The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, XVI: Peace and War
I read a number one day that was a little bit mind boggling. And it was this. In the last 3,400 years humans have been at peace world wide for 268 of those years. This means that in that time humans have rarely been at peace. And so, Christians throughout the ages have given a lot of thought to peace and war. They have lived through a lot of it and have desired to be faithful in times of peace and war.
Some sections of the Baptist Faith and Message are clearly born out of the history of the Christian tradition. And this is one of those sections. In an attempt to be faithful to the teachings of our Lord in a world with so much war, men like Augustine and then later Thomas Aquinas, worked to develop what we now call “Just War Theory”. And “Just War Theory” is presupposed in our understanding of “Peace and War”.
Three characteristics arose out of “Just War Theory”. It must be a last resort and declared by legitimate authority. Every feasible avenue of peace should be sought. And it must be declared by a person who has the authority to do so. Second, it must have just cause. Self-defense would be one just cause. Another would be to protect innocent life. And third, it should have a reasonable prospect of success. In other words, it is wrong to send your people into a war that they have no hope of winning.
This understanding of war came out of Christianity and is still used by every civilized nation in the world today. And this understanding of war that comes out of Christianity’s long and thoughtful tradition.
XVI. Peace and War
It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.
The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 5:9,38-48; 6:33; 26:52; Luke 22:36,38; Romans 12:18-19; 13:1-7; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; James 4:1-2.
Our statement begins with us as individuals and works outward. And at the end of the statement, it moves back to us as individuals. I believe this to be on purpose. Christians are to be people of peace. We are to be people who seek peace, work for peace, and pray for peace.
It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.
This section is about peace and war, but we must begin with ourselves. We are to begin by being people of peace ourselves.
Jesus made it clear that Christians are to be people of peace. It is the peacemakers, not the warmongers that are called “sons of God”.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 ESV)
Jesus’s people will be people of peace. Peace is central to who we are.
Christians began their lives in a stature of warfare and animosity toward the Lord (Romans 5:10). But Christians are those people who have been redeemed by the Prince of Peace and given the peace of God (Ephesians 1:7, Philippians 4:7). We are those who have peace with God. And that is something that has been given to us by God. Peace matters a great deal to the believer.
Peace in the biblical sense is much greater than that. Peace in the biblical sense means completeness or wholeness. And we understand that the peace we have in the Lord is not just an absence of conflict, but completeness. We have peace with God because our sins are forgiven in Christ and we are brought into fellowship with Him.
This peace with God is to overflow into our loves with other people. Therefore, we seek peace with all people.
“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18 ESV)
Our peace overflows in our lives. And it is especially seen in our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Now, that phrase, “on principles of righteousness” is an important one. Our peace with people is not to be at the expense of the truth. There are fights that are worth having. In fact, there are some fights that we must have if we are going to obey God’s Word. A false teacher in a church is not to be treated peacefully, he is to be removed from the church (Romans 16:17).
We are never to sacrifice principles to be peaceful. As J.C. Ryle put it,
“Never let us be guilty of sacrificing any portion of truth on the altar of peace.” (J.C. Ryle)
Our peace should be based upon real and true peace, not just avoiding a conflict. Sometimes conflict is necessary for people of peace.
In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war.
Jesus came to bring peace on Earth, eventually. Jesus came to bring to His people peace with God. Jesus calls His people to be people of peace.
When we put these things together, we understand that we should do all we can to put an end to war.
The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.
The problem that faces us is that people are not, by nature, peaceful. There is a reason that only 268 of the last 3,400 years have been peaceful. People have been corrupted by the Fall. People are corrupted by sin and given to warfare. And the only thing that will eradicate the “war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.”
It’s a familiar refrain for us. We said much the same thing last week about our role in society at large. It all goes back to our understanding of mankind in His fallenness. We understand that we do not live in a Disney story where people simply need to follow their heart and they won’t war against each other. That is not how life works. And because we understand that to be the case, we know that it is only the gospel of our Lord that is the true and lasting remedy for “the war spirit”.
The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love.
This is the supreme need of the world, and what we are supposed to be about. We have been commanded to go and make disciples of all nations.
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)
That is the supreme need of the world. And we are obligated to go and disciple people in the teachings of Jesus to all nations. This is what we are to do and be about. And true, lasting peace on Earth will not take place until this teaching permeates the globe.
Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.
Say the Lord’s prayer in your head right now.
““Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done here on Earth. This is what Jesus taught us to do. We pray for that glorious peace of God to reign upon the Earth.
Does the BFM 2000 prohibit self-defense or fighting in wars?
It does not. There is nothing in our statement of faith that prohibits self-defense or fighting as a soldier in a war.
This is one reason that the phrase “on principles of righteousness” is so important. It is good and righteous to protect your family from an invader. If someone breaks into your home threatening to harm you, I believe it would be good and right for that person to end up being carried out of your home on a gurney. I also believe that it is good and right for a man to defend his country on these same principles.
It seems that Jesus’s directions to His disciples help us to understand why no one can legitimately say that we should not defend ourselves.
“And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”” (Luke 22:35-38 ESV)
While it is obvious enough that Jesus didn’t call us to be a warring people. Though it also seems plain that the sinfulness of people around us will cause us to need to take care of ourselves and our families.
This is an important thing to consider in our day. Police Departments around the country are emptying their prisons for obnoxiously bad reasons. And at the same time they are cutting funding to their local police. All of this is leaving portions of our population more at risk than they have been in a long time. Should they be allowed to protect their selves and their family, especially considering the great danger they are being put in. The answer to that seems obvious enough.
If the government is not going to take care of its citizens, then the citizens will need to take care of their selves. And it doesn’t seem that Jesus would have a problem with that.
This does cause us to discuss whether a soldier is fighting in a “just war”. The “just war” discussion is mostly for those taking a country to war. But if a soldier knew going to a certain war was wrong, then I do believe he is obligated to do all that he can to not go.
Conclusion
Christians are people of peace. We have been given the peace of God through the finished work of Christ. And that peace is to overflow throughout our lives. It is to manifest itself in the Church and out in the world. This means that in a world filled with anger and warfare, we are to be people who work for peace and pray for peace.
R. Dwain Minor