Should Christians voluntarily go to war?

Lawful and unlawful killing

In the bible, there were 2 types of killing, lawful and unlawful. Unlawful killing, could come under the command thou shalt not kill. It was murder, along with a number of other sins in the murder family that came under it.

But there was lawful killing, an example being Numbers 35:

17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.

If someone had sinned certain sins, then they were to be put to death. So killing someone was wrong if it was unlawful. We also know sometimes the Lord would call His people to go to war with the nations around them.

They were to fight with the philistines for example, and you see David, a man so blessed by the Lord killing Goliath. So there were times to go to war. But there were also times that the people shouldn't have gone to war, and when they did, they suffered badly. There was some sin or other issue they hadn't dealt with, and as a result God wasn't with them. So not all wars were right.

What soldiers were told in the bible

Matthew 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

Jesus met with a centurion, and remarked that His faith was greater than those in Israel. He didn't condemn him for being a soldier, He didn't tell him to stop, but He treated him just like he would other ordinary people.

We also have soldier who came to John the Baptist to ask him:

Luke 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

He didn't tell them to stop being soldiers, as he told them to be content with their wages. They wouldn't have had their wages if they'd have stopped being soldiers.

So being a soldier in the bible was fine.

Need for war

Sometimes there is a need for war. Take the second world war for example, there was a need to go to war, and stop an evil murderer from killing more Jewish people. Or the American civil war, which resulted in the eventual freedom of African American slaves. If these wars hadn't have happened then sin would have carried on with no check.

But sometimes there isn't a good reason for going to war. A war not too long ago was based on the idea that there were some weapons in a country that were a threat to us. However when the war was over, the weapons were never found. Or wars which are land grabs, taking over other countries in order to take their resources for themselves. They aren't good reasons.

Also think through whether going to war is the right environment to be in. Often it maybe very hard to be a believer in the army, you are far away from home, far away from other believers, and far from a good church to go to. It could be a job that leads to you falling away.

Better instead to ask God to guide you to a job where you have the chance to serve Him and do much good for Him.

Spiritual war

Finally remember all Christians should voluntarily go to war. Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

There is a spiritual war going on right now, and we're called to fight in it daily. It's a battle that will go on until we pass from this life to eternity. We're to serve as a soldier of Christ, warring a good warfare. We know that we are on the winning side, and this is the fight that really matters. Wars in this world will continue on as long as sin remains, but if we fight the good fight, then we will know ultimate peace.