stretched said:
"Governments go to war, not individuals (if you understand what I mean)."
Are you echoing Adstar and c20?
If you mean that it's God who wages war on earth, no, I don't believe that for a moment. My position is that war is a consequence of sin, and it's much more complex than "will we do it, or won't we". Speak to any american now, and he will probably oppose the war in Iraq. Yet when you look at the news, we see America at war in Iraq. The difference is clearly not made by individual opinions.
I'm echoing these words:
Luke 17:2
"Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
Mat 18:7 "How terrible it will be for the world because it causes people to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!"
God knows exactly where the blame lies and who to hold accountable. But we shouldn't fool ourselves. There is already war between sin and righteousness, it just doesn't always
emerge on a national or global scale. Whether the CIA shoot the hijackers at the airport, shoot down the planes before they hit, or destroy their cells in Afghanistan and Iraq, war is being waged whether you're aware of it or not.
Opposing sin by turning the other cheek is a tactic for handling conflict - it's not a recipe for avoiding it. There is pacifism and then there is denial. It's not individual who gets to enforce justice, but those appointed for it. Shutting down the Government, the CIA, the police force and the UN because
individuals "shouldn't make war" suggests, for me, living in a fantasy world that doesn't exist. We don't live in a world where sin disappears because we don't like to enforce justice. You might as well say "we shouldn't judge" and fire all judges and disband all courts.
God required justice just as much as He required mercy. We shouldn't have one and neglect the other. I think the same applies to pacifism: we can't show Christian tolerance while we allow injustice to escalate unchecked. Jesus never denied that sin is a reality that would have to be dealt with in practical situations, or that people would sometimes be completely surrounded by sin and temptation. But He pronounced judgement over the perpetrators, and had compassion for the victims. In my thinking, a soldier is just as much a victim of war, and a policeman the victim of crime, as the people they are trying to protect.
But war is hell, and it will only ever be conquered when those who have least reason begin to turn the other cheek, to suffer a little injustice so that peace might have a chance - like death itself was conquered when Jesus chose to suffer injustice, rather than fight to preserve his dignity and authority in a sinful world. That way, He achieved a victory and glory much greater than a sinful world could ever allow. It's when people are faced with evil that they show their true colours:
Rev 13:10
If anyone is to be taken captive, he must go into captivity. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, he must be killed with a sword. This is what the endurance and faith of the saints means.