What Does either the Bible or Quran teach about war, peace and Resolution
Introduction
The Bible (from Greek τὰ βιβλία ta biblia "the books") is the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no single Bible, as the individual books (Biblical canon), their contents and their order vary between denominations. Mainstream Judaism divides the Tanakh into 24 books, while a minority stream of Judaism, the Samaritans, accepts only five. The 24 texts of the Hebrew Bible are divided into 39 books in Christian Old Testaments, and complete Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon to the 81 books in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible.
The Bible is the sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
THE BIBLE ABOUT WAR
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8; ESV)
Many people make the mistake of reading what the Bible says in Exodus 20:13, “You shall not kill,” and then seeking to apply this command to war. However, the Hebrew word literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice; murder.” God often ordered the Israelites to go to war with other nations (1 Samuel 15:3; Joshua 4:13). God ordered the death penalty for numerous crimes (Exodus 21:12, 15; 22:19; Leviticus 20:11).
So, God is not against killing in all circumstances, but only murder. War is never a good thing, but sometimes it is a necessary thing. In a world filled with sinful people (Romans 3:10-18), war is inevitable. Sometimes the only way to keep sinful people from doing great harm to the innocent is by going to war.
In the Old Testament, God ordered the Israelites to “take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites” (Numbers 31:2). Deuteronomy 20:16-17 declares, “However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them…as the LORD your God has commanded you.” Also, 1 Samuel 15:18 says, “Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.” Obviously God is not against all war. Jesus is always in perfect agreement with the Father (John 10:30), so we cannot argue that war was only God’s will in the Old Testament. God does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).
Jesus’ second coming will be exceedingly violent. Revelation 19:11-21 describes the ultimate war with Christ, the conquering commander who judges and makes war “with justice” (v. 11). It’s going to be bloody (v. 13) and gory. The birds will eat the flesh of all those who oppose Him (v. 17-18). He has no compassion upon His enemies, whom He will conquer completely and consign to a “fiery lake of burning sulfur” (v. 20).
War is a terrible thing. Some wars are more “just” than others, but war is always the result of sin (Romans 3:10-18). At the same time, Ecclesiastes 3:8 declares, “There is…a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” In a world filled with sin, hatred, and evil (Romans 3:10-18), war is inevitable. Christians should not desire war, but neither are Christians to oppose the government God has placed in authority over them (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:17). The most important thing we can be doing in a time of war is to be praying for godly wisdom for our leaders, praying for the safety of our military, praying for quick resolution to conflicts, and praying for a minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides (Philippians 4:6-7).
However, this begs the question, was Jesus really a pacifist? It is true that he did not engage the revolutionary crowd during his day. When confronted by the Jewish mob in the garden at his arrest, Jesus told his disciples that he could call twelve legions of angels to his defense (Matthew 26:53). The point being it would have been very easy for Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and establish his kingdom right then and there, but he didn’t. Now was this because he was a pacifist? Jesus made statements as “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) and “love your enemies” (5:44). Are these not the statements of a pacifist?
I think it is very important to understand that the Bible distinguishes between individuals and groups such as nations. When Jesus says “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies,” these are commands to individuals not nations.
Finally, let’s look at Jesus’ primary purpose during his first advent. Was his primary purpose to establish a model of pacifism? Clearly not! His goal was to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). In other words, his goal was the salvation of humanity, not to teach pacifism. This is further bolstered by the vivid imagery found in Revelation 19 of Jesus returning to earth as a conquering warlord (Revelation 19:11-21). Jesus was no pacifist. While I can respect the opinion of the conscientious objector crowd toward war, I don’t think they will find Biblical support for their view.
THE BIBLE ABOUT PEACE
Peace is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Bible defines the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and peace is the third characteristic mentioned. As we transform ourselves to reflect more of God's character, evidence of our relationship with God grows in our lives. Peace is one of the "fruits" or results of being in a relationship with God.
The Bible tells us that peace is a fruit of righteousness and that the effect of righteousness is "quietness and confidence forever" (Isaiah 32:17). Righteous is another way of being in harmony with God. So, being in harmony with God and loving God's law brings about great peace (Psalm 119:165). Peace is also a result of wisdom, which is also defined as following God's laws (Proverbs 3). According to Proverbs 3:17, wisdom's "ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."
