Loving Your Enemies - part V
As we near the end of our ‘mini-series’ on Matthew 5:43-48, let's take a moment to remember the most important aspect of loving your enemies. It is one that has reappeared in every Sermon since we first sat down together five Sundays ago; will be spoken of this morning; and will be repeated again in our conclusion next week. The foundation of loving your enemy.
Only by accepting who we were before salvation, and how we came about to be saved to begin with; can we love our enemies. Before salvation, we were, like the rest of humanity, God’s enemy. We were children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), our souls reserved for the black chains of eternal destruction, every sin urging us closer to the flames of Hell. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ; by grace you have been saved; [6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-6)
Nothing inside of you, your words, works, beliefs, or actions; urged or prompted God to save you. Instead, the Father poured out the hatred and wrath that your sins deserved onto His Son Jesus Christ; healing the relationship between you and Him. God loved His enemy enough to them…to save you. Forget not this foundation, child of God, in your everyday life, yes; but especially when you are confronted by an enemy that Christ commands you to love.
Last week we spoke on a question that some of us have never wrestled with before; that of The Imprecatory Psalms. If we read the Psalmist asking God to crush, curse, and kill his enemies; how do we understand Christ calling us to love our enemies? To repeat the last two pieces of our answer from last week; first: the only kind of heart that is allowed to pray such a prayer, is one that accepts the foundation we spoke of, and never for self-vindicating reasons. Second: we can simultaneously pray for the destruction and the salvation of the wicked, because an imprecatory prayer is asking God to act in accordance with Himself. Bringing justice as He sees fit; upon the person, or upon Christ in their place.
Opening:
Read → Matthew 5:43 - 48 / Prayer
What about Warfare and loving your enemies?
As we move on to this next question; just like last week; it is a big question. As such, I feel it necessary to give an answer right here, at the very beginning of our time together; and then explain it in more depth as we move forward.
Christ’s command to love your enemies can be understood in relation to warfare by looking at: the reason why war exists and God’s usage of it; the fallen state of the world and what that entails; and lastly, what God did about the reasons why warfare exists.
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Now; we can speak on a multitude of truths in regards to war itself, seeking to understand its inner-workings; categorize this kind of war as different from that kind of war; and do all we can to anticipate the next one to better avoid it. Which men throughout the ages have done, and should continue to do, yes! It is a noble and glorious practice. All of it, however; every study, book, work of art, or multi-national peace conference that seeks to understand warfare to make the world a better place, continually forces mankind to confront the truth of its violence.
How many lives have been lost on the battlefields of this world? How many sons, husbands, and fathers have met their bitter end upon soil not their own; or have bled upon that of their fathers? For those that have come home from war; those who, by nothing but the divine providence of God, have returned to their loved ones; how many have done so with scars both seen and unseen? How many limbs have been left in foreign lands, and how many hearts are, even today, held fast by the ghostly grip of memories that refuse to die?
How many nations have stretched their way across a thousand mountains, expanding their borders by the blood of many enemies; only to fall by the power of Him who counts every nation as nothing but dust upon the scales (Is. 40:15)? Nations are built or broken by the engines of war; falling from enemies without, or fracturing by the force of enemies within. Nations and people join hands and arms with others like-minded, building coalitions and unions and kingdoms to ensure their will reigns supreme. But all of it; every battle, invasion, and war; is the unfolding of His glorious will, not theirs, through their actions…no matter how forceful or world-consuming they may be.
He is the one who builds and breaks both nations and men; and no bomb has ever dropped nor bullet flown, apart from His governing providence over the affairs of mankind; using the free-will actions of every nation to carry out His will.
From the swinging of Cain’s stone, to the nuclear holocaust of Nagasaki; everything that mankind has carried out is -and will be- used by Him for His purposes and His alone, because “...His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”” (Dan. 4:34&35)
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As large and dominating as this may seem; as terrifying of a thought it is that war ever kindles beyond some dark horizon, threatening our peaceful lives…it has always been this way.
War has waged upon this planet since that fateful day in the Garden. In eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, mankind’s relationship with their Creator was (humanly speaking) broken beyond repair; and as a result, every human relationship was broken as well. Be it those between parent to child; husband to wife; neighbor to neighbor…or nation to nation.
