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Transcript 328A — "Love Thy Enemy" Versus Going to War
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: In regard to what is said in Luke about "Love thy enemy," I never could quite understand how Christians more or less condoned World War II, or any wars, as a matter of fact. Is there a scripture in the Bible that God does allow for the defense of one's country?
HC: The question is raised, Is there anything in the Bible, in the light of the Biblical statement that we are to love our enemies, that condones war, that condones the right of a country to go to war to defend its shores? By all means, there is. Romans 13, the opening verses, indicates that government rules by divine mandate, by divine authority. And it is there to be the executioner of God to administer justice, and it does not bear the sword in vain. Its role is to defend the citizenry. And if it did not defend its citizens, it would be abrogating its responsibility.
But I do know this, that God does give that responsibility to government. Now that doesn't mean, however, that we're not to love our enemies. Actually, what God has in view there is that anyone who is unsaved ultimately is an enemy of the Christian. There are two kingdoms in this world, essentially. There is the dominion of Satan on the one hand. He rules over the hearts of all of the unsaved of the world. And there is the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ on the other hand, into which we enter at the time that we're born again. We belong in either one of these two kingdoms.
Satan of course is completely antagonistic and in rebellion and an enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, ultimately his slaves, the unsaved of the world, are enemies of the believers, who are the ambassadors of Christ. But we are to love our enemies. We are to love the unsaved. We are to want the very best for them. Ultimately, of course, the very best is that we desire their salvation. There's nothing better that we could desire for them but that they would have eternal life, even as we have.
However, that does not negate the role of government in maintaining a police force or an armed force to protect its shores.
CALLER: That really answers my question.
HC: Thank you for calling and sharing. Good night.