War?

Can a Christian support President Bush’s declaration of war on terrorism?

In light of the recent terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center and President Bush’s subsequent declaration of war on terrorism, many American Christians have been thrust into a serious debate. Can they be consistent in their personal faith and still support retaliatory military action?
The difficulty lies in the struggle to find the balance between the individual prohibition against vengeance, and the national responsibility of a government to execute justice for its citizens and with other nations. Many have misapplied Christ’s call to forgiveness in interpersonal relationships ( Luke 17:3-4 ) and love for enemies ( Matthew 5:44; Luke 2:27 ) to matters of national and international conflict.
We must grapple with at least three primary issues regarding this complex matter.
First, we need to recognize the difference between an individual response and a governmental response. Paul clarified in Romans 12:19-21 that individuals are prohibited from taking personal revenge on those who have harmed them in some personal way. Vengeance is God’s exclusive right. As individuals, we are called to "overcome evil with good" ( Romans 12:21 ).
Second, we need to acknowledge God’s mandate for human government to be the guardian responsible for the preservation of order in a society. Government is to be the protector of the people as an "agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer" ( Romans 13:4 ). Immediately following the prohibition against personal vengeance in Romans 12:19-21 , Paul contrasts the God-given directive for human governments to execute justice and punishment against those who violate the law:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing ( Romans 13:1-6 , NIV).
The Bible advocates a healthy fear of punishment as a deterrent against those who would perpetuate a pattern of evil against a society. This is the divine mandate for the use of force to bring evildoers to justice, whether they are a government’s own citizens, or foreign adversaries.
Third, and finally, we must understand that when God established the institution of human government to maintain peace and order in a sinful society, He also gave government the responsibility for the use of deadly force. Paul emphatically states that human government is given the power of armed force ("the sword" in verse 4) for a specific reason. The Bible makes it clear that sometimes it is necessary for a government to use lethal force to deal with a pattern of wickedness that refuses to respond to reason. While it would be wrong for individuals to execute vigilante justice by taking matters into their own hands, the government is given divine authority to execute justice for the benefit of preserving order in a society threatened by evildoers.
With these biblical guidelines in mind, we can see that it is consistent with God’s mandate and it is an act of responsibility for President Bush to order an attack on an identifiable enemy (those who are responsible for the terrorists attacks on US soil). This action is both a form of punishment for what has been done and a deterrent to future attacks.
Soul Journey 2005