This question comes from DD. His question revolves around the commandment that says, ‘You shall not murder’ (Exodus 20:13 ESV). He wants to know if it is OK to kill in war. Well, first let me say that this is a debate that has gone on for hundreds of years among good Christian people. Some believe that it is OK for a ‘just war’, others believe the answer is ‘no’ no matter what. Let’s look at some biblical principles and see what we can gather…
- Murder is clearly wrong according to Exodus 20:13 and other passages. The Hebrew word for ‘murder’ includes causing human death through carelessness or negligence. This is clearly wrong. From Matthew 5:21-26, we see that murder begins as an attitude of the heart toward another person.
- God has given authority to human governments for the purpose of keeping the peace and protecting people (Romans 13:1-7).
- God commanded the Israelites in the book of Joshua to drive the inhabitants of the Promised Land out of the land completely (Deuteronomy 9). In other words, they were to kill them because of their wickedness.
So, it would seem that, while murder is clearly wrong, and the death of anyone made in God’s image is not a good thing, as a result of the curse of sin, God has ordained human governments to provide protection for their people. Sometimes that means engaging in wars. If a Christian is called into duty in a war that he or she does not deem sinful, then it is acceptable for a Christian to kill in war according to the Bible. Of course, a Christian is bound to follow orders when it comes to the rules of engagement, but you get the picture.
Here is a brief article to consider as well:
http://www.studythebible.com/question/topics/war.htm
-Pastor Scott