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THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCTRINE
OF NONRESISTANCE
How shall Christians respond to calls for supporting the nation's participation in war? What shall be our attitude in the midst of conflicts of various kinds? Some say, "Wave the flag; put out a cry to rid the world of evil by whatever forceful means is necessary."
As biblically oriented, Anabaptist related Christians, we want to demonstrate before the world the way of nonresistance. The word nonresistance is coined from the words of Jesus when He said, "You should not resist an evil person, but whoever smites you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39). To summarize the teaching on nonresistance, it is necessary that we have a good foundation upon which to build our convictions about peace and war. And so we will look at Bible principles, related problems, and common misunderstandings.1. BIBLE PRINCIPLES
Every Bible teaching has some basic principles upon which it is established. There are at least five foundation principles upon which non-resistance is based. The first principle that underlies the doctrine of nonresistance is:
a) The supremacy of agape love
The Greek language has several words for love. One speaks of mere sexual attraction; another refers to a strong bond of friendship, such as exists between members of a family. But the word used most often in the Bible is "agape"—the love that is rooted into the heart by the Holy Spirit when a person becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:5).
Real Christian love is described in 1 Corinthians 13. It is kind and does not envy; it is not puffed up and does not seek its own advantage; it is not easily provoked. This kind of love is the supreme principle which is to govern the Christian's life. We are to express love to all people. We are to love the Lord—with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). We are to love the brethren—with a pure heart fervently (1 Peter 1:22). We are to love our neighbor—for love works no ill to one's neighbor (Romans 13:10). We are to love our enemies—and are to bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us (Matthew 5:44).
Since no one is to be excluded from the scope of our love, any act of violence (in peace or in war) is out of the question for God's people.
b) The duty of promoting peace
The word "peace" is found in every book of the New Testament except the epistle of First John. The Greek word "eirene" means "to be in harmony with another." The instruction is most clearly given in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all." That is, we are to do everything possible to maintain harmony with others. Try and answer angry people with gentle words. Seek to settle differences, even at personal sacrifice, rather than to take matters to court. The other party may not yield, but we are to do everything possible from our side, to maintain harmony, and to live peaceably with all human beings. This rules out bitterness and hatred and strife.
c) The rejection of retaliation
The word "retaliate" means "to pay back, to seek revenge, to return like for like." The Bible admonition is given in Romans 12:17, when the Apostle Paul says, "Repay no one evil for evil." Christians are not to repay evil with the same kind of evil someone has done to them. Instead, we are to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). It is the opposite of a tee shirt message I saw sometime ago: "I don't get mad; I just get even."
We are not to do to others as they do to us. Rather, we are to do to others as we would have them do to us. This is the Golden Rule. This is the principle by which Jesus lived. "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return" (1 Peter 2:23). Retaliation is wrong for God's people because we are to turn the other cheek, to go the second mile, and to show mercy toward others.
d) The existence of two kingdoms
There are two kingdoms of people in this world—those who have been regenerated by faith in Jesus Christ, and those who are unre-generate. Jesus said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight...but my kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).
A "kingdom" is a domain over which a king rules, and spiritually speaking, Jesus says there are two kingdoms. Jesus is Lord over the church; Satan is the god of this world. Each kingdom operates by different ethics and assumes different responsibilities. Jesus was saying that the nations of the world do fight. And in fact, as long as men and women are unregenerate, there will be wars between political states—but Jesus says, "Now is my kingdom not from here. My kingdom is a different kingdom; My kingdom operates by higher laws; those who are members of My kingdom do not fight." And so the disciples of Jesus choose an alternative service (if that is available), doing something that benefits humanity—or, if an alternative is not available, they choose death. The Lord's people refuse to take up arms and participate in warfare among nations.
The typical modern pacifist point of view says that we've got to establish a new world order; we must call on the nations to disarm; we need a new political order. The pacifist has confidence in the upward progress of the human family. Pacifists ignore the necessity for regeneration of the individual, and the need for a second birth. Dean Kelly (former staff member of the National Council of Churches), in his book Why Conservative Churches Are Growing, describes the early Anabaptists by saying that "theirs was a stance, not so much of pacifism, as of nonresistance." Nonresistance is passive; pacifism is proactive.
e) The sacredness of human life
Human life is a deep mystery. Each cell that forms the various parts of the human body has within it secrets which the powers of man cannot unlock. Even noted scientists cannot tell us what "life" is.