If we are going to try and learn how we can love our enemies in a world where war is a reality, we first must understand that all warfare; regardless of the motivations and reasons of those who wage it; is a result of sin. Cain killed Able, causing the blood of his brother to cry out from the soil for justice against him (Gen. 4:10)...because of sin. The Israelites waged war against the inhabitants of the promised land (Levi. 18:24&25); Goliath stood proud before the children of God (1 Sam. 17); and The Assyrians and Babylonians invaded, slaughtered, and exiled the children of God…because of sin (2 Ki. 17:7;Jer. 25:11 & 12).
On and on we can pull examples, and will always return to the same conclusion. Why did Alexander make war across the known world? Why did Genghis Khan conquer and kill his way across the Steppe? Why Napoleon? Why Washington? Why Hitler? Every war, without exception, is a result of sin. No matter the cause that prompted it, and independent of every reason why the bullets begin to fly…it is all because of sin.
Think critically on this my friends. Go through history and see the trends of tyranny and oppression, doing all you can to stalwart them, yes! But if your study ends with something other than “sin” being the reason for every war…you have good reason to be hopeless. Because;
if the cause of every war isn't sin,
then the answer isn't Christ.
Take hope, child of God! You who fear the engines of war that even now churn against your homeland, for every war is under the sovereignty of Him who holds the very stars; names them; and causes them to shine upon you every single night.
With a claim as bold as this; that every war is caused by sin, and Christ being the ultimate answer of that problem; we need to see a truth in Scripture, that, while it may be uncomfortable to face; must be faced.
God, being a God of perfect justice (Deut. 32:4) has promised to right every wrong (Rev. 21:4). Sins acted upon in secret or public, carried out by people in positions of power or by those of little strength, every sin will meet the light of God (Num. 32:23), yes.
But what must be understood is that a “nation” is not some manner of neutral entity existing by random chance or the strength of man. It says this in Acts 17:26 & 27 → “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, [27] so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” (emphasis - mine)
Every nation that has ever, and ever will, exist; had its timeframe and geographic borders determined by God. Period. Not the strength of their arms; not their blood, and not their soil. And He pre-determined their rise, fall, and borders so that they will seek Him.
Plainly stated: the reason why nations exist is so that the people inside of them will go after God. We could expand or unpack this in a number of different directions, of course, but the simple truth remains: the purpose of every single nation on earth is to seek after God. And when they don't; when they reject His rules; supplanting them for the self-glory they write between the lines of every law…He judges them.
Judgement will come to every man at the end of time, yes.
But nations? Living entities of combined human wills, organizing themselves according to customs, languages, ethnicities, and faith; nations are judged inside of time.
And when looking at the totality of Scripture, we can see the vast majority of time that judgement comes against a nation, it is through the means of warfare. God allows war, yes, and then uses it as an instrument of judgement against wicked nations.
In Deut. 9, as the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land after their 40yrs of wandering, God says this in v.4 about the soon to be war that Joshua will wage → “Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you.” God was preparing His people for warfare; preparing them to be the instrument of judgement against a number of wicked nations.
In Leviticus 18, after teaching His people the laws surrounding sexuality, God says this in v.24 → “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, (the sexual actions He just spoke of) for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, [25] and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” God used warfare to judge the nations in the promised land because of their sexual depravity.
It says this in Is. 10:5 - 7 → “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation. [6] I will send him against an ungodly nation, and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. [7] Yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off not a few nations.” Assyria wanted to plunder, kill, and conquer Israel, and God used it as judgement as His people.
All through Scripture we can see that the primary instrument of judgement God uses against nations, is warfare.
Now, lest we fall into despair, thinking that we are nothing but passive spectators of evil on the world stage; because God is patient (Ps. 103:8), merciful (Ex. 34:6), and just (Deut. 32:4); remembering that we are dust (Ps. 103:14); He has given us instructions for how war can be waged justly. Plainly stated: because the world is fallen, war is a reality. Because God is a God of patience, mercy, and justice, He told us how we can engage in warfare without sinning.
He knows the depth of violence that mankind is capable of, and knows that His children abhor having to carry out violence in the name of peace. And that, my friends, is the key here. Before we even make it to the theory of a Just War…before we can even talk about loving the enemy you are at war with…
Do you look for an opportunity to carry out violence in a just way? Or do you pray the tides of war will never turn towards you, so that you don't have to?
