It has been long debated and talked about for decades. The question of can Christians serve in the military? People have related many aspects of the Christian lifestyle to that of a soldier and say that they cannot match up. People talk of how Jesus was non-violent and it is wrong for a person to go into an organization that uses it. This article will examine this very issue, by going to God’s word and reading what the Lord’s opinion is of government, armies, and the soldiers that serve in those armies.
In the days when Jesus walked the earth, the Roman Empire ruled the world. The glory of Rome was not so much its political structure but rather its vast army. Conquering anything in their path, then maintaining peace in that conquered land was a skill unique to the Romans. After Jesus had delivered His sermon on the mount, he entered Capernaum to find a centurion asking Him to heal his servant, who was paralyzed (Matthew 8:5-13). A centurion is a Roman captain who is in charge of 100 men. This centurion knew that Jesus could just say the word, and his servant would be healed. He says, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” Even though this man was a soldier in the Roman army, Jesus marveled at him, and claimed that he had “great faith”. This man was only one of two people that Jesus said this to, the other being the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 8:24-30). We have other examples in the scriptures where soldiers showed a great faith towards God. In Acts 10, we find a man named Cornelius who is praying to God. Luke describes Cornelius as a devout man, one who feared God with his entire household, and gave alms generously, while praying to God always. You would be hard pressed to find even a Jew who could be described as Cornelius was! Nevertheless, he was a Gentile soldier, and Peter was sent to preach to him the gospel. Being this man of faith, Cornelius obeyed with his entire household, being baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:27). Cornelius is now a Christian, but he also is now a Christian who is serving in the military.
One always needs to remember that no matter what the situation may look like, God is always in control. It was He who “…in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” (Hebrews 1:10) Paul would preach to those at Athens, that it is, “in Him we live and move and have our being..” (Acts 17:28). So in all this, what makes us think that God somehow in fact is not in control of our government? The scriptures make it very plain that government is ordained and created by God for a specific purpose. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” So when a soldier enlists in the army or some other branch of the armed forces, they are now under the organization that God established, and by that under His authority. What is the purpose of this government that God created? “For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Romans 13:4). So God has ordained government to create an order of things for us as mankind, and they have the authority to execute wrath on those who do evil.
So when a soldier enlists in the armed forces, whether they are a Christian or not, they are now under the God-given government rule of this country. When a regular civilian goes and kills someone in this nation, it is murder. They have broken that law that says one cannot murder. However, when a soldier is given orders to go out on a government mandated mission, he is God’s minister, and an avenger to execute wrath on those who practice evil, and neither he nor any other soldier bears the sword in vain.
A soldier gives up many things to serve his or her nation. The bible speaks how we need to pray for those men and women, as well as all our government authorities. (1 Timothy 2:1-3) In the days of the Roman Empire, Paul encouraged Timothy to pray for those who were in ruling positions, that they may make good choices to allow those living within empire to have a peaceful and quiet life. So is also our prayer in these modern times. Peter would write that we be in submission to every ordinance of man, this is for the Lord’s sake. (1 Peter 2:13).
To answer the question posed at the beginning, yes, Christians can serve in the military, for when they do they are under the ordinance of God. They become an avenger of His wrath on those who do evil. May we always hold respect and honor toward those men and women who serve our nation in this way.
