Responding to Terrorism

How should Christians Respond to Terrorism?

First we must define Terrorism.  Terrorism is defined as violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for a religious, political or ideological goal, deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians), and are committed by non-government agencies.

Below are references of permission by God for the killing of people who perpetrate violence and death on other individuals. (There are many more, but these two stand out to me)

• 1 Samuel 15:2-3 Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.  Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”  (Due to the disobedience of Saul for not following the above command, he lost his kingship)
• Joshua 6:20-21  So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

In the New Testament, Roman soldiers came to John the Baptist to be baptized.  Once baptized the soldiers asked John, “What now”?

Luke 3:14  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

They were not told to no longer go to war, but only that they do not intimidate (terrorize) anyone, accuse falsely and to be content with the wages they receive.  This would have been the perfect opportunity for John to oppose war publically.  Jesus does not condemn a Godly war.  If the Christian religion condemned wars of every kind, the command given in the Gospel to soldiers asking counsel as to salvation would rather be to cast away their arms, and withdraw themselves wholly from military service;

Romans 13:1  Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

As followers of Jesus Christ it is not Christian for us as individuals to take action against this for it is reserved for the Lord, however the Lord has appointed leaders in human government for the purpose of protecting the lives and homes of individual citizens, by force if necessary.

By the sovereignty of God, men and women are appointed to have the right to punish those who break the law and to put to death those who commit capital crimes. Human government is also given the authority to send men and women to war, to kill and punish terrorists or their leaders.

Romans 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

1 Peter 2:14 (NKJV) or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

Subject of War addressed by St Augustine:

Augustine addressed the subject of war and Christians going to war around 400 A.D. At that time Christian leaders realized that sometimes the way to peace requires taking action in war. Augustine wrote: “Peace is not sought in order to provide war, but war is waged in order to attain peace.” And with that, Augustine began laying the foundation for what we know today as the principles for Just War, which states:

1. JUST WAR can only be waged by legitimate authorities.
2. JUST WAR must exhaust all non-violent options first.
3. JUST WAR must have a reasonable chance to succeed.
4. JUST WAR must be fought with right intentions. (war must occur for a good and just purpose rather than for self-gain or and exercise of power)
5. JUST WAR must discriminate between combative enemies and non-combative civilians (Death of civilians is considered justifiable only if unavoidable).
6. JUST WAR’s ultimate goal should be to re-establish peace even in the midst of violence.

(War is defined as: a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations)

The responsibility of the Government, those who are over our military and are appointed by the Lord, is to punish those who commit crimes against all humanity in the United States and around the world.

The responsibility of individuals under the government of the United States is to submit to the authority of their government as unto the Lord. To submit to their authority is to submit to Jesus’ authority over us. To resist their authority is to resist and rebel against the Lord’s authority as Lord over our lives.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

To not go after Bin Laden and his murderous organization of terror would be in opposition to what God expects of us.  To not support our government and leadership (not necessarily the person but the position) in their attempt to stamp out terrorism would be to rebel against the Lord’s will.

However if the United States continues down the road of leaving God out of every aspect of government we could lose this authoritative command from God and could be subject to discipline ourselves.

Despite our own national sins and unrepentant spirit, bin Laden targeted the U.S. because he saw us as a Christian nation. When bin Laden and Al Qaeda waged war on our country, war was raged against Christ.

Conclusion: Handling Terrorism as a Nation and as Individuals

As a Nation:

It is our duty and responsibility as a nation and as individuals to do everything in our power to bring the criminals to justice. This, of course, includes not only the actual people who committed the murders but also anyone who knowingly assisted them or who had foreknowledge and refused to warn the intended victims.  While this doesn’t necessitate war, it may include it if nations harbor criminals.  We must remember that the moral principle at stake is the same whether one person has been murdered or thousand’s have been murdered. The quantity of victims changes the degree but not the foundational principles.

We must be very careful not to hurt innocent people or nations in our quest for justice. We must be very cautious not to allow our remaining freedoms to be stripped from us by laws preying on a fear of terrorism or a desire for revenge. We must be watchful and wise.

The Bible says that God has established government and government is endued with God’s authority to protect its citizens and punish those who terrorize them.

The Bible is quite clear about why legitimate governments are established and the extent of their authority. From the apostle Paul we learn:

• “The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1).
• “There is no authority except that which God has established” (Romans 13:1).
• “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1).

Perhaps most appropriate to the case of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are the following:

• “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:2).
• “Rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong” (Romans 13:3).
• “He (the ruler) does not bear the sword for nothing” (Romans 13:4)
• “He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4).

CONCLUSION: We submit to legitimate authorities because they are duty bound to act against those who disobey the law and harm others. We also submit for the sake of our conscience. The terrorist attacks on September 11th were both unlawful and unconscionable. The United States government has both the right and the duty to God to pursue and punish those who committed these terrible acts and those who harbor them.

Forgiveness does not mean that we forgo justice. We can forgive but we should still, at least in criminal cases, pursue justice. In fact, only with forgiveness can we pursue Godly justice with minds unclouded by bitterness, anger, and hate. Criminals, including terrorists and their accomplices, must be required to be accountable for their actions and pay the just price as defined in the Bible.

As we pursue justice, are we doing it with a clean heart? Are our own motives pure and clean? Are we interested in justice or is all we want revenge? Are we reacting because God’s order had been violated and people lives taken and damaged, or are we reacting out of fear, wounded pride, political advantage, or other motives? Each individual and nation must search its own soul and answer these questions. All revenge can offer is a blood feud of murder, bitterness, and hate. Without a clean heart we are not pursuing justice regardless of our response.

As Individuals:

The Bible says that we are not to take punishment into our own hands but to defer vengeance to God through legitimately established governments.

Again the apostle Paul:

• “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (Romans 12:17)
• “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath” (Romans 12:19).

The Bible teaches that vengeance belongs to God because only He knows perfectly the hearts of men and only He can temper vengeance and justice.

• “It is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19).
• “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip” (Deuteronomy 32:35).
• “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” (Hebrews 10:30)
• “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God . . . . The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished” (Nahum 1:2-3).

God’s vengeance is ultimate vengeance when He shall judge all mankind. But as seen above, He vests legitimate governments with the responsibility of being His present agents of vengeance, not individual citizens.

CONCLUSION: While it is the right and the responsibility of our government to respond nationally and militarily to these terrorist attacks, it is not our individual right to respond. It is equally unlawful and unconscionable that US citizens would retaliate out of anger against those with Arabic or Middle Eastern surnames or faces. God and those legitimately established governments have the responsibility for vengeance and retaliation, not citizens of the state.

“We are all deserving of death for our sinful ways.”   As a family we will now dig into Romans 3:23 and similar passages as we discover the true meaning of forgiveness, repentance, salvation and spiritual death, for without Jesus, we are no closer in evil to Osama bin Laden than we are in holiness to God. Without the righteousness of Jesus we are all as deserving of eternal separation.