Are you eager to deal out death in the name of peace? Eager to justify national levels of violence because of your people and your country? Or do you pray for God to end all wars; knowing He is the only one who can; and are reluctant yet willing to do violence on behalf of the weak and innocent?
If you aren’t…who will?
When wicked men carry out the wicked plans of their wicked hearts; who will stop them? When those who lurk in the dark corners of the internet swallow children into their schemes and sins; who will stand up and say “no more!” Who will stand before your family and friends; your wife, children and grandparents; not simply willing to die, but reluctantly willing to kill? Praise be to God for making such men.
Yet the question still remains; how can we go to war; knowing that God uses it; while loving our enemies? We will get there momentarily.
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Christians throughout the ages have studied the Scriptures in times of peace and in times of war, each season lasting as long as He ordains (Ecc. 3:8); and have developed what we in Christendom have named “Just War Theory”.
In short, the Scriptures teach that we as children of God can engage in warfare without sinning: so long as we are carrying it out in the ways that God approves of; for the reasons God approves of; and remembering that we ourselves will stand to give an account before Him.
We see the soil of the “Just War Theory” in Deut. 20 when God gives us the rules for warfare. For a war to be just, the people must depend on God throughout the entire engagement (v.1-4). It is to be fought by men whose life, independent of their parents, is already established (v.5-7). We also see in these verses, that because fear is contagious, no one can be compelled to fight (v.8&9). We read that peace must always be offered first (v.10-12), and when offers of peace are rejected, there can be no killing of women and children; and the destruction of property and the necessities of life are to be avoided (v.13-15).
Now, simply because God has allowed warfare, and given us the borders to keep us from sinning in the simple act of doing so, there are a few truths that must be further understood…especially if we want to love our enemies while doing so.
First, the power to declare and engage in warfare is not given to private individuals; it is given to governments. In Romans 13 we see that God has given the ruling authorities of a nation “the power of the sword” to be (quite literally!) a terror to people who do evil. Rom. 13:3&4 → “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. [4] For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”
Second; just because God has given governments the power to declare war, that doesn't mean they can do so according to their own standards of freedom, diversity, equity, or inclusion. They are to act (as Rom. 13 just told us) as “God’s ministers for good.” They work for God, and for what He alone says is good.
We can all agree with this based on a plain reading of Scripture, right?
But to say that same truth in a different way and provoke your thoughts to a deeper level; the governments of this world have the authority to declare war, yes, but that authority is not given to them by the United Nations, or the largest donors. They do not have the authority to marshal troops and take up arms because they received the most votes. In fact, the authority to declare war is not given to a government by their people…at all.
It is given to them by God alone,
for His reasons alone,
for His glory alone.
And lastly; simply because a war is declared by a governing authority for just and biblical reasons; that does not mean any and every action taken by those within the war are therefore justified. It is not permission to kill with wanton abandon. Meaning, that as we set about asking if this or that war is justified; and see that, yes, it was declared for reasons that God approves of; it can nevertheless be rendered unjust by the actions and intentions of the combatants.
Are those upon the ground; those who stand on the field of battle; doing so with the truth that those who fall before them are other image bearers of God? Do they desire an end to evil, sorrowful that it has come to this? Are they reluctantly willing; knowing that if their arrows do not fly true, and their courage does indeed fail in the day of violence; that those whom they fight to protect will be blotted out from under the sun?
If they refuse to war, will they ever again feel the warm embrace of their wife? Will the laughter of their children fall to silence should they not take up arms? Will the aged parents who loved and raised them; those who wish they could fight in their place; be ushered from the dust they were made of, to the dust they will soon be?
To quote the late Thomas Paine: “I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace.”
What can stop the gears of war from grinding to pieces those whom we love?
Nothing but the men of God, bold yet humble, knowing that the span of life for every man has been written down in the registers of eternity before time began (Ps. 139:16).
