Subject:
������� THERE IS NO PACIFISM IN THE BIBLE ‑ by Rev. Bertrand L.
������ Comparet, A.B., J.D.
�� Date:
������� Sun, 9 Sep 2001 07:47:54 ‑0700
�� From:
������ "Bob Jones" <[email protected]>
���� To:
������ "Pastor Bob Jones" <[email protected]>
THERE IS NO PACIFISM IN THE BIBLE
���� by Rev. Bertrand L. Comparet, A.B., J.D.
�������������������� It is reported that a Hindu recently undertook to rebuke
all the Christian nations, by asking "How can you reconcile Jesus
doctrine of non‑resistance with your
military armament, and with the wars you fight from time to time?
Which of you will return good for evil?" In speaking thus, the Hindu
smugly gloated over what he thought was an inconsistency
between our religion and our national conduct. Unfortunately, there
are even some Christians who are so ignorant of their own religion
that they become embarrassed at such accusations, and feel that
we must be guilty of inconsistency, even of wrongdoing. The
Hindu's ignorance we can
forgive, as he knows nothing of our religion beyond a few phrases
quoted out of context; but it is time for Christians to learn more
about what they claim as their own religion. We could ask the
Hindu, in return, how he can reconcile Premier Nehru's aggressive
attack upon Portuguese Goa, which Portugal has held since the
year 1510 ‑‑‑ how can he reconcile this aggressive warfare with
Nehru's lofty proclamations of his devotion to peace ‑that is,
whenever "peace" consists of leaving White Men in slavery.
�������������������� But we shall not be content to point out
inconsistencies in the attitude of the
Hindus. I want to prove to you today that our own conduct Is not
Inconsistent with our religion. In the first place, it is false to speak
of Jesus 'doctrine of non‑resistance.' In John 2:13‑16, the Beloved
Disciple reports that the first act of Jesus Christ's ministry in the
city of Jerusalem was to make a whip of ropes and
flog the money_changers out of the court of the Temple. Does this
look like nonresistance, cringing submission to the triumph of evil?
Indeed not! Nor was this all: Matthew 21:12‑13 and Mark 11:15‑17
both record that He repeated this cleansing of the Temple of the
evil anti‑Christians who infested it, during the last week before His
crucifixion. Jesus Christ, Himself, never tolerated evil, never
consented that it should be allowed to remain triumphant rather
than to resist it. Only in His crucifixion did He allow the forces of
evil to have their way: and this was not through any doctrine of
non‑resistance to evil, but only to fulfill the
purpose for which He had assumed a human body. He came here
for the express purpose of meeting death to pay the penalty for our
sins, in order to save us; if He had not submitted to crucifixion, His
purpose to save us would not have been accomplished. For this
reason only did He submit, and not because He ever believed in
letting evil triumph without resistance.
�������������������� But someone will say, "What about Matthew 5:38‑39?
'Ye have heard that It was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth: But I say unto you Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever
smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.'" No,
there is no inconsistency here, either. This advice was never given
to the nation, that we should surrender to China and leave the
world in slavery. It was given only to individuals ‑ and to particular
individuals, at that. Jesus was preaching to bring His truths before
all who had the qualities to respond to Him and
would become His disciples: these would be that first generation of
Christians whose responsibility above all else was to spread His
word, without being distracted by petty quarrels with other people.
�������������������� They were to face ridicule, contempt and hatred; every
day they would be given provocation by insults and injuries. If they
let themselves react with natural anger,
they would be in constant quarrels and fights; they would be
constantly arrested and in jail, not as noble martyrs to a great
cause, but as brawlers constantly fighting in the streets over
personal quarrels ‑ which would not be a good recommendation for
the new religion of Christianity. Even if they did not fight, but
looked to the law to vindicate their rights, this would make them
spend all their time and energy in lawsuits instead of their
missionary work. This was not the duty of the early Christians. But
that He did not intend that they should tamely let themselves be
slaughtered by ruffians is clear: In Luke 22:36, He told His disciples
that he that had no sword should sell his cloak and buy one.
�������������������� So many erroneous religious doctrines come from the
mistake of taking out of context words spoken for a certain time
and place, and trying to make universal,
eternal rules of them. In Matthew 14:19 and Mark 6:39, when Jesus
Christ was about to feed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes,
we read that "He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the
grass." This certainly doesn't mean that it Is a Christian's duty to go
around making people sit down on the grass: it was spoken only to
meet the special circumstances of a particular time and place and
no ‑ one should try to make a doctrine of it. So also with Jesus
Christ's instructions to the early Christians to stick to the job for
which He had chosen them, and not waste time quarrelling with the
wicked. But don't ever think that, if you see some ruffian trying to
rape your wife or daughter you should merely stand around
murmuring
pious platitudes about the desirability of good conduct. Your duty ‑
and I do mean DUTY‑ as a good Christian is to stop him, if you have
to kill him to do it.
�������������������� So much for the individual. But this Hindu was trying to
place Christian nations (not Nehru's India, nor China) under the
individual's restrictions. God always
distinguished between the rules for the individ_ual and the rules for
the nation.
Particularly is this true of the Laws of War. It is only when we have
been guilty of evil conduct and disloyalty to our God that He has
allowed wicked nations to oppress us until we repented of our evil
ways; then He has Himself used us as His own servant and agent
to make war against those wicked nations. He began our training In
this early: when our ancestors came out of Egypt in the Exodus,
they were attacked by the Amalekites. For this, God said that He
would have war with Amalek from generation to generation until He
had utterly blotted out the remembrance of Amalek from under
heaven; and this duty He command_ed His people Israel to
perform, as we read In Exodus 17:14‑16 and Deuteron_omy
25:17‑19. But that is only the beginning: in Jeremiah 51:20, God
Himself said to our ancestors and to us, their descendants, "Thou
art My battleaxe and weapons of war: and with thee will I break in
pieces the nations; and with thee will I destroy kingdoms." Is there
anything pacif_istic about that? Evil must not be allowed to rule the
earth in triumph. To those who are good, you can speak in a
language they understand, the language of peace and reason.�� But
to those who are utterly evil, you must also speak in the only
language they understand. Russia and China can't understand
platitudes; they can understand superior force.
�������������������� Again, we read in the 7th. chapter of Judges how God
sent Gideon, with but 300 men, to deliver Israel from the huge army
of the Midianites; and he routed the
Midianites with the slaughter of 120,000 men. We are clearly told
that this was by "the sword of the Lord and of Gideon."
�������������������� Neither let yourself be misled by someone quoting,
"they that take the sword shall perish by the sword." Note that this
speaks to TWO swords: the sword of the
aggressor, who shall perish by the sword of the defender.
�������������������� Lest anyone should say that this is only a
characteristic of earthly men, a relic of the past, and that we should
look forward to a higher, nobler character to be attained in the
future, let us examine the Book of Revelation, in its description of
Jesus Christ when He returns to reign over all the world as King of
Kings and Lord of Lords. In Revelation 19:11, It says of Jesus Christ
that "In righteousness He doth judge and MAKE WAR." Jesus
Christ, Himself, recognizes that there can never be "peaceful
coexistence" between good and evil: one must certainly conquer,
the other must certainly perish; if good has not the will and the
courage to be the conqueror, then evil will rule supreme. So long
as evil exists, there will be wars: the wars of evil's aggression
against good, until good conquers and exterminates evil; and this
last great war to wipe out evil will be led by no less a general than
our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. When He comes, let Him find you, not
hiding under the bed In abject terror, but marching resolutely in the
ranks of His army.