the examples of soldiers in the New Testament doesn’t settle any issues, it does remind us that pacifists need to be careful not to overstate their case.

The Bible & War: A Non-Pacifist New Testament Reading

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Having done a quick survey of the Old Testament, we move to the New Testament. I’d like to say that things really come into focus, but we only have to read a bit among Christian writers to realize that isn’t so.
As best I can, let me present the passages used by the pro-involvement side (choosing my terms carefully). As I move farther away from this view, it’s harder for me to objectively present these arguments, so I encourage others to comment and help us keep balance.

  • In Luke 3:14, when soldiers come to John the Baptist asking what they should do to show their repentance, John tells them to not extort and to be content with their wages. Not only are they not told to leave the military, they are not given any instructions about limiting their participation.
  • Several soldiers are presented in a favorable light, such as the Roman centurion who showed great faith in Jesus (Matthew 8), Cornelius (Acts 10) and numerous Roman officers in the book of Acts.
  • In Acts, when a group of Jews sought to kill Paul, Paul sought protection from the Roman military.
  • Paul compared Christian life to military life. (passages like Ephesians 6:10ff and 2 Timothy 2:3-4)
  • Jesus said that He had not come to bring peace but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)
  • Jesus told His followers that they would need swords in the future. (Luke 22:36)
  • Though many think of Jesus as the Prince of Peace, He is also portrayed as one who will punish God’s enemies. (passages like 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 and Revelation 19)
  • Jesus strikes down the nations with a sword in Revelation.

Are there other New Testament passages that should be presented when making a case for Christians participating in the military?

Edit [9:20 a.m., 5/11/11]: I left out the text of texts, the trump card of trump cards—Romans 13. Apologies. Christians must submit to the government which bears the sword and has been charged with punishing evildoers. That is a very important text.