War - A Satanic Lie

War - A Satanic Lie

When your eyes have been opened it seems almost like a dream that you could have ever embraced war as the way of Jesus. But you then realize you had fallen prey to the secular packaging of this thing called war, and that you were seduced by a nationalistic spirit which at its core is against all that Jesus taught and lived. Yes, I was once there as well.

But let us unmask war and experience the horror and the repulsive underbelly. War is presented in a sterilized fashion. It is usually hidden under the context of right and wrong, and the sights and sounds of war are sterilized for public consumption. But it is the most horrific event found in human endeavors. The causes are wide and varied, but most revolve around power and land with a stifling dose of national interest.

Perhaps, like me, you have never been in a war. But even so, cast your minds into the most unpleasant realities that come with all wars. Smell the mixture of burned flesh and gun powder. Gaze at open, gaping wounds that crack a man’s very skull and expose his brain. Hear the inhuman screams of pain and suffering from the wounded and dying. Walk through writhing bodies covered in obscene amounts of blood and torn flesh. Imagine the thoughts of the dying as they think about their loved ones and their eternal destiny. All this and much more is a semi-accurate pictorial of this thing called war. It is a sensory nightmare.

War is organized and approved violence and murder. And in every war there is indiscriminate use of such violence that produces “collateral damage” more accurately defined as women and children. War admits these “unfortunate” effects but it cannot let them stand in the way of “victory”. War takes mothers and fathers from children. War not only wounds the body, but war wounds the mind. And in many cases the wounding of a man’s mind sooner or later results in his own death by his own hands. War is a killer.

But if you view war as necessary and through the lens of a game of “Risk”, it becomes palatable even though unpleasant. Fallen men cannot see any alternative and therefore they hear a call to arms. The earthly victory drowns out the cries of parents and spouses and children. The media parades courageous men and women who overcame their wounds and disabilities, but it barely deals with the multitudes of men and women whose lives were spared on the battlefield but ruined nonetheless. The oozing emotional wounds still infect and affect millions.

But in the natural, one can see some logic in some wars. I mean WW II is much more logical than was Vietnam. But to a child of God, and one who strives to follow the life and teachings of Jesus, war is irreconcilable to that pursuit. Do not ask us to figure out all the “what ifs” since we cannot and are not called to see the future. We are called to trust our Redeemer and do what He says. The real problem comes in when we blend His teachings with the teachings of this fallen world. And when we have a need to reconcile everything Jesus said with an earthly scenario, then we become prisoners of this present world.

Well, you ask, if we follow only His teachings would that not make us fanatical to the world and in many ways incompatible to their lifestyle? Yes, it would. And that is exactly the point. In order for us to bend to the dictates of this world, we must release the teachings of Christ. The two cannot coexist in a mutually cooperative state. The spectacle of a believer and an unbeliever cooperating to kill unsaved sinners over land and money is astoundingly incongruent to the gospel narratives, to say nothing of the cross itself. But when energized by the secular press through the prism of nationalism, we gladly and unwittingly acquiesce to the most unbiblical behaviors while blindly thinking we do God a service.

And the real sights and sounds of war are replaced by patriotic events and the acknowledgement of heroes. I do not discount the earthly courage of many who served in war, but my contention concerns the body of Christ. Let us not sneer at those who serve since that would be most self righteous and unchristlike. I admire those who risk their lives for what they believe to be right. Would to God we had more of that in the Body of Christ.

But we who name His name do not have the luxury of seeing things through anything but the mirror of God’s Word. I cannot fully reconcile in my own limited mind the violence and bloodshed in the Old Testament, but I do know that in this New Covenant God has spoken through His Son. There has been a fundamental and eternal shift that not only presents the cross and the resurrection as the only way to eternal life, but it has also redefined completely what it means to follow God.

We did have hints of that coming shift and of the more perfect revelation of God’s heart. David was not allowed to build the Temple because he was a man of war, which most of God’s kings were. But that hint was expanded upon Bethlehem’s sacred event. And Jesus deftly and profoundly connected His teachings with the Old Testament while simultaneously presenting His way as the final and only way. Many were astounded since He taught as one who had authority, and no wonder.

Do not attempt to understand all the mysteries, but we must embrace the Son of God and all that He taught. I realize we have been raised in a compromised church that has been largely affected by the culture, but the Spirit of God still opens compromised eyes. Please take the time to read through the four gospels in one or two days, and in the reading identify those teachings which allow violence and those verses that teach otherwise. You will be astounded.

And so we who love Christ have only one choice. Either we will search out His will and do it, or we will not. Scriptural laziness is no excuse. Peer pressure is hollow. You will answer personally to Christ one day. Do not consider the past or the implications about the future. Place your heart and your mind upon the altar of His Word and hand the scalpel to the Holy Spirit. You may feel the pain of circumcision mingled with the joy of liberation. Remember, the poison of nationalism contaminates your spiritual sight and eventually allows you to live a compromised and even dead spiritual life.

Be prepared, though. Those around you will provide you with ample resistance and condemnation. But remain humble toward others. You cannot convince others by the power of your arguments. You can speak a word in season like apples of gold in pictures of silver. We must be reminded, we were sometimes foolish and serving diverse lust as well. And when and if the tiniest bit of self righteousness or indignation begins to creep up in your spirit, remind yourself that any truth you know has been a gift of God’s grace.

Yes, it seems that God will one day start and finish this spiritual war that began long before Adam was made. But until then we are called to be cross carrying vessels of redemption. And if that means we must give our very lives for Him, then that would be the highest honor given among men. And yes, we as followers of the Lord Jesus are engaged in a war, however the victory in this war is surrender and a death to self.

In the end, any rejection of the systems of man must be accompanied by a return to the Suffering Savior and the Risen Christ. Jesus must again be Lord of All and it is He who we must proclaim and emulate. Gone will be the useless rhetoric, the false earthly hopes, the endless political wrangling, and the divided allegiances. We must go without the camp bearing His reproach and become living epistles read of all men. Jesus may come very soon. There is little time. Let us use what time remains to hold up His banner and preach the everlasting gospel to the four corners of the world!