If those within whom The Holy Spirit lives refuse to place their tired feet and heavy eyes on the field of battle; then who will “defend the poor and fatherless” or “do justice to the afflicted and needy” (Ps. 82:3) ? If those made new by the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ turn a blind eye to the darkening tides of doom that gather upon many shores; then who will “deliver the poor and needy” or free them “from the hand of the wicked” (Ps. 82:4)?
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But still…what of the enemy we are commanded to love?
Children of Clyde-Savannah, if the people of God refuse to stand on the line of battle and thereby allow evil men to step forward; wicked action by wicked action down the path to Hell…how can we claim to love them? Do we think that military action is somehow not an approved means to push back the curse of sin? Scripture testifies against such a thought. Which means then, that when the dark heart of man prompts them to levels of violence that would crush the poor and needy, to not go to war against them, would be to not love them.
Plainly stated: how can we claim to love an enemy…if warfare is the only thing that will keep them from sinning more…and we refuse to do so?
Perhaps this does not sit well in our modernistic minds, but it does sit well in Scripture. Is it hard to wrestle with? Of course. But the truth is always hard to come to terms with.
To bring some clarity, however; the Christian soldier can love those he is at war with by: being patient with his enemy, seeking his repentance instead of his death. He does not boast over the lives he has taken, or rejoice at wrongdoing, and takes no pleasure in atrocities. He accepts surrender, protects the innocent, and has emptied himself of all personal vengeance or vendettas. The christian soldier can even deliver up his body to be burned, but if he doesn't have the highest good in mind for his enemy (if he doesn't love him!) while hating that death is the only thing that will stop them, he is nothing but a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
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As I just stated; I understand that this might be too much for us to wrestle with. We are, after all, talking about something as ancient as the Garden, and has reached every corner of the globe. Moving forward, there is a more straightforward answer to a dilemma as weighty as war.
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We can rightly (and Biblically!) “categorize” the words of Christ in Matt. 5:43-48 as instructions to individuals. It is single, solitary, citizens; in every place and time; that He calls to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. And we can, without falling into error, see that the instructions that God gives for warfare are directed towards governments (He tells them to be a terror to evil people!). The sphere of sovereignty over the safety of a nation, and the God-breathed permission to wage war on behalf of the good, is given to the rulers and authorities of a people.
Could we have said this at the very beginning of our Sermon together and avoided such weighty talk about the realities of war? Perhaps. It is true after all.
Does this truth, however, make the nation-wide destruction that war will always bring… any less traumatic? Do we care nothing for those who meet our bullets and bombs, because we love our families more than them, as God instructs us to (1 Tim. 5:8; Eph. 5:25)?
When an image bearer of God dies by the actions of someone who knows that the God of the Universe will not count that death against them; and even knows that God has instructed him how to go to war; will questions of the eternal destination of someone they kill… not command their waking thoughts? And will the Accuser not use such an action to wrongly convict him of a guilt that God doesn't see?
My friends, no matter the just cause of a war; no matter the necessity for why it is waged: on behalf of those whom we love; in defense of the weak; or out of love that your enemy will stop his sinning; every single war that humanity has engaged in, without exception, is a result of the broken relationship between God and man.
Fallen man, acting out the contents of his fallen heart, pushes him ever forward to wage war against the God he hates. And because God cannot be harmed by us, we act out that hatred upon those who bear His image. We raise armies; invent new ways to kill; gather those who agree with us by our side, and march ever forward…not towards the light, but towards the dark. We believe that the strength of man can achieve peace on earth, and have been waging war against one another since we left the Garden, ever trying to fulfill the lie we believed.
And the more and more we rely upon; hope in; and devote our hearts and wallets towards the idea that human strength will somehow cause the will of God to unfold on Earth as it is in Heaven, the more and more we will be building our house upon the sand. And the more we do, the more spectacular the fall will be when Him who commands the winds and waves, directs them to beat against us.
If you live by the sword, our Savior says, you will die by it; for our life is more than food, clothing, and safety; because it does not come to us by physical means or might, but by every word that proceeds from His mouth.
Him who will soon split the sky as He rides a white horse; Him who is called Faithful; and True; He judges in righteousness. And He makes war in righteousness.
Him whose eyes are a flame of undying fire, with many crowns atop His head, clothed in a blood-dipped robe; Him who is called The Word of God; with all the armies of heaven, clothed in white linen marshaled about Him; has a sharp, and double-edged sword proceeding from His mouth; able to cut between soul and spirit, marrow and bone, and can see the very thoughts and intents of every heart.
