[TruthTalk] Christians and violence

[Judy Taylor]

Good Morning All: Terry - I've given your question a lot of thought over the years since we were a military family when the Lord got my attention once more on Adak AK and I began to seriously study His Word in order to learn His ways.    We know that He hates divorce, yet he allowed Moses to give a bill of divorcement under the Old Covenant because of the hardness of men's hearts.  So God is a realist and He knows our frame.  We will not be free from wars and rumors of wars until Jesus returns and from that point on He (Jesus) will be the one ruling with a rod of iron - at which point in time there will be peace.    When we commit to follow Jesus and choose His Kingdom over the kingdoms of this world we do not become perfected immediately.  Salvation is actually a walk of grace during which our minds are renewed and our behavior changed until we are conformed to the image of Christ (not just metaphorically, or figuratively, but literally) because He will not have a bunch of people who think like devils ruling with Him during the new millenium.   There are no exhortations to free slaves in scripture, and yet we can be sure that God does not endorse slavery. As you (Terry) point out there were also no lectures to Centurians to get out of the Roman Army by Jesus, Paul, or any of the other apostles.  Our responsibility here (from what I understand) is to judge ourselves and to deal with our own issues, (so that He will not have to judge us in that day); and to be a light for Him to those around us.  God (who knows the beginning from the end) can handle the world system;  He has not made us responsible to fix it or to judge it... just to be lights in it, love people, and stay free from debt to both God and man.   Grace and Peace, Judyt     From: Terry Clifton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Good morning family: Let me start by saying that there are things I know to do and when I do them God is pleased. There are things I think that I should do because I think God would be pleased. There are things I dare not do because I know it would not please God. This is called fundamentalist by some.  Others call it  legalism. I call it denying self and following Him. Whatever it is called, it works well when you have the answers.  It even works fairly well when you think you have the answers.  The big problem comes when you have a desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord, but you are not certain how to do it.  He plainly says "I hate divorce".  He commands us not to steal. or covet. or commit adultery.  No gray areas.  Easy to follow instructions.  Do what He says.  Don't do what He hates..   Then we go to war!     Bill reopened this can of worms for me a couple of days back.  Judy responded to it.  Both made some points, some good points, yet I was left wondering, as I have been for a long time, as to just what God expects of His people in time of war.  Jesus and Peter and Paul all dealt with military men . A couple of centurions and a prison guard as I remember.  None of them were told to give up their careers as a condition of salvation, so it would seem that there is a place for Christians in the military.  Still, I cannot picture Jesus leading a bayonet charge.  He said,"Love your enemy-do good to those who hate you-turn the other cheek.   Somehow, this all has to fit together or it makes no sense. Your thoughts please, with verses if possible. I would appreciate hearing, even if, like me, you don't have the answer.   Terry     ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man."  (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org   If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed.  If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.