There are two common ways to answer this question. The first is to establish whether war can ever be morally justified, and the second is to consider how soldiers are viewed in the New Testament.

All Christians ought to agree that war is evil and highlights the extent of human sin and brokenness. Notwithstanding, there are two main schools of thought within Christianity regarding the legitimacy of going to war, namely pacifism and just war theory. Pacificists reject the use of violence under any circumstances. Proponents of just war theory contend that war may be justified when specific criteria are met.

A biblical case can be made for both positions. For example, in the later part of Romans 12, Paul exhorts his audience not to repay anyone evil for evil and to treat our enemies with compassion. Furthermore, Romans 12.19 says: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” If nothing else, Romans 12 says a lot about how we should treat people on a personal level, and some would extend this to a nation’s foreign policy. However, in Romans 13, Paul goes on to emphasise a government’s role in administering justice, “But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

War is evil, however, because of the fallenness of our world, there may be circumstances that necessitate the use of force in order to prevent an even greater evil. As Remembrance Day approaches, it seems apt to cite the Second World War. Nazi Germany was busy invading sovereign nations without provocation and murdering Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and the disabled on an industrial scale. To make no attempt to prevent this would be cowardly and evil. As Bonhoeffer famously said, “Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

Bonhoeffer also provides the following helpful analogy.

“If I sit next to a madman as he drives a car into a group of innocent bystanders, I can’t, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe, then comfort the wounded and bury the dead.  I must try to wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver.”

Whilst nations are sometimes too quick to resort to armed conflict, it would seem that war can be a legitimate and morally justified response to evil. Sadly, there are times when no amount of diplomacy or sanctions will prevail.

If war can be morally justified, it follows that it is not morally wrong to join the military. This premise seems to be supported by the New Testament.

When a group of soldiers asked John the Baptist “What should we do?”, he replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely — be content with your pay.”  There was no suggestion from John that the soldiers should renounce their profession. On the contrary, if they were to go on receiving pay, they would have to remain in their profession.

Three of the gospels tell the story of a Roman Centurion who was praised more highly by Jesus than almost anyone else. Jesus did not say to him, “Go and be a soldier no more”, but “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

Moreover, the very first Gentile convert to Christianity was a Roman Centurion by the name of Cornelius. This was, of course, no accident. God specifically sent Peter to preach the gospel to Cornelius’ entire household.

The New Testament does not call into question the moral integrity of Christians who serve in the military; however, those who serve have a responsibility to do so in a way that bears witness to the values of God’s kingdom. Australia’s adherence to the international rules and conventions of war makes this task somewhat easier.

However, it should be noted that, even in the most disciplined of military units, illegal and/or immoral actions do sometimes still occur. Therefore, Christians can and should be a restraining influence to ensure that our military maintains the highest possible ethical standards. From this perspective, one could make a case for having as many Christians in the military as possible.

What is a Just War?

Six conditions must be satisfied for a war to be considered “just”:

• The war must be for a just cause.

• The war must be lawfully declared by a lawful authority.

• The intention behind the war must be good.

• All other ways of resolving the problem should have been tried first.

• There must be a reasonable chance of success.

• The means used must be in proportion to the end that the war seeks to achieve.

How should a Just War be fought?

A war that starts as a Just War may stop being a Just War if the means used to wage it are inappropriate.

• Innocent people and non-combatants should not be harmed.

• Only appropriate force should be used (this applies to both the sort of force, and how much force is used).

• Internationally agreed conventions regulating war must be obeyed

First published on the St Andrew’s, Springfield website in November 2024.