And with that sword He will strike the nations themselves, ruling them with a rod of iron as He treads across the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God.
(Mt. 26:52; Mt. 6:25-31; Mt. 4:4; Rev. 19:11-15 & Heb. 4:12).
The cause of every war is sin,
which means that the answer is always Christ.
Does it grieve you to see the broken relationships between people giving way to war? Then tell them of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of Him who holds every nation in the palm of His hands.
Does your heart ache, and your courage leave you at the thought of churning engines of war crawling their way across many lands? Then stand your ground you righteous man of God; firm upon the ground that God has led your steps to take you (Ps. 37:23), and speak the truth of Jesus Christ to those around you. When you see a field of many bodies strewn between brothers at war, do you wish it was never so? That there must be some other option, some truth, or weapon strong enough to end all war?
Then go onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war; knowing that the weapons of war God has given us are not carnal, no, but they are mighty. So mighty, in fact, that they can topple every stronghold our enemies could ever erect. Because the enemies that we fight are not flesh and blood, no. People, and their physical weapons are weak, hollow, and impotent; only able to kill the body. We wage war against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age. With callused hands, bloodshot eyes, aching backs and broken hearts we take up our mighty weapon; day after day after day; against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And we do so, knowing full well that not one syllable of the Scripture we wield will ever return void. 2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:12; Mt. 10:28; Is. 55:11
It is nothing but the Gospel of Jesus Christ; King of kings and Lord of lords; Son of David, Son of God, and Son of man, going forth into the nations He already owns; that sets prisoners free; turns enemies into friends; prompting us to turn our swords into plowshares; that will ever bring peace on Earth. It is like this, because the Gospel is the only, singular, truth that will turn wretched, murderous, God-hating killers bound for Hell, into saints who love both neighbor and enemy, willing to die for both.
Ps. 2:8; Dan. 7:14; Mt. 28:18; Rom. 6:16-18; Prov. 16:7;
2 Cor. 5:18; Is. 2:1-4; Lk. 2:14; Acts 9; Lk. 10; Mt. 5:48
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, spoken aloud from the lips of those whom He died for, is a weapon that can not be opposed. Not by men, governments, kings or kingdoms. No army can silence the Gospel, no prison can hold it, and the black gates of Hell can not stop its advance.
If you are grieved by the broken relationship between nations,
then be ever the more grieved by the reason why:
the broken relationship between man and God.
Should we think this a task impossible; too high and lofty when you are too low and sinful; then you are right. By human means the end of all war is impossible.
But the cause of all war; the broken relationship between God and man, was dealt a fatal blow 2000yrs ago on a Roman cross. For on that day, the combined anger and hatred of man, prompted forward by their own dark hearts; joined together in a coalition with the forces of darkness; and they crucified the Lord of Glory.
There on the cross we see the ultimate culmination of human hatred; far outweighing anything mankind has ever done since; crashing against the only innocent man to ever live, Jesus Christ. But take hope, oh tired one, oh fearful one. Take hope you who see simmering war so close to boiling over, for the highest and strongest display of human hatred and anger was used by God to atone for, and heal, the ultimate source of it all: the broken relationship between them and Himself.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:43-48)
Rev. Jacob Marchitell
Sept. 13th 2026
Just War Theory
While war is always the result of sin and The Fall, because God is patient, just, and merciful, He outlined, in Deut. 20, how we can navigate a fallen world where war is a reality. (There are many other places in Scripture to pull from; Deut. 20 can be understood as a general summary)
Depend on God throughout the entire war (v.1-4)
Is your independent life just beginning? If so, establish it before going to war. (v.5-7)
Fear is contagious, you don't have to fight. (v.8&9)
Always offer peace first, laying siege to give room for peace (v.10-12)
No killing of women and children; or destruction of property or the necessities of life (v.13-15)
After verse 15, God goes into the total destruction of the land that He gave to the Israelites, instructing them to kill everyone in the city. Which might seem as if God is contradicting His own rules, but His instructions in v.16 - 18 must be understood in light of the totality of Scripture. The conquest of Canaan was God’s perfect judgement against them (Deut. 9:5; 18:12; Levi. 18:24-29; et. al.). And He used the Israelites as His instrument to carry out this perfect judgement, in the same way that He used water in the global flood (Gen. 6-9), or fire in Sodom & Gomorrah (Gen. 19).
