War, What is it Good For?

The topic of war in Christian circles can be confusing. Depending on who you ask, the woman at the local VA could say it’s our duty as Christians to uphold justice in the world, while the man who helps rehouse refugees says a Christian should have no part in war in any capacity. But what does Scripture say?

One passage everyone uses for their own interpretation is Romans 13:1-7. Paul tells us to “be subject to governing authorities” (13:1). Does that mean we can take orders to kill the enemy if it is a command from a superior? Probably not. The Greek word “subject” means recognizing your place in a hierarchy. While you may be subordinate to your superior, God has the ultimate say.

 God tells us to not murder (Exodus 20:13), but nothing directly about killing. The thing is, Jesus often tells people to go beyond what the Law asks, especially when Jesus says to love even our enemies who persecute us. How can we love our enemies when we kill them in war? Loving our enemies is easier to said than done but it is part of our duty as being citizens of the kingdom of God.

You may ask, “what’s the kingdom of God?” Excellent question! The kingdom is generally those who have chosen to follow God. Paul says that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philemon 3:20) which we belong to as soon as we are saved. There are three key factors of this new kingdom:

1. We are not to love the things of this world (1 John 2:15)
2. We are not to live by the ways of this world (Romans 12:2)
3. We are not to fight with the same tactics of this world (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

The early church understood what it meant to have kingdom citizenship. Do you think that getting violent “justice” is permissible if you are being stoned or set on fire? Apparently the early church did not, for though these things were being done, they still didn’t retaliate and Tertullian said it’s, “better to be slain than to slay.”

In the heat of battle it is too easy to dehumanize and justify taking the lives of the soldiers on the enemy’s side. We forget that these soldiers may also be citizens of God’s kingdom and even if they are not fellow citizens, they are still image bearers of God who God cares about just as much as us.

With all this said, what can a Christian do? Are we helplessly standing by as human lives are taken? Μὴ γένοιτο! (May it never be!) The OT prophets encouraged us to defend those who are taken advantage of. We should be lobbying against injustices and preventing wars from even taking place when we can. If war does happen, we should take non-combatant roles such as medics, administration, or even helping refugees. We need to share Christ’s love with our neighbors no matter who they are and look forward to new creation, where war will be no more.

Further Reading

1. Clouse, Robert G., ed. War: Four Christian Views. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981.
2. Sider, Ronald J. Speak Your Peace. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2020.
3. Theology in the Raw. Episode 1333, “War Veteran Turned Peace Activist: Diana Oestreich.” Hosted by Preston Sprinkle. Aired November 6, 2025, on Apple Podcasts.
4. Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2024.