Pacifism: Biblical or Human Idea?

As promised I am writing a blog post in response to the idea that pacifism is the biblical way of living, and thus any person who fails to do such is living in a constant state of sin. Please note that while this may not be explicitly said by many pacifists asserting that pacifism is the biblical standpoint, I say it because it is what logically follows should their ideals hold true. And if you’re wondering why I’d bother waiting my time on such a subject, it really comes down to this. They try and bring the Bible into it, and if what they say concerning it is true, then I am in the wrong in how I live and view my life. So this is a more serious matter on a personal scale, so I am simply aiming to see if they are wrong and I am wrong, but it’s not about being right, it’s about me changing my ways if I happen to be wrong. They, however, are not in such a place should they be shown wrong. All they must merely do is stop trying to provide biblical basis for their views.
So why not agree with the pacifist idealism? I guess it should be stated that I have a great deal of respect for pacifists and if they want to live that lifestyle, I have no objections whatsoever. But, where I have a problem is when pacifists try and drag the Bible, Jesus, and God Himself into the mix and claim that these things support their ideals. That, if I may say so, is ridiculous for the following reasons.
As was rightly recognized has been many times over, God in the OT approved and even commanded and/or caused the destruction of countless people, including many cultures that opposed Him and were a threat to His people and His will. Now, should this make us think any less of the Christian God? Many pacifists try to avoid the OT as a whole because it seriously contradicts their position, and make it seem like their God of love really isn’t such. What happens is that they fall into a party of Christians that try and take only parts of God that they like (love, mercy) and ignore the parts they don’t like (wrath and judgment). And when coupled with the fact that God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6) the idea that God is a pacifist or now promotes pacifism is totally without merit. God is a God of love, but He’s a God of judgment as well, and always shall this way remain.
In Matthew 5:39 Christ says: “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
So doesn’t this make a good case against violence then? Mmmm, not so much, because the reader who thinks that is ignoring the context and meaning of the words that Christ used. So let’s examine them piece by piece, and then look at the context of the times.
The Greek word translated resist, or oppose here is anthistēmi (ἀνθίστημι) which literally means to set yourself up against or create unwarranted trouble, such as responding insult with insult. This is further recognized when one understands what Christ meant when he talked about getting slapped and turning the other cheek. In the culture of the day, a slap of the right cheek was a backhanded slap signifying a great insult, and Jesus was simply instructing that if one insults them in such manner, let them do it, do not be like them and respond with insults, but instead let them have their fun and even maybe help them out by “turning the other to them also”. Indeed this is even a good tactic for getting a bully to stop, simply because it robs them of the pleasure of belittling another. So in reality, Jesus was not talking about violence in any sense of the word, but instead teaching on how to deal with a bully or insulter, telling them not to deal insult for insult (thus the eye for eye, etc justification beforehand) but instead to just be the bigger person and let it go.
To further demolish the idea that Jesus is and never was a pacifist, Daniel had this to say: "Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle (Psalm 144:1). It would take quite the imagination to make that sound pacifistic, praising God for helping him to be able to defeat His foes.
Further, Jesus Christ Himself used physical force to get the gamblers and thieves out of His holy place.
Mat 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
The Greek word here translated “drove out” or “cast out” is ekballō (ἐκβάλλω) which literally means “to cast out, drive out, send out with notion of violence.” See that last part there? Notion of violence. Guess what that means? Means that Jesus had to sue physical force to get the people who were doing wrong in His temple to leave. Not very pacifistic of Him.
So how does the non-pacifist deal with Romans 12 verses 14 and 17?
Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rom 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
In order to refute the idea that these verses suggest a pacifistic way of life, one must first understand the meaning of the words used, as in any argument. So let’s take a look and see.
The Greek word for bless here is eulogeō (εὐλογέω) which literally means to praise, invoke blessings, or to consecrate with solemn prayers. Really has nothing to do with any physical action that pacifism would deal with.
The Greek word translated evil is kakos (κακός) which literally means of bad nature, and this seems to be where pacifists and non-pacifists really differ. It’s in defining what is and is not of a bad nature. Both parties agree that starting a fight is wrong, but is defending yourself using violent means bad? Most people who witness a man being mugged would not say that the man is in the wrong for defending himself, and some, including myself, would do what we could to help make sure the man got away safely. If this happens to be a woman or child, our efforts to keep them safe multiply, and ultimately little to no person can say that that is wrong, or in any way evil.
However, unwarranted or unnecessary violence is indeed evil, and thus sinful, and as such, these verse warn us against revenge, or unwarranted or unnecessary violence, but not self defense, very warranted and very necessary violence. Furthermore, defense of ourselves and others has always been held as a high honor in history and even in today’s cultures. Sure there are few who would consider such things dishonorable, and even so they are completely without merit or warrant to do so.
Many other verses have come to my attention concerning pacifism and at this point in time, they are: Romans 13:9, 1 John 3:15-16, Matthew 5:7,9, Matthew 5:38-48, Matthew 18:33, Luke 6:36, James 2:18, Luke 6:29-30, and there are to be more to come in some time.
But here’s a pattern that I see that revolves around each and every one of these passages/verses. For every single one, a person has to read their already decided ideas into the passages. Not once in any commentary, and never before in church history has it been decided that pacifism is the biblical means by which we all should live. No authorities have ever come to this conclusion, and the idea is relatively recent. This would lead me to believe that, since no current authorities nor past church Fathers assert such, the idea of pacifism is simply an idea not mentioned, not asserted, not implied, just “not” in the Bible. It’s a fine idea, it really is, and anyone with enough patience to live such a lifestyle is quite the person, but it’s simply not a biblical issue, so please, keep the Bible out of it. God used violence, Jesus used violence, God commanded violence, that’s just the way it is. Trying to pretty things up by asserting pacifism is biblical is simply contradicting Scripture, and making Scripture contradict itself. A big no-no. Hopefully I will receive more verses as promised, but I honestly expect the same result to occur, but I’ve been wrong before. I hope you all enjoyed the read. Leave comments and questions if you have em!!!