Ask the Preacher
Previous Page

"Why are there Christians that approve of war? Doesn't the Bible say not to kill? What business does the church have in taking part in war?" (conclusion)

Government and church are two different things. Nowhere does the Bible teach that the church has been ordained of God to administer governmental justice. This is something he has clearly ordained government to do (Rom 13:1-7). Jesus said,

"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting…(John 18:36)"

So we don't want to confuse passages that deal with government with passages that deal with the church. Even though God uses one nation to subdue another wicked regime (Isa 10:5-6), this is not a task he has given to his church. The church is not in the business of waging war, even if it is a just war.

Here is something the church can do.

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, … (1 Tim 2:1-2)."

Something else to consider is this. Since we have the rare blessing of electing those who are in government, we can influence if we have a righteous government by our vote. The first criteria for the Christian's vote should be moral character. Everything else should be secondary. When a nation is unrighteous and perverts justice, God will allow that nation to be destroyed by another nation (Mic 3:9-12). So not only is it important to pray for those in government, it is also important to use the blessing of your vote to elect righteous officials.

Note: For part one of this response, go to epreacher.org/ask

John Telgren
P.O. Box 452
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Web: epreacher.org/ask
Click here to Email a Question