This week we have been addressing the issue of defense
and foreign policy. Specifically, I would like for us to ask and answer the
questions “What policies would Jesus promote when it comes to the issue of national
defense? How should the United States relate to the other nations in the world?
So far this week, we have discovered that as followers of
Jesus, we are not to ignore evil; but we are not to respond to evil with evil.
As followers of Jesus, we are to carefully consider our response to the harm
and wrong that comes from the evil intentions of others by doing the noble and
the right thing. In addition, as far as it is possible, as followers of Jesus,
we are to strive to have harmonious relationships with others.
Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that there are times
that no matter what we do, we are unable to experience harmonious relationships
with others. As followers of Jesus, we are to do all that we can to live in
harmony in community with everyone. And when that does not occur, we are to
respond to evil, injustice and conflict by doing the noble and right thing. And
we are to practice this lifestyle with all men.
We also discovered that, as followers of Jesus, we are never
to take justice into our own hands. Instead, we are to leave room for God’s
right and just response to selfishness, sin, and rebellion. In Romans 12:17-21,
we discovered that when we respond to the harm and wrong that comes from the
evil intentions of others by doing the noble and the right thing, even to the
point of meeting the pressing and practical needs that they have, we become the
vehicle that God can use to reveal His Son Jesus and bring rescue.
And because of that reality, Paul commanded the members
of the church at Rome, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to not allow
the harm and wrong that flows from the evil intents of others to conquer and
defeat us. Instead, we are to conquer and overcome the harm and wrong of evil
by responding in a way that does the noble and right thing.
We also
reminded ourselves that government was designed by God to represent Him in a
way that promotes good for people and punishes the evil of people. Government
was put into place by God as an intermediary, or representative, of God to
promote justice for those who do well and to punish evil by responding with
righteousness and justice to wrongdoing and injustice. A purpose of government
is to create structures that execute swift punishment for crime so as to be a
deterrent to crime. And as part of God’s design and responsibility, governments
are responsible to defend their nation from an attack by other nations.
However,
while it is clear that governments are to responsible to defend their nations
from an attack on their nation, what is less clear is when a government should
become involved in a military action that does not involve a direct attack on
their nation. So, when should a government engage in military action against
another nation when a direct attack on their nation has not happened? In other
words, when should a nation go to war?
There
are four main viewpoints that have been advocated in an attempt to answer this
question. The first view is the crusade or the Holy War, which believes that
followers of Jesus should try to use military force to bring the gospel to
other nations. However, when we read the message and teachings of Jesus, we
discover that there is no evidence to substantiate this view. The second and
third views are Christian pacifism and Christian non-resistance. However, as we
already have discovered, the message and teachings of Jesus that are used to
advocate these positions apply to personal insult, not personal self defense or
national defense.
What
the message and teachings throughout the Bible do advocate for when it comes to
the issue of national defense and foreign policy is what is referred to as the
“Just War” theory. The just war theory maintains a military action is a less
than ideal necessity that is just when it meets four specific criteria. First,
the military action must be necessary as a last resort after all other options
have been pursued and exhausted. Second, the military action must be necessary
to preserve justice through retribution, not retaliation. In other words, any
military action will involve a proportional use of force with the goal to bring
justice and punishment to the wrongdoing and injustice done to others, not to
gain revenge.
Third,
the military action must be necessary in order to protect innocent people. The
Biblical case for this criterion is found in Psalm 82:4 which states “Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out
of the hand of the wicked”. And fourth, and most difficult to discern, is that
the military action must be necessary in order to prevent the spread of evil,
which we see in both Romans 13:1-4 and 1 Peter 2:13-15.
Now while all
that applies to the use of military force, what about other aspects of foreign
policy other than military force? What about the financial and relational
aspects of foreign policy? I just want to spend our remaining time together
providing some guiding principles that the letters that make up the Bible
provide for us when it comes to these questions.
First, the
foreign policy of a nation should serve to protect the sovereignty and
independence of that nation and protect and defend the interests of its
citizens in their relationship with other nations. As a result, the message and
teachings of Jesus do not advocate for a one world government, but that
governments try to live in peace and harmony with one another. As we discovered
earlier in this series, as followers of Jesus, we are to
support some form of a government that is chosen by the people who are being
governed. This is the case because of the reality that human beings have an
inward bent towards selfishness and rebellion that can result in the abuse of
power if not kept in check. Thus, a one worldwide
government would have far too much power and could lead to massive corruption
and tyranny that would not be able to be held in check by the people who would
be governed.