When we look at the reddish form of a new-born tiny baby, and see its many faculties all operating perfectly (eyes, hands, little fingers, ears, etc.)—all we can do is gaze into that little face with amazement. God is the author of life. He formed the body out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into our nostrils the breath of life, "and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). And because God has given man life, He holds the prerogative to take it away. Death is a tremendous doorway—a doorway through which humans pass into one of two eternal destinies. Only God has a right to open that door, and therefore it can never be right for one human being to take the life of another.
The five principles which we have just named—join together to form the foundation for the Bible doctrine of nonresistance: They are the supremacy of love (Matthew 5:44); the promotion of peace (Romans 12:18); the rejection of retaliation (Romans 12:17); the existence of two kingdoms (John 18:36); the sacredness of human life (Genesis 2:7).
2. RELATED PROBLEMS
Any honest student of the Bible must admit that there are some problem passages in the Scriptures that seem to contradict the basic teaching of nonresistance.
a) War in the Old Testament
We don't have to read very far into the Old Testament until we are confronted with war. It seems that Israel (after the exodus from Egypt) was almost constantly at war. And sometimes Israel's going to war was done at God's command. In Deuteronomy 20:10-20, instructions are given, telling how to engage in battle. In 1 Samuel 15:3, the nation was commanded to totally destroy the Amalekites. All this seems difficult to reconcile with the doctrine of nonresistance. The following facts are related to war in the Old Testament:
(1) Israel was a nation of this world, whereas the church is a kingdom not of this world. Israel had a central government, a capital city, geographical boundaries, and a king with a royal family. The church is a kingdom called out of this world. It has no geographical boundaries, no capital city, and no regal throne. The church does not operate by the principles that regulate earthly kingdoms—whereas Israel was an earthly kingdom.
(2) Israel operated under the dispensation of the law, while the church is functioning during the dispensation of grace. The ethical standards (and the religious system) of the Old Testament must not be seen as the final and the highest desire of God for His people. Many of the Old Testament regulations have been superseded by God's fuller revelation of His will as given in the New Testament. Jesus says, "You have heard that it has been said, but I say unto you" —and then He gives further revelation.
(3) Israel was comprised of individuals who had not experienced the regenerating power of God. God's laws were beyond their ability to obey because God's Spirit did not dwell in the Old Testament believers as an abiding Person. Christians under the new covenant have been regenerated—equipped for a new kind of life, and thus we are called upon to follow a much higher standard of conduct than the ethics of the Old Testament.
If persons insist on living by the moral and ethical standards of the Old Testament, and say that war and polygamy and slavery and jewelry are a part of God's will for today-—then, in order to be consistent, they should also return to the redemptive basis described in the Old Testament—and should sacrifice two lambs every day on an altar of sacrifice; they should mourn for their sins on the Day of Atonement; and they should observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for a full seven days each year. If they insist on living by the moral standards of the Old Testament, they should also be satisfied to live by the redemptive standards of the Old Testament. The message of John 3:16 should be discarded and the sacrificial system of the old covenant should be reinstated.
Another problem area includes:
b) Some statements in the New Testament
Certain things which Jesus said cause some people to believe that Christians may participate in the armed forces.
(1) There is a statement in Matthew 10:34. Jesus says, "Do not think that I am come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." The context of this verse, however, clearly shows that the word "sword" is a figurative word which indicates the division and persecution and misunderstanding that will arise among families (and in communities) where there are those who follow Jesus. The parallel passage in Luke 12:51-53 clarifies the meaning. Jesus says that "father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother." So Jesus is speaking about division in families—division because of faith in Christ, not about participating in war.
(2) At another time Jesus used a whip when cleansing the temple (John 2:15-16). The text says, "When he had made a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables." But the word translated "drove" (2:15) does not imply the use of violence and force. The word echbalen is used in Matthew 9:38 to describe sending forth laborers into the harvest. Also, a better translation of the words "drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen" (as found in the KJV/NKJV)—is "drove them all from the temple area, both the sheep and the oxen" (as rendered in the NIV/NRSV).
Other passages of Scripture may also seem hard to reconcile with the doctrine of nonresistance, but in each case, when studied carefully, one finds that the discrepancy is only a seeming contradiction.
3. COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
When nonresistant Christians share their convictions about peace and war, opponents sometimes speak up with a number of arguments.
a) Objectors to war are cowards
They say that one who does not risk his life by going to war is not a brave and strong person. Keep in mind, in response to that kind of charge, that many of the assignments in alternative service (called CPS in World War 2) have involved a great risk to life and health. Some conscientious objectors became guinea pigs for medical research teams. One of the unusual projects during World War 2 was an experiment in human starvation at the University of Minnesota. Conscientious Objectors (CO's) were not fed anything for days upon days. Another project was related to research designed to determine the effects of taking aspirin tablets. The number of tablets was gradually increased each day until the blood became so thin that nosebleeds were common. Another project involved the study of the effects of frostbite on the human body. The Conscientious Objector had to put his legs in ice water for increasing lengths of time each day. One man who lived on into the twenty-first century continued to walk with a limp because in CPS he had to participate in those experiments.
Other objectors to war served in mental institutions with the criminally insane. They were never quite sure1 what the insane criminal was going to do next. Objectors to war are not cowards. They are not afraid to die—-however, they are afraid to kill! They know such activity offends their Creator.
b) Conscientious Objectors are parasites
"Parasites" are persons who live at the expense of others. They derive a benefit from others, but give nothing in return. The opponent says to the objector to war, "You live in the United States of America, and benefit from its blessings, but you won't help to protect the nation when it is in danger."
But it can be argued that one who shares the gospel with others, and prays often for civic leaders, and encourages obedience to the laws of the land—is indirectly doing more to benefit his country, than one who serves in the armed forces. Jesus implies (in the Sermon on the Mount) that such a person is the salt of the earth, and salt preserves!
c) People will trample all over you
The argument is this: If you practice the principle of nonresistance, others will frequently take advantage of you. And it is true that some might take advantage of the person who refuses to retaliate. In some cases, they might even take your life—but this is part of the cost of suffering for righteousness sake.
On the other hand, there are some beautiful things that sometimes happen to the peacemaker. Kenneth Morse, in the book, Preaching in a Tavern, item #43, tells about Elder John Herr's experience in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. A neighbor was caught in the act of stealing some meat from Elder Herr's smokehouse. When he was caught by Brother Herr, he was assured that if he ever really needed food, he should ask for it, and Brother Herr promised to help meet his need. The neighbor was so overcome with the act of kindness that he later became a member of Brother Herr's congregation.
Likewise, James Lehman, in his little book, The Old Brethren, pages 54-55, tells about a beautiful experience that came to Elder George Wolfe many years ago in Illinois. Elder Wolfe explained to the civil authorities that the Brethren could not accept military service, but when he had told his story, the governor said that the state needed people like the Brethren to produce supplies for those engaged in service—and they were given an exemption notice.
If you were home some evening, and someone would pounce on your wife and family and threaten to kill them, what would you do? We are all aware that loose morals, and the lack of respect for human life are more and more invading our communities, and this kind of thing can and does happen. A deacon couple from the Southern Pennsylvania Pleasant Hill Congregation (in December, 1994) was stabbed to death in their own backyard.
It is true that we do not know what we might do until we are faced with such a situation, as I have often heard it said-—but it's my personal conviction that it is possible for us to be so saturated with the spirit of Christ, that we would not in any instance resort to violence even in self-defense. If I had a presence of mind, I would appeal to the perpetrator; I would pray openly and boldly in front of the criminal; I may even try and hold back the person, and prevent him from hurting the family member. But by the grace of God, I will resolve not to take the life of the evildoer!
The doctrine of nonresistance is not a belief to adopt only when we are interested in an exemption from the military draft. Nonresistance is a principle that should help determine our whole way of life, it means that we will not resort to using the law in order to get piles of money from someone who has abused us and misused us. It means that we will not participate in industrial strikes at the factory in order to force owners of business to comply with certain demands that we choose to make. It means that we will guard our words, lest we use slander and verbal abuse to lash out at another, and in this way slay others with the tongue. It means that we will practice forbearance and use soft answers when conflicts arise in the home. Nonresistance should be a way of life in times of war and in peace time.
If our testimony in wartime is going to be meaningful, we must be known as a peace loving people. Nonresistance applies not only to international relationships, but also to interpersonal relationships. In light of New Testament teaching, God is not pleased with the soldier who has taken human life, but if your home is a battleground, the Lord disapproves just as strongly! Too often our churches and homes and families are burdened and broken by the presence of hostility and enmity and ill feelings. None of us can really control the foreign policy of the United States government, but we can let the Spirit of God transform our selfish personal attitudes into attitudes of genuine love and concern for our fellow human beings. May that be the goal in the life of each disciple of Christ.
