Should Christians Ever Fight in a War?

The short answer: Faithful Christians genuinely disagree. Some believe Jesus calls His followers never to use deadly force, even in war; others believe a war can sometimes be just, to protect the innocent, though always as a last resort. Both sides agree that war is a terrible result of sin, that peace is God’s goal, and that Christians must never hate their enemies.

Maybe someone in your family serves in the armed forces. Maybe you’ve seen war on the news and wondered how Christians can support it, or how they can refuse to defend people. Maybe you’re thinking about a military career yourself. This is a question where sincere, Bible-loving Christians have reached different answers for nearly two thousand years.

Where Christians agree

• War comes from sin. “What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?” (James 4:1). War is never good in itself.
• Peace is God’s goal. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). One day God’s people “will beat their swords into plowshares”, and “Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation” (Isaiah 2:4).
• No hatred, no revenge. Jesus said, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved” (Romans 12:19). No Christian may delight in killing, commit atrocities or treat an enemy as less than human.
• Respect for conscience. Christians on both sides should respect those who serve in good conscience and those who refuse in good conscience.

Pacifism

Many Christians, including Mennonites, Quakers and others, and many in the early church, hold that Christians should never kill, even in war. They point to Jesus’ teaching: “I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). When Peter struck with a sword to defend Jesus, Jesus said, “Put your sword back in its place... For all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52), and healed the wounded man. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight” (John 18:36). Pacifists believe Christians are called to show the way of the cross: to overcome evil by suffering love, not by force. Many have served bravely as medics or relief workers instead.

Just war

Many other Christians, following thinkers such as Augustine, believe that war can sometimes be right. They point to Paul’s teaching that the governing authority “does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). They believe that loving your neighbour can mean protecting them from an attacker. They have set out strict tests for a just war: a just cause, such as defending the innocent; lawful authority; right intentions; a last resort, after peaceful means have failed; a reasonable hope of success; force no greater than needed; and never deliberately targeting civilians.

Soldiers in the Bible

Both sides also have to think about soldiers in the New Testament. When some soldiers asked John the Baptist what they should do, he said, “Do not take money by force or false accusation... Be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). He didn’t tell them to quit. Jesus praised a Roman centurion: “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith” (Matthew 8:10). Cornelius, the first non-Jewish convert in Acts, was “a centurion” who was “devout and God-fearing” (Acts 10:1–2).

Just-war Christians see this as a sign that soldiering can be an honourable calling. Pacifists reply that these passages don’t say whether the soldiers stayed in the army, and that the Bible meets people where they are before calling them further.

This book won’t decide between these views. Both are held by faithful Christians who love Jesus and take the Bible seriously.

What you can do now

Pray for peace, for those caught up in war, for soldiers and for leaders. Be a peacemaker in your own friendships and family. And if you’re considering a military career, or wondering whether you could ever serve, talk it through carefully with your parents and a pastor you trust.

Think about it: Which arguments on each side do you find strongest? What would it mean for you to be a peacemaker this week?

Go deeper: The Key Teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer — Bonhoeffer, who had come close to Christian pacifism, later supported a plot against Hitler; this chapter sets out honestly the case of those who think he was right and those who think he was wrong, and refuses to pretend the question is easy. Start with chapter 16, “Responsibility and Guilt”.