Nonresistance is a principle taught in the Scriptures. The word "nonresistance" is coined from the words of our Lord, when He said, "But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil, but whosoever smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." From the very origin of the Anabaptist Movement, nonresistance was one of the chief pillars of its doctrinal belief. The
historian, Robert Proud, says that the Anabaptists "hold it not becoming
those who follow Christ, to bear arms or fight, because they say their
true Master has forbidden his disciples to resist evil."
Nonresistance is really a result of the doctrine of grace. Certainly
those who have become recipients of God's grace in their own lives, should
show the same grace toward their fellowmen. God displayed His grace toward
us while we were yet sinners. He loved us when we were enemies, and just
so we are to love our enemies, and to display grace toward those who persecute
us.
The principle of nonresistance must be practiced in times of peace as
well as in times of war. The Christian must be careful not to take revenge.
The Scriptures teach against retaliation with the tongue, and against suing
at the law. The early Christians were commended because they took joyfully
"the spoiling of their goods" (Hebrews 10:34). They refused to resist evil;
they didn't fight back; they knew that they had a heritage in Heaven that
the spoilers couldn't touch.
PRINCIPLES OF THE DOCTRINE
Every teaching has some basic principles upon which it is built. We
want to name three principles that underlie the doctrine of nonresistance.
(1) The kingdom of Christ is not of this world. There
are two kingdoms of men in the world; those who have been regenerated by
faith In Jesus Christ, and those who are unregenerate. Jesus says, "My
kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would
my servants fight" (John 18:36). Christ's kingdom is made up of those who
have experienced the saving grace of God in their lives. His kingdom is
not supported by armies and maintained by taxes. Rather, it is a kingdom
composed of persons who voluntarily believe in Jesus Christ, and seek to
become like Him in their daily character and conduct. One who is a member
of Christ's kingdom is instructed to bless his persecutors, and to pray
for evildoers, and to love his enemies. And if you love a man, you are
not going to put a bullet through him, nor ram a bayonet into his body,
nor drop bombs on him. The standards of Christ's kingdom are different
from the standards of the kingdoms of this world. One who claims to submit
to Christ's kingship, will find that the army, the navy and the air force
are not for him.
Because Christ's kingdom is not of this world, the early Christians
refused to participate in military service. Tertullian says of the legions
of the Roman army, "Not a Christian could be found among them." In the
early days of Christianity, the Church said, "if they wish to be baptized
in the Lord, let them cease from military service, or not be received."
The historian, C. J. Cadoux says that no Christian after his conversion
"ever thought of enlisting in the army, until nearly two hundred years
after Christ." The early Christians recognized that Christ's kingdom is
not of this world, and that His standards are much higher than the standards
of the world-kingdoms--and therefore nonresistance was believed and practiced
by the entire church.
(2) The spirit of Christ is not of this world. Jesus came
into a Samaritan village one day and the Bible says that the folks there
didn't receive Him. When James and John saw this, they wanted to call fire
down from heaven to consume these people. But this was all contrary to
the spirit of Christ, and it must have sorely grieved Him. Luke 9:55 says,
"But (Jesus) turned and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner
of spirit ye are of, for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them." Taking the lives of human beings is contrary to the
spirit of Christ.
General Leslie McNair (in a New York Times article) described
the attitudes and the spirit promoted in the armed services. He says, "Our
soldiers must have a fighting spirit; if you call that hating enemies,
then we must hate with every fiber of our being. We must lust for battle;
we must scheme and plan night and day to kill; we must hit harder and harder
we must become tougher and tougher; the avowed purpose of the army is to
make killers out of every soldier." Can you reconcile such an attitude
with the teachings and the spirit of Jesus?
One young man who had been in the army during World War II, tells how
one of his buddies in training was kind of softhearted. When they were
training, they were to drive their bayonets Into the stomachs of a dummy
victim. This fellow was kind of slow and timid about the whole thing, and
finally the officer lost his patience, swore at the young fellow, and ordered
him to get