We have been looking at Biblical perspectives of war in my recent posts. Today I will bring some conclusions.

  III   Some Biblical conclusions:
1. War is a result of sin entering this world.
2. Because of men’s hardness of hearts, God allowed war and used war to punish his enemies.
3. From the beginning war was not intended to be part of human life, and in the Messianic age God will through his people put an end to war.
4. In order to put an end to war the people of God must be prepared to suffer martyrdom and refuse to use the sword to kill even in self-defence.
5. The people of God have their citizenship in heaven, and should not use fleshly weapons to defend a secular government by killing. The people of God should seek the welfare of the cities and nations in which we live by methods consistent with our message of reconciliation and the final goal we are aiming at.
6. To be prophetic the people of God must refrain from all form of violence, military activities and live today as a demontration of the prophetic word concerning the Messianic age. We ought to show the nations a better way of solving conflicts than war. When the law goes forth from Zion and the word of God are preached from Jerusalem, the nations shall beat their sword into ploughshares and they shall no longer learn to war.
7. No strategy of violence, but only one of non-violence, can be deduced from the example of Jesus Christ. The way of the cross must be our way of life in this sinful world.
8. As Christians we should only accept one standard of life, not one for our private life and another one for our life as servants in different spheres in society. We should not accept one standard for the state and another one for people personally.
9. According to the Bible all people on the earth are of one blood, we are in a way all brothers and sisters, we are all of equal worth, war and violence are against the covenant of brotherhood among all men.
10. It cannot be right that Christians on both sides obey their secular governments and kill each other in war. That is not what God has called us to.
11. To use the military activity in OT times to justify Christian participation in military service today is bad hermeneutic and cannot be sustained in NT support, neither from Jesus Christ or his apostles.