The events of September 11 were shocking. Four airplanes, captured by hijackers, turned into cruise missiles with passengers. Three planes found their mark with office buildings in New York and Virginia, while another apparently was brought down in Pennsylvania through the quick action of the passengers. Feelings of shock, fear, and worry have flooded the minds of people across the country. Those feelings are a normal part of witnessing such an atrocity. We Brethren are wrestling with our feelings and thoughts too. We desire to have justice, and yet we also try to seek peace. What should nonresistant believers think and do?
1) We are to pattern our thinking on the Scriptures. Emotions and feelings have their place, but they are not sure guides to thinking or action. They change frequently, and are not dependable at all. Therefore our only sure guide is the Bible, and specifically the New Testament. We should be driven to study it more intensely in difficult times.
2) We maintain our faith in the sovereign Almighty God. September 11 was not a surprise to Him. We believe that all that happens, universally, has been ordained by God even before the world was created. Even the “bad” parts (from our limited perspective), have their purpose, and in the end we will see how all the pieces fit together. Isaiah 45:7b says, “I make peace and create calamity; I the Lord do all these things.” Judah did not like it that God used Babylon to bring destruction to their nation, but God still did it. Our God is Almighty, and He is also good. His plan is being accomplished to His glory.
3) We understand that wars and conflicts in this world are the result of sin in the human heart. It is not poverty, or dictatorship, or even balances of power that cause war. Wars come because wickedness resides in every human heart (James 4:1-3). That sinful nature leads to coveting, lusting, and killing to have what someone else has. Peace marches, peace treaties, and putting ourselves in harm’s way will not end war. The only sure antidote to the nonsense of war is the conversion of people to Christ. The Christian’s money is much better spent in evangelism and missionary endeavors than in trying to end all war. Peace among people can only be had in relation to being reconciled to God.
4) We understand that wars will continue to the end. Jesus in Matthew 24 reminds us that “wars and rumors of wars” will be around until He returns. Even in a relatively peaceful time, wars occur all around the world.
5) We see that war Is permitted for civil government. Romans 13:4 speaks of rulers bearing the sword. The only thing really understood by the world is force. Jesus, in John 18:36, recognized that civil governments are maintained by armed might. We understand the role of police agencies on the local and state scene; national armies are an extension of that role, especially as practiced by Western republics.
6) We cannot expect the world (that is, unregenerate persons) to follow what Jesus says. Only those who have trusted Christ and have the Holy Spirit living within them can even begin to be obedient to God. The New Testament is the blueprint for the church, not for the world.
7) Christians are not to engage in this world’s warfare. Again, in John 18:36, Jesus says His Kingdom is not of this world, and hence, His servants do not use this world’s means. We do not fight with carnal weapons for the “mere” reason that Jesus commands us not to. It is not the foolish waste of war; it is not fear of nuclear annihilation; it is not a desire to have world harmony-that keeps us from taking up arms. It is the simple command of the Lord. That is all, but that is enough.
I appreciate what the Brethren Annual Meeting of 1864 counseled in response to a query related to nonresistance and the War Between the States, and I think it, with appropriate changes, would make an excellent statement for us today:
“We exhort the Brethren to steadfastness in the faith, and believe that the times in which our lots are cast, strongly demand of us a strict adherence to all our principles, and especially the nonresistant principle … and to endure whatever sufferings and make whatever sacrifice the maintaining of the principle may require, and not to encourage in any way the practice of war.
“And lest the position we have taken on political matters in general, and war matters in particular, should seem to make us appear to be indifferent to our government, or in opposition thereto, in its efforts to suppress the rebellion, we hereby declare that it has our sympathies and prayers, and that it shall have our aid in any way which does not conflict with the principles of the Gospel of Christ.”
Therefore we should do the following: Pray for wisdom for those in authority; engage in life affirming actions such as giving blood and supporting relief and recovery efforts; share material wealth with those in need; and tell the Gospel. People need the Lord!