As was mentioned during the Sermon, the vast majority of time that God brings judgement against a “body politic” (an independent civic body of people, organized under a political authority structure) in Scripture, He does so by using other nations as the Instruments of Judgment to carry it out.
An exact percentage of times God used a nation to judge a nation is impossible to calculate, (see more on last page) but a safe estimate is that “other nations” are the Instrument of Judgement that God uses roughly 77% of the time in Scripture.
Numerous cultures throughout history have a school of thought in relation to the morality of war; or how war can be fought morally. In ancient Egypt, a war was moral when it was declared by the Pharaoh. In ancient China, a war was moral when it was punishment against a people; as defined by their leader. In ancient India, any war was moral if it was declared after peaceful means were exhausted.
For us here in The West, our “rules for war” (whether or not they are followed!) are, in large part, built upon Scripture and systematized (organized) by a man named Thomas Aquinas, in his work The Summa Theologica, that he wrote between 1265 - 1274. Another saint before him did a large part of the work; St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430); which Aquinas then brings together into a working structure in the Summa. Augustine, in his work “Questions on the Heptateuch” (written in 419) said: “A just war is one that avenges wrongs, such as when a nation or state must be punished for refusing to remedy wrongdoing or restore unjustly seized property.” Plainly stated (according to Augustine): The purpose of military force is to avenge wrongs and restore justice.
Building off of Augustine, Aquinas stands on a number of different places in Scripture; with God giving the “authority of the sword” to the government in Rom. 13 as the primary text. A government is not only allowed to declare war…according to Rom. 13 a government ought to declare war in specific instances (to be a terror to evil). He also explains that in Luke 3:14, when John the Baptist instructs a soldier to “Not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” He is giving regulations for how a soldier ought behave, as well as permission to be a soldier to begin with. Other examples he uses are: Ps. 82:14 → “Deliver the poor and needy”. Josh. 6:4 shows the priests sounding the trumpet, which he understands to mean that clergy can support a just war, but denies they can actually fight in it; and the stratagem that God instructs Joshua to employ in the conquest of Ai in Joshua 8:2.
With these examples, (along with others) Aquinas organizes Augusinte’s thoughts to develop the “Just War Theory”. A summary of the theory is below; and in the pages to follow a more robust explanation; followed by a number of Objections & Responses.
When is a war just? When it:
It is called by a sovereign authority. It is not for private citizens to declare war. A war is defending the 'common weal' (well-being) of the country against external enemies, Not internal ones. The power to declare war must only be in the hands of those with 'supreme authority'.
It has a just cause. Which are: Avenges wrongs; When a nation or state has to be punished; For refusing to make amends for the wrongs inflicted by its subjects, or to restore what it has seized unjustly; The combatants have morally right intentions.
A war must be waged by people who 'intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil'.
Question 40 - War: Whether it is always sinful to wage war?
I answer that, In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged. For it is Not the business of a private individual to declare war, because he can seek for redress of his rights from the tribunal of his superior. Moreover it is Not the business of a private individual to summon together the people, which has to be done in wartime. And as the care of the common weal is committed to those who are in authority, it is their business to watch over the common weal of the city, kingdom or province subject to them. And just as it is lawful for them to have recourse to the sword in defending that common weal against internal disturbances, when they punish evil-doers, according to the words of the Apostle (Romans 13:4): "He beareth Not the sword in vain: for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil"; so too, it is their business to have recourse to the sword of war in defending the common weal against external enemies. Hence it is said to those who are in authority (Psalm 81:4): "Rescue the poor: and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner"; and for this reason Augustine says: "The natural order conducive to peace among mortals demands that the power to declare and counsel war should be in the hands of those who hold the supreme authority."
Secondly, a just cause is required, namely that those who are attacked, should be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault. Wherefore Augustine says: "A just war is wont to be described as one that avenges wrongs, when a nation or state has to be punished, for refusing to make amends for the wrongs inflicted by its subjects, or to restore what it has seized unjustly."
