APOLOGETICS CLASS

WEEK FOUR

THE QUESTION OF WAR

THE QUESTION OF WAR• (Video shown from the 2003 Battlestar Galactica mini-series in which

Adama notifies the crew that they are now at war)

• War is scary and it changes everything

• America’s youth born after September 11, 2001 has spent their entire life at war

• People want to know what God thinks about war and why He allows it

• They want to know about the seemingly disconnections between the Old Testamant and New Testament views on war.

• Jesus would seem to be against harming otherso Matthew 22:39 says to love your neighbor as yourself• Hard to wage war on a neighbor if you wouldn’t want violence rained

down on yourself• Loving your neighbor is not a “Jesus Original” teaching though• Leviticus 19:18 says to love your neighbor as yourself

o Matthew 26:52 tells of Jesus ordering Peter to put away his sword and reattaching the severed ear of one of his arresters• Jesus had to fulfill the scriptural prophecies in order to accomplish his

purpose on this earth (Matthew 26:54) • Jesus has a standing army of angels at his disposal (Matthew 26:53)• Why maintain a standing army if you are against war?

JESUS ON WAR

• 1 Corinthians 13 is about the importance of loveo Much like the message of Matthew 22:39, it is hard to wage war on a

neighbor if you wouldn’t want violence rained down on yourself

• Romans 12:19 says to not take revenge for it belongs to Godo How does that match up to the USA entering World War II after the attack

on Pearl Harbor or the Global War on Terror after 9/11?o This passage has nothing to do with state acts of war but is meant for the

individual disciple when read in whole context (Romans 12:17-21)o The Roman church was at the center of the Roman Imperial Cult and

subject to persecution by not declaring Caesar as Lordo Physical retaliation would have had devastating consequenceso Christians were discouraged from military service since military members had to

declare Caesar as their Lord

THE EPISTLES ON WAR

• There are entire denominations who do not believe service in the military is compatible with Christian doctrine based on the fact that uniformed personnel may be called upon to do harm to others

• It is possible to serve as a conscientious objector in our Armed Forceso Conscientious objectors are normally pacifists based on religious

convictionso Some people have a mistaken impression that conscientious objection

equates to a lack of courage• PFC Desmond Doss, Lynchburg, VA received Congressional Medal of Honor (MoH) for

actions on Okinawa (WWII)• CPL Thomas Bennett, Morgantown, WV received MoH for actions in Vietnam• SPC4 Joseph Lapointe, JR, Dayton, OH received MoH for actions in Vietnam

JESUS AND THE EPISTLES IN PRACTICE

• Why does God command Deuteronomy 20:17? o Deuteronomy 20:18 says this is for the protection of His people

o 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 quotes from Isaiah about being separate and touching no unclean thing – God wants His people to live free from the sins of those around them

o Judges 2:11-12 shows that by leaving remnants of these people, many Israelites eventually turned to Baal and the other Canaanite gods – they left God for lives of false gods and sin

o The Israelites married members of other people which, in part, led them to leave God (2 Corinthians 6:14 warns of being yoked to unbelievers in NT)

GOD ON WAR – THE OLD TESTAMENT

• While God may have found war necessary to protect the Israelites and establish their nation, He does not enjoy it o Psalm 68:30 “Scatter the nations who delight in war”o Ezekiel 33:11 tells us that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked as

He would rather see them repent

• How does God waging war synch with Exodus 20:13? o KJV mistranslated the scripture to “do not kill” which introduced much

confusiono The Hebrew means to not kill in a manner such as homicide (intentional or

accidental)o 1 Kings 2:5 shows there is a distinction between wartime deaths and murdero Popular misconception is Romans 13:4 where the sword is a symbol of Roman

authority and not a case for the right to bear and use arms

GOD ON WAR – THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God and Jesus do not change from OT to NT o Malachi 3:6 says “I the Lord do not change.”o Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.”o If God and Jesus are the same then so is the message of the Bible

• The Bible’s reasoning for warfare does not change o In the OT, God’s reasoning for warfare was to establish a home for His people,

secure that home and protect it from the threats of encroaching sino When the Israelites fell into sin, God used warfare to inflict punishment on His

people to train them in obedience and loyaltyo OT was about physical warfare, NT is about spiritual warfare (2 Cor 10:3-5)o Jesus did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10:34) but to intensify the war by

making it personal and attacking on the spiritual realmo Matthew 28:19-20 are Jesus’ command orders for the next phase of the war

GOD REMAINS CONSTANT

• The nation’s authorities decide when we go to war o Romans 13:1 tells us to be submissive to the governing authoritieso Romans 13:1 tells us that God establishes the authority

• God established rules for warfare in Deuteronomy 20 o Multiple conditions for not having to serve in a military going to waro Offer enemy a chance to surrender peacefully and treat them with mercy if

they do so (Dt 20:10-11)o Kill only the men unless otherwise instructed by Godo Do not destroy the trees that bear fruit (Dt 20:19)

• The Bible does not bar disciples from serving in the militaryo Jesus and Peter both had interactions with Roman centurions without

challenging them to change their profession

HOW SHOULD WE VIEW WAR?

