War: Not a Justifiable Action Under Any Circumstance - Essay Sample

Introduction

Most people share the view that war is evil because it destroys lives, and in most cases, the lives of the innocent. Undoubtedly, war not only causes physical torment buts also emotional torture as well. There are attempts by those that do not hold to the Christian view of non-violence with the proponents of this view, justifying it by citing that there are biblical justifications on warfare. However, the Bible does not justify war and it is depicted in scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments.

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The Bible indicates that the root cause of war is evil and not God. In the Bible, when Cain offered God his sacrifice, He did not look it with favor and Cain was very angry. Cain Said to His brother, Abel, let us go to the field and while they were on the field, he attacked and killed Abel (Genesis. 4:5-8 Revised Standard Version). The New Testament reminds people that desire, lust, and sin are the ultimate causes of war. In James 4:1-2, the Bible states that quarrels and fights among people come from desires that battle within people. People desire, and since they do not have, they tend to kill. When they covet but cannot get what they want, they quarrel and fight. God is not happy with war as it is depicted in the Old Testament, where He rejected David's request to build Him a temple because David was a warrior and he shed blood in battles (1 Chronicles 28:3). In another instance, God declares that He cannot willingly bring grief and affliction to human beings (Lamentations 3:33). Also, in the Old Testament, God instructs that His people scatter those that delight in war (Psalm 68:30). In the same book, it is written that God makes war cease to the ends of the world, break the bow, and burns the shield with fire (Psalm 46:9). The above scriptures show that war is not instituted and condoned by God but is instead a result of sin.

The New Testament is clear that war is evil as Jesus emphasized peace instead, and this is reflected in His view on revenge and retaliation, adamant that people should love their enemies. The book of Matthew, chapter 5, narrates Jesus' introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. In this chapter, Jesus expounds on the issue of murder. He explains to the multitude that they have long heard that they should not murder, and this will make them subject to judgment. Jesus tells people that anyone angry with their brothers and sisters is also subject to judgment (Matthew 5:21-22). Jesus goes on to explain to the people about the issue of taking an eye for an eye. Jesus told the multitude who had gathered that they have heard about the issue of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. He told them that they were not to resist an evil person, explaining to them that if anyone slapped them on the right cheek, they were supposed to turn them to the other cheek too. He went to tell them that if anyone took their shirt, they were supposed to hand over their coat as well, and if anyone forces them to go one mile, they were supposed to go with them two miles (Matthew 5:38-41). Jesus continued to explain to the people that they had heard that they were to love their neighbors and hate their enemy, quelling this view by explaining to them that they were supposed to love their enemies and pray for those that persecuted them (Matthew 5:43-44). The chapter gives Jesus' teachings that show that He was against war and instead preached the importance of [people staying in peace and harmony.

In all three instances, it is clear that the Bible does not justify war, just like in other instances, both the New and Old Testaments. In any case, God considers human life precious based on the explanation that He created human beings in his image. As the bearer of his image, God then requires human beings to reflect His ruling, creative, and moral nature and character, and this embedded in the fact that the Bible affirms the special value of human life. Since war threatens the special value of human life, then it reaffirms that God does not support it. In the above instances derived from the book of Matthew, Jesus foils common beliefs of anger, murder and revenge letting the multitude to uphold behaviors that would ensure that they never engaged in actions that would result in war. In the case of David highlighted above, God loved King David and even called him a man after His own heart.

Nevertheless, David was a great warrior and won many battles as the king but God could not accept his will to build Him a temple because David shed blood in wars. God, in this case, shows that He does not condone wars. It is despite the fact that he allows war under certain circumstances. There is a case in the Bible, where it is written that the Lord is a man of war. However, this only shows His defensive nature. In a real-world example, police officers carry guns to protect the innocent by law but no one can say that it is evil that they use these guns on lawbreakers. It is the same case with the Bible, but this does not indicate that the Bible justifies war.

References

Allen, Paul. 2017. "Life, Love and Hope: God and human experience". Theology Today 73 (4): 411-412. doi:10.1177/0040573616670300j.Draayer, Gerald. 2019. "God And War: What The Bible Says About The Just War Theory". Godandscience.Org. https://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/just_war_principle.html.

Gansler, Marcy. 2008. "A Brief Examination Of "Biblical" Justifications For War". Global Ministries. https://www.globalministries.org/examination_of_biblical_justifications.

Jackson, Wayne. 2020. "Was David Really A Man After God's Heart?". Christian Courier. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/378-was-david-really-a-man-after-gods-heart.

Korinek, Kim, Peter Loebach, and Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan. 2016. "Physical And Mental Health Consequences Of War-Related Stressors Among Older Adults: An Analysis Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Arthritis In Northern Vietnamese War Survivors". The Journals Of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences, gbv157. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv157.