Thirdly, it is necessary that the belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil. Hence Augustine says: "True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged Not for motives of aggrandizement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, of punishing evil-doers, and of uplifting the good." For it may happen that the war is declared by the legitimate authority, and for a just cause, and yet be rendered unlawful through a wicked intention. Hence Augustine says: "The passion for inflicting harm, the cruel thirst for vengeance, an unpacific and relentless spirit, the fever of revolt, the lust of power, and such like things, all these are rightly condemned in war."
Objection 1 → It would seem that it is always sinful to wage war. Because punishment is not inflicted except for sin. Now those who wage war are threatened by Our Lord with punishment, according to Matthew 26:52: "All that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Therefore all wars are unlawful.
Response to Objection 1 → As Augustine says: "To take the sword is to arm oneself in order to take the life of anyone, without the command or permission of superior or lawful authority." On the other hand, to have recourse to the sword (as a private person) by the authority of the sovereign or judge, or (as a public person) through zeal for justice, and by the authority, so to speak, of God, is Not to "take the sword," but to use it as commissioned by another, wherefore it does Not deserve punishment. And yet even those who make sinful use of the sword are Not always slain with the sword, yet they always perish with their own sword, because, unless they repent, they are punished eternally for their sinful use of the sword.
Objection 2 → Whatever is contrary to a Divine precept is a sin. But war is contrary to a Divine precept, for it is written (Matt. 5:39): "But I say to you Not to resist evil"; and (Rom. 12:19): "Not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved, but give place unto wrath." Therefore war is always sinful.
Response to Objection 2 → …it is necessary sometimes for a man to act otherwise for the common good, or for the good of those with whom he is fighting. Hence Augustine says: "Those whom we have to punish with a kindly severity, it is necessary to handle in many ways against their will. For when we are stripping a man of the lawlessness of sin, it is good for him to be vanquished, since Nothing is more hopeless than the happiness of sinners, whence arises a guilty impunity, and an evil will, like an internal enemy."
Objection 3 → Nothing, except sin, is contrary to an act of virtue. But war is contrary to peace. Therefore war is always a sin.
Response to Objection 3 → Those who wage war justly aim at peace, and so they are Not opposed to peace, except to the evil peace, which Our Lord "came Not to send upon earth" (Matt. 10:34). Hence Augustine says: "We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace."
Instruments of Judgment
As I stated earlier; an exact percentage of times God used a nation to judge a nation is impossible to calculate; because Scripture speaks of corporate judgements against a plurality of nations without giving the number (Jer. 25:24-26; Jer. 49:28). Another factor making an exact percentage impossible to find is national-level catastrophes that aren’t explicitly stated as being divine judgement. Not every single famine; pestilence; etc. is stated as being a judgement from God; even though we affirm that He is sovereign over everything.
That being said; in Scripture there are roughly 146 different cases of judgement from God against a “body politic”. Of those examples, God used another body politic as His “Instrument of Judgement” 96 times; or 77.4% of the time. To see a table of the information, scan the QR Code below; or if you would like one printed out, see Pastor Jacob. To come to my conclusion, the following rules were employed in processing the data:
“Body Politic” = A kingdom, nation, or people under recognized government, city-state, or comparable organized polity. (If a place is said to have “a king” or “rulers”)
Each separately identified ruler establishes a separate body politic. If Scripture identifies “the king of X,” “the ruler/lord of X,” etc., X is counted separately even when several such polities participate in one war or coalition.
One ruler/polity = one political entity for that judgment.
Retellings of the same event were excluded.
The same body politic may be counted again in a genuinely different judgment episode. For example, Jerusalem in the Canaanite conquest and Jerusalem/Judea under Rome are separated by many centuries and are therefore different judgments.
A judgment counts “YES” when another body politic is used as an instrument. It does not matter whether the judgment is exclusively military or also involves famine, pestilence, etc.
Direct divine/natural/internal judgment counts “NO.” Flood, fire from heaven, plague, etc.
Mixed judgments count Yes if another polity is one of the identifiable instruments.
An unidentified “sword” or military destruction is not automatically counted YES. If the text does not permit us to identify another political entity as the instrument with reasonable confidence, it is marked with: IND (indeterminate)
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