Second,
as we discovered in the second week in this series, the foreign policy of a
nation should seek to promote freedom and respect for human rights in other
nations. As followers of Jesus, we are to seek to
influence government towards its divine design and towards the message and
teachings of Jesus when it comes to how other nations treat those in their
nation.
Third, the
foreign policy of a nation should seek to do good for other nations as they are
able to do so. As we have the opportunity, we are to demonstrate care and
concern for other nations. A foreign policy that lines up with the message and
teachings of Jesus asks the question “If I was in
their situation, how would I feel loved?” and then responds in a way that
expresses the love that we would want expressed to us to that nation. We
are to take Jesus call to love our neighbor as ourselves to other nations, so
as to influence that nation towards the teachings of Jesus.
Similarly,
the foreign policy of a nation should seek to provide humanitarian aid where
there are natural disasters. However, it is important to distinguish
humanitarian aid from economic aid. There is a difference between meeting the
pressing and practical needs of individuals in a nation as the result of a
natural disaster and providing ongoing economic aid in order to help a country
develop economically.
And
because of that difference, the foreign policy of a nation should not provide
economic development aid to poor nations. The reason for this position is due
to the harsh reality that in a vast majority of cases, government economic aid
that is given to poor nations is misused by that nation, especially if the
government is not one that has been chosen by the people of that nation. In
addition, ongoing economic aid creates a culture of dependency that enables a
nation instead of empowering a nation.
Finally,
the foreign policy of a nation should provide military aid according to just
war principles. In other words, foreign aid should only be given to a nation
for the purpose of helping that nation defend themselves and to promote freedom
in that nation. Now that leads us to the question of the nation of Israel. In
other words, what should the government’s position and policy be when it comes to
the nation of Israel?
The
short answer is that the foreign policy of a nation should support the nation
of Israel to the extent that the nation of Israel continues to do the right
thing, while recognizing that God has a special role for the Jewish people to
play in God’s story. When the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans refers to
Israel, it is not referring to the ground that the nation of Israel currently
occupies. Instead, he is
referring to ethnically Jewish people who will respond to God’s transformational
activity through Jesus life, death, and resurrection, by believing, trusting,
and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.
You see, currently, we are living in what theologians
call the church age. Jesus, life, death, and resurrection ushered in the church.
And since the beginnings of the church, God has used the church to advance His
kingdom mission across cultures and continents in order to rescue people from
all nations and cultures. Near the end of God’s story, the full number of all
non-Jewish people that will be rescued as a result of God’s grace will be
reached.
At that time, God will turn his attention to the Jewish
people and all Jewish people that respond to God’s activity by believing,
trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader will receive the forgiveness
of sin and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for. And because of that reality, we are to support
the nation of Israel to the extent that they are doing what is right and just,
with the recognition that God has a special role
for the Jewish people to play in His story.
Now,
with all that in mind, here is a summary statement when it comes to voting for
Jesus on the issue of foreign policy. And that summary statement is to vote for
Jesus is to vote for a foreign policy that protects
against attacks by other nations and promotes the principles of Jesus to other
nations. You see, Jesus is not an interventionist. Jesus is not a
non-interventionist. And Jesus is not an isolationist. Instead Jesus is God.
And to vote for Jesus is to vote for a foreign policy that protects
against attacks by other nations and promotes the principles of Jesus to other
nations.
To vote
for Jesus is to vote for a foreign policy that recognizes the threats against
our nation and takes steps to protect our nation from attacks by other nations
that would want to do us harm. To vote for Jesus is to vote for a foreign
policy that recognizes that, when all other efforts fail, there are times when
military action is a necessity in order to help other nations protect
themselves and provide justice against the wrongdoing and injustice done to
them by other nations.
And to
vote for Jesus is to vote for a foreign policy that seeks to do good for other
nations when we have the opportunity to do so. To vote for Jesus is to vote for
a foreign policy that loves other nations in a way that reflects the love of
Jesus to that nation. To vote for Jesus
is to vote for a foreign policy that influences other nations towards human
rights and freedoms in their nation as a result of those in all nations bearing
the thumbprint of God. To vote for Jesus is to vote for a foreign policy that
provides humanitarian aid to other nations when tragedy strikes that nation. To
vote for Jesus is to vote for a foreign policy that empowers, not enables other
nations financially.