The Bible says that peace comes from God. God is the one who blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:11). For God to bless us with peace, we must follow His commands. In Isaiah 48:18, the Bible says, "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea." Choosing not to follow God's commands results in the absence of peace.
The Bible says that God blesses the peacemakers. According to Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Proverbs 12:20 tells us that there is "joy for those who promote peace." Psalm 34:14 advises us to "seek peace and pursue it." God wants us to "live in harmony with one another" (Romans 12:16; I Peter 3:8), which results in being peaceful with one another. "God is not a God of disorder but of peace" (I Corinthians 14:33).
Nothing can remove God's peace from us. God says in Isaiah 54:10 that "though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed." Peace grows as we trust in God (Romans 15:13). When we are anxious, the Bible tells us to give thanks to God and pray. Then the "peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)
THE BIBLE ABOUT CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Matthew 18:15-17
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Romans 12:17-21
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 Kings 3:25-28
And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
Romans 13:1-4
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
CONCLUSION
When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. Deuteronomy 20:10-14 (New International Version). Hence the Bible advocates for peaceful resolution of all conflicts/wars. That force should be used as the last resort.
REFERENCES
Alter, Robert.(1981): The Art of Biblical Narrative. Basic Books.
Aukerman, Dale(2002): Darkening Valley: A Biblical Perspective on Nuclear War. Seabury Press.
Bauckham, Richard. (1996): The Theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge University Press.
Beck, Robert R.(2007): Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of Mark. Orbis.
Claiborne, Shane and Chris(2008): Haw. Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. Zondervan.
Grimsrud, Ted and Loren L. Johns, eds. (1999): Peace and Justice Shall Embrace: Power and Theopolitics in the Bible. Pandora Press US.
Yoder, John Howard.(1971): The Original Revolution: Essays on Christian Pacifism. Herald Press.
The Bible (from Greek τὰ βιβλία ta biblia "the books") is the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no single Bible, as the individual books (Biblical canon), their contents and their order vary between denominations. Mainstream Judaism divides the Tanakh into 24 books, while a minority stream of Judaism, the Samaritans, accepts only five. The 24 texts of the Hebrew Bible are divided into 39 books in Christian Old Testaments, and complete Christian Bibles range from the 66 books of the Protestant canon to the 81 books in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible.
The Bible is the sacred book of Christianity, a collection of ancient writings including the books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
THE BIBLE ABOUT WAR
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8; ESV)
Many people make the mistake of reading what the Bible says in Exodus 20:13, “You shall not kill,” and then seeking to apply this command to war. However, the Hebrew word literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice; murder.” God often ordered the Israelites to go to war with other nations (1 Samuel 15:3; Joshua 4:13). God ordered the death penalty for numerous crimes (Exodus 21:12, 15; 22:19; Leviticus 20:11).
So, God is not against killing in all circumstances, but only murder. War is never a good thing, but sometimes it is a necessary thing. In a world filled with sinful people (Romans 3:10-18), war is inevitable. Sometimes the only way to keep sinful people from doing great harm to the innocent is by going to war.
In the Old Testament, God ordered the Israelites to “take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites” (Numbers 31:2). Deuteronomy 20:16-17 declares, “However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them…as the LORD your God has commanded you.” Also, 1 Samuel 15:18 says, “Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.” Obviously God is not against all war. Jesus is always in perfect agreement with the Father (John 10:30), so we cannot argue that war was only God’s will in the Old Testament. God does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17).
Jesus’ second coming will be exceedingly violent. Revelation 19:11-21 describes the ultimate war with Christ, the conquering commander who judges and makes war “with justice” (v. 11). It’s going to be bloody (v. 13) and gory. The birds will eat the flesh of all those who oppose Him (v. 17-18). He has no compassion upon His enemies, whom He will conquer completely and consign to a “fiery lake of burning sulfur” (v. 20).
