On War

 •  8 min. read  •  grade level: 8
A Few Notes on the 1878 Appeal issued by the Society
of Friends (London).
That war is wholly opposed to the Christian spirit, as well as to all the precepts of our Lord, no soul subject to scripture will deny; and so far the Society of Friends is quite right in calling attention to it. Among Christians it is absolutely unjustifiable. But we have in this Appeal assertions that, to say the least, confuse the mind, and for which the humblest. Christian may ask, Have we for these the authority of scripture? To my mind, the Appeal (well-intentioned as it is) lacks God's word in its most important statements, as, e.g., the two first, on which it is based. To warrant them, the Friends can produce no scriptural proof. But to assert that scripture teaches so-and-so, when it teaches otherwise, wherever it treats of the matter in question, is serious and mischievous.
In the first statement, then, of this Appeal, addressed by the Friends to their fellow Christians, we are told that “The deliverance of the world from the curse of war is to be effected mainly by the force of Christian principle. It is this that would make war impossible, by removing the causes, pretexts, and practices which perpetuate the system.” Now “the world” takes the place of Christians, and this little word “mainly” sets aside His coming, who alone is, in scripture, emphatically called the “Prince of Peace.” For if peace be established “mainly” without Him, by the efforts of Christians, His presence is quite a secondary matter, not one of prime moment or necessity. If “peace” be the question, scripture says and insists that He is the necessity. (Psa. 72:77In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. (Psalm 72:7).) Still, not to dwell on the exactitude of one word, but to go on the principles taught, it is here that a simple, but most pertinent, question suggests itself at once. Does scripture anywhere teach that the world is to become Christian? or, to put it in another form, Are we taught that the world will be ruled by Christian principles, so as finally to cease to be “the world?” If so, then all that is in the world, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life,” which produce wars and commotions, with their attendant horrors, will be presently supplanted by the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace,” &c. (Gal. 5:2222But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Galatians 5:22).) Then manifestly wars must cease. But all this beautiful superstructure rests on the value of the little word “if.” And we must let scripture itself speak. The apostle Paul declared, God “hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained.” (Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31).) Here, then, is the world unchanged, till it be judged by Him; while another apostle (John) tells us that the Christian “shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5) And that solemn assize of judgment, in its two aspects, for which the world thus waits, is not only thus alluded to continually in scripture, but is detailed also in all its reality, that of the quick, or living, in Rev. 19, and that of the dead, in Rev. 20 Scripture then states, with a seriousness too real to be trifled with, that “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:44Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:4)), that system of things surrounding us to-day, of which man is the center and Satan the prince, will not become Christian, but, be found in open antagonism against God, and waging war against Him at the time of the end.
But we have the testimony of our blessed Master Himself on the state of the world at the end. He speaks of the existence of wars and commotions as the beginnings of sorrows, specially to be observed by His disciples, when His coming in power and glory is in question. He says to them, “And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:6-86And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:6‑8).) These beginnings of sorrows are to continue till the time of tribulation ends them, such tribulation “as was not since the beginning of the world to this time—no, nor ever shall be.” (Ver. 21.) And the tribulation is in its turn ended by His own personal appearing, but by naught else, and not, therefore, by the wide over-spreading of Christian principles among the nations of Europe, or in any other part of the globe. For He goes on to say, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and all the powers of the heaven shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” (Vers. 29, 80.) Reference to the Old Testament is in entire harmony; for it shows that it is His presence who is “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:66For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)) which will end the horrors of war, not the efforts of men, however well directed and carried out these peace societies may be, that will bring no “peace,” while its Prince is rejected by, and absent from, the world. No, “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.” (Psa. 46) An examination of the context in this psalm will show who “He” is. It is the Lord of Hosts, Israel's defense when the heathen rage in that day, their long-rejected Messiah. Again, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isa. 11:44But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:4); Mic. 4:88And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. (Micah 4:8).) In both these passages the context clearly shows when this will be the state of things among the nations. It is “in the last days,” when the house of the God of Jacob is built, and He reigns in Jerusalem. (Isa. 24) But judgment precedes the blessing of those days; and in the meantime the night of darkness and horrors thickens, wars increase, as but “the beginning of sorrows,” while the world drifts on towards that “morning without clouds,” of which David spoke in the Spirit (2 Sam. 23:44And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (2 Samuel 23:4)), when He, “whose right it is,” shall usher in that bright millennial day, His thousand years' reign in peace over the earth. “He shall come down like rain upon the new mown grass, as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of grace, as long as the moon endureth.” (Psa. 62) Well may we who love Him close such a blessed description of that coming day by echoing the words of the psalmist, “And blessed be his glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.”
But we are further told in this Appeal that “The war system will die when all Christian people are willing to accept in their fullness the teachings of the New Testament, and to act them out. It is thus within the power of Christians to make war impossible amongst the nations of Europe.”
Now, there is in this teaching a distinct ignoring of the present and continuous existence to the end of what scripture calls “the world,” a vast system antagonistic to God (James 4:44Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4))—a system now swayed by its prince (John 14:3030Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30)), and now “lying in the wicked one.” (1 John 5:1919And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. (1 John 5:19).) Can this forgetfulness of the existence of the world be traced to the doctrine of an “inward light in every man,” held by the Friends—sometimes called by them, “That seed which is in us” (Barclay); “The Spirit and grace of God in themselves” (Fox); “Christ within,” &c., &c.? But whatever may have given rise to this ignoring of the world, it is solemn to teach anything which sets aside what scripture everywhere asserts. The Christian is continually spoken of as one in contrast with the world. “Ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” (John 15:1919If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (John 15:19).) Again, “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed.” (Rom. 12:22And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2).) And again, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:1515Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15).)
The other eight statements of this Appeal, being based on the two here briefly examined, need not be dwelt on, save to notice that the language, “We are bound” to this or that, hardly accords with the spirit of a simple child of God. He feels that bondage does not befit him whom the Son has made free, whose yoke is easy, and burden light. (Matt. 11:3030For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:30).) But while we can all surely say amen to the text, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5), and seek that the principles of the kingdom should govern us now, as they will govern the children of the kingdom then, yet, to go on quietly here, as men who wait for their Lord, becomes us here, not to form or join peace societies for the improvement of this world. God will deal with it in judgment before that coming day, when “peace on earth” shall be established in everlasting security.
H. C. A.