WAR AND CONTINUING EVIL• (Video shown from the 2003 Battlestar Galactica mini-series in which

Adama gives speech asking why are worth saving since we continue to sin and pass our sins to our children while refusing to accept responsibility)

• War and evil are often intertwined and just three examples are Hitler, Stalin and Mao who murdered over 100 million people in the 20th Century

• Associated with war is the question of continuing evil in the world

WHY IS THERE CONTINUING EVIL?

• 1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.o Our world is under the control of Satano Every conflict is born from sins such as greed, racism, selfish ambition, hatred,

discord, envy…and the like

• John 16:33 …In this world you will have trouble…o God wants His children to genuinely love Him and real love cannot be forced

so everyone has free willo Everyone has the free will to follow God or not, to make Jesus Lord or noto Unless everyone agrees to make Jesus Lord, we will have troubleo Unless everyone agrees to live righteously, we will have evil

CONTINUING EVIL

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING?

• People want to know why God allows suffering in this worldo Why does God allow starvation, homelessness, illness?o Why does God allow natural disasters?o Why did God let bad things happen to my loved one?

• Do not attempt to be a prophet!o Some Christians will associate cause and effect to situations – “this happened

because of that”o This is tantamount to the judgmental type Jesus warns about in Luke 13:1-5o God gave Job a lesson on his proper place in the universe and faith but never

told him why he suffered all he dido Unless God has come to you to personally appoint you as a 21st Century

prophet, you do not know the answers to the “why”

SUFFERING

• Why does God allow starvation, homelessness, illness?o Is God really allowing these things or has He already made provisions?o James 2:15-16 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If

one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

o 1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth

o Hasn’t He already sent you and me to attend to hunger and homelessness in our communities?

o Hasn’t He provided the resources and science for medicines and preventative care for illness?

SUFFERING

• Why does God allow natural disasters?o Romans 8:19-22 tells us that God’s creation (earth and nature) also suffers

from the consequences of the Fall in Genesis • Nature is suffering• It says that the earth is subject to the bondage of decay• (Bible/Science Extra): Second Law of Thermodynamics in that matter and energy will

decay to an inert state without the introduction of outside influenceso 2 Peter 3:13 and Revelation 21:1 both speak of a new earth as the old earth

(our earth) has passed awayo God created the world which is as dynamic and ever-changing as everything

else He created in this universe and change can be violent and destructiveo God didn’t command people to live along coastlines subject to hurricanes or

along major fault lines but, again, He has provided victims with His disciples

SUFFERING

• Why does God allow bad things to happen to our loved ones?o The easy answer is that God has a plan for each of our liveso Related to that is another easy answer: God is in controlo CS Lewis wrote that God uses pain to get our attentiono People do not need to hear about God’s plans in the midst of their griefo They do not need to hear that God’s plan involved inflicting them with cancer

or taking the life of a loved oneo God has sent you and me to fulfill our part of Matthew 5:4 and sometimes the

comfort is just listening and being there

SUFFERING

SUFFERING• (Video shown from the 2003 Battlestar Galactica mini-series in which

Adama gives asks the crew if the dead are the lucky ones since they are low on fuel and supplies, have no allies, no home and now, he questions, have no hope)

• NO HOPE! At the end of the day, no matter what type of suffering you consider, people want – people need – HOPE!

• You have the means to bring people hope!

• In the midst of suffering it is important to find hopeo Romans 5:3-4 says that suffering will strengthen our hope in Christo 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 reminds us that this life’s sufferings are insignificant

compared to the eternal glory that awaits uso Philip Yancey uses leprosy as an example for pain being used to help us avoid

greater injuryo Psalm 34:18 tells us “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those

who are crushed in spirit.”

FINDING HOPE IN SUFFERING

• 1 Peter 3:15-16 - But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

• 1 Corinthians 2:4 - My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

WRAPPING UP