War is a terrible thing. Some wars are more “just” than others, but war is always the result of sin (Romans 3:10-18). At the same time, Ecclesiastes 3:8 declares, “There is…a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” In a world filled with sin, hatred, and evil (Romans 3:10-18), war is inevitable. Christians should not desire war, but neither are Christians to oppose the government God has placed in authority over them (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:17). The most important thing we can be doing in a time of war is to be praying for godly wisdom for our leaders, praying for the safety of our military, praying for quick resolution to conflicts, and praying for a minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides (Philippians 4:6-7).
However, this begs the question, was Jesus really a pacifist? It is true that he did not engage the revolutionary crowd during his day. When confronted by the Jewish mob in the garden at his arrest, Jesus told his disciples that he could call twelve legions of angels to his defense (Matthew 26:53). The point being it would have been very easy for Jesus to overthrow the Roman government and establish his kingdom right then and there, but he didn’t. Now was this because he was a pacifist? Jesus made statements as “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) and “love your enemies” (5:44). Are these not the statements of a pacifist?
I think it is very important to understand that the Bible distinguishes between individuals and groups such as nations. When Jesus says “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies,” these are commands to individuals not nations.
Finally, let’s look at Jesus’ primary purpose during his first advent. Was his primary purpose to establish a model of pacifism? Clearly not! His goal was to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). In other words, his goal was the salvation of humanity, not to teach pacifism. This is further bolstered by the vivid imagery found in Revelation 19 of Jesus returning to earth as a conquering warlord (Revelation 19:11-21). Jesus was no pacifist. While I can respect the opinion of the conscientious objector crowd toward war, I don’t think they will find Biblical support for their view.
THE BIBLE ABOUT PEACE
Peace is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Bible defines the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and peace is the third characteristic mentioned. As we transform ourselves to reflect more of God's character, evidence of our relationship with God grows in our lives. Peace is one of the "fruits" or results of being in a relationship with God.
The Bible tells us that peace is a fruit of righteousness and that the effect of righteousness is "quietness and confidence forever" (Isaiah 32:17). Righteous is another way of being in harmony with God. So, being in harmony with God and loving God's law brings about great peace (Psalm 119:165). Peace is also a result of wisdom, which is also defined as following God's laws (Proverbs 3). According to Proverbs 3:17, wisdom's "ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."
The Bible says that peace comes from God. God is the one who blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:11). For God to bless us with peace, we must follow His commands. In Isaiah 48:18, the Bible says, "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea." Choosing not to follow God's commands results in the absence of peace.
The Bible says that God blesses the peacemakers. According to Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Proverbs 12:20 tells us that there is "joy for those who promote peace." Psalm 34:14 advises us to "seek peace and pursue it." God wants us to "live in harmony with one another" (Romans 12:16; I Peter 3:8), which results in being peaceful with one another. "God is not a God of disorder but of peace" (I Corinthians 14:33).
Nothing can remove God's peace from us. God says in Isaiah 54:10 that "though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed." Peace grows as we trust in God (Romans 15:13). When we are anxious, the Bible tells us to give thanks to God and pray. Then the "peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)
THE BIBLE ABOUT CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Matthew 18:15-17
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Romans 12:17-21
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 Kings 3:25-28
And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
Romans 13:1-4
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
CONCLUSION
When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies. Deuteronomy 20:10-14 (New International Version). Hence the Bible advocates for peaceful resolution of all conflicts/wars. That force should be used as the last resort.
REFERENCES
Alter, Robert.(1981): The Art of Biblical Narrative. Basic Books.
Aukerman, Dale(2002): Darkening Valley: A Biblical Perspective on Nuclear War. Seabury Press.
Bauckham, Richard. (1996): The Theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge University Press.
Beck, Robert R.(2007): Nonviolent Story: Narrative Conflict Resolution in the Gospel of Mark. Orbis.
Claiborne, Shane and Chris(2008): Haw. Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. Zondervan.
Grimsrud, Ted and Loren L. Johns, eds. (1999): Peace and Justice Shall Embrace: Power and Theopolitics in the Bible. Pandora Press US.
Yoder, John Howard.(1971): The Original Revolution: Essays on Christian Pacifism. Herald Press.
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