[1]
Editor’s note: The following in an excerpt from “Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life: Ethical Answers for Cultural Questions [2],” by Daniel Darling, released from B&H Publishing (May 2026).
We live in a world of war. As I write, according to The Geneva Academy, which tracks war around the world, there are a total of 110 “active conflicts” on almost every continent. By the time you read this chapter, some may be resolved, but, sadly, replaced with new wars in new places.
How should Christians think about war? More importantly, how should a Christian think about conflict, violence and the use of force? If Scripture is clear about the value of human life, shouldn’t the Christian oppose any conflict that ends human life?
To think about this, we need to think first about some basic Christian ideas. First, why does violence exist in the first place? Scripture says it begins in the human heart:
What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war (James 4:1-2).
If you want to know why innocent people die every day due to violence, it is because there is something fundamentally broken about humanity. Christian theology points to the first couple and that fateful choice in the garden to listen to the voice of the serpent instead of the voice of God. From that point on, humans, infected by sin, have sought new and innovative ways to strike out at their fellow humans. And in doing so, they strike out at God. It only took one generation, the offspring of Adam and Eve, for violence to rear its ugly head as a jealous Cain killed his brother in cold blood.
Paul writes to the church of Corinth, “by one man, sin entered the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned” (1 Corinthians 5:12). Yes, there are other factors that might create the environment where violence flourishes: poverty, broken families, lack of adequate justice systems, etc. But ultimately, as James writes, “when sin conceives, it brings forth death” (James 1:15).
Second, Scripture is clear that God hates the murder of innocent human beings. In fact, Proverbs 6:16-18 says that God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” The Ten Commandments urge the people of God, “Do not murder” (Exodus 20:7). The New Testament often lists murder or murders in the list of sinful behaviors that separate sinners from God (Mark 7, Romans 1, 1 Timothy 1, Revelation 21). God so values human life and so detests the murder of innocents that He says He requires a murderer to forfeit their own life. If God hates the shedding of innocent blood, so too should God’s people. Loving violence is not a Christian impulse. It’s the kind of behavior that characterizes people of the world. To love violence is disqualifying for a church leader (1 Timothy 3:3).
[3]Third, as much as possible, individual Christians should seek peace and not conflict. Consider Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, “But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matthew 5:39). Paul says this as well:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes if possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord (Romans 12:16-19).
Notice when Paul says, “as much as possible” to live in peace. It’s not always possible to avoid conflict. It is possible (and common in many places around the world) to be a victim of violence and there is a need to defend oneself (more on that later). But in general, the people of God shouldn’t employ vigilante justice.
Fourth, God calls human governments to protect the vulnerable against violence. In other words, God has ordained human governments to maintain order and enforce laws that pretty on the dignity of image-bearers. Though many of the laws and patterns God required for ancient Israel are not operative today under the new covenant, there are general ideas regarding law and justice that are wise for governments today.
And before the establishment of Israel, basic rules for human government included bringing justice to those who shed innocent blood (Genesis 9:6).
In Romans 13, Paul lays out the role and responsibility God gives to human governments:
Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.
Notice Scripture says that rulers (the government) are to be a terror to “bad” and that it “carries the sword” and is to “bring wrath on the one who does wrong.” In a sense, God has given government the authority to initiate conflict to punish evil and reward good. Quite often, the prophets communicated God’s judgment to the nations, including Israel, for their failure to adequately protect the vulnerable (Isaiah 1; Amos 5, Jeremiah 22; Ezekiel 16). A government that “bears the sword” to avenge evil and protect the innocent will often resort to force. Governments can abuse their power and often do, but a government with no ability to enforce laws would be, by definition, a government allowing bad actors and evil people to prey on the innocent.
Many of us live in relatively safe neighborhoods and communities because there exists a police force that enforces (however imperfectly) the law. A few years ago, an internet movement, “defund the police,” was in vogue. It sounded like a novel idea for those who were concerned about excessive force and police brutality. However, most of the people living in violent neighborhoods weren’t saying “defund the police.” They know the importance of a government that enforces laws against violence.
We also live in a relatively free country. We live under an umbrella of safety that we often take for granted. Many around the world are not as blessed. They live in war-torn nations or in places where bands of gangs or terrorist networks commit acts of violence against the vulnerable, steal private property, and enslave women and children. Clearly, Scripture supports the government’s forceful action to protect human lives and offer safety.
As we think through the questions of conflict, violence, justice and war, we cannot confuse Scripture’s prescriptions for interpersonal relationships (turn the other cheek, seek peace if possible) with Scripture’s implications for human governments in a fallen world.
In fact, Paul can say in Romans 11 that we shouldn’t individually seek vengeance against others and seek peace because in the very next chapter, he says that God has given the responsibility for such justice to the state. We should not take the law into our own hands; we should allow the civil authorities, ordained by God, to do this work. A government isn’t under the obligation to “turn the other cheek.” In fact, a government that refuses to use force against terrorists or murderers cheapens the image of God and allows innocents to be slaughtered. Proverbs 21:15 tells us that “Justice executed is a joy to the righteous but a terror to evildoers.”
Ethicist Paul Ramsey writes:
While Jesus taught that a disciple in his own case should turn the other cheek, he did not enjoin that his disciples should lift up the face of another oppressed man for him to be struck again on his other cheek. It is no part of the work of charity to allow this to continue to happen. Instead, it is the work of love and mercy to deliver as many as possible of God’s children from tyranny, and to protect from oppression, if one can, as many of those for whom Christ died as it may be possible to save. When choice must be made between the perpetrator of injustice and the many victims of it, the latter may and should be preferred-even if effectively to do so would require the use of armed force against some evil power.
This is the important question when thinking about the use of force by government, whether by state and local police forces or by the military. Should a government stand by and allow evil to prey on the innocent, or should it side with the vulnerable and use necessary force against those who would cause harm?
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