III - WHY DOES GOD ALLOW WAR?
The following excerpt from an article by
Pastor Paul Barnes[1], from
the Officer’s Christian Fellowship website is very helpful:
“Martin Lloyd Jones
pastor of Westminster Chapel in London 1938-1968 spent many nights during WWII
in bomb shelters He preached to his war-ravaged countrymen, and attempted to
comfort them in their losses. In 1939 he wrote a book titled, "Why Does God
Allow War?" It has been recently republished by Crossway Books His
argument is that whatever the causes and circumstances of international
conflict, deeper truths remain. The church is called to console the grieving,
instruct the perplexed, strengthen the weak-kneed, and bring us to our knees.
James 4:1 "What
causes fights (wars) and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires
(lusts) that battle within you?" So, the question of "Why does God
allow war?" is not directly considered in scripture. But James 4:1 does
raise the question of the origin of war. The ultimate cause is lust and selfish
desire.
In the same way that it leads to personal quarrels and strife,
it leads to war between nations. "The bible does not isolate war, as if it
were something separate and unique as we tend to do in our thinking. It is but
one of the manifestations of sin." And then he gives us the following
thoughts:
1. God permits war that people may bear the consequence sin. The
children of Israel time and time again disobeyed God. For a while all was well,
but then God withdrew his protecting care from them, and they were at the mercy
of their enemies.
But why do the innocent suffer? First, there is no such person
as the innocent. We are all sinful. Furthermore, we reap consequences not only
for our own personal sin, but also the sins of the entire race. Thus it comes
to pass that the innocent may bear part of the punishment for sins for which
they are not directly responsible.
2. God permits war in order that men may see more clearly what
sin really is. In times of peace we tend to think lightly of sin, and be
optimistic about human nature. War forces us to examine the very foundations of
life and what it is in human nature that leads us to such acts of the
destruction of human life and property.
This explanation goes deep down in the heart of men. It is
selfishness, hatred, jealousy, envy, bitterness, and malice in the human heart.
"What man refuses to recognize and to learn by the preaching of the gospel
in a time of peace, God reveals to him by permitting war. What man refuses and
rejects when offered by the hand of love, he often takes when delivered to him
through the medium of affliction."
3. All this, in turn leads to the final purpose, which is to
lead us back to God. No word is found more frequently in the Old Testament as a
description of the Israelites than ‘in their trouble and distresses they cried
out unto the Lord." And we are still the same today. "Indeed as I
contemplate human nature and human life, what astonishes me is not that God
allows and permits war, but the patience and long-suffering of God. Oh, the
amazing patience of God with this sinful world! How wondrous is his love. He
allows such things as war to chastise us, to teach us, and to convict us of our
sins; and above all, to call us to repentance and acceptance of his gracious
offer of salvation in His Son."
The vital question before us therefore is not: "Why does
God allow war?" The question for us is—are we learning and repenting
before God for the sin in our own hearts.
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Purpose Statement
To glorify
God by uniting Christian officers for biblical fellowship and outreach,
equipping and encouraging them to minister effectively in the military society.
In 2
Corinthians 5:20, the Apostle Paul describes Christians as Christ's ambassadors
to a lost world. We believe God calls military believers to be His ambassadors
to the Armed Forces. OCF exists to help you become a more effective ambassador,
integrating faith and profession with excellence.
Vision Statement
To be a
dynamic community of Christian military leaders, integrating faith and
profession, serving with a passion for God and a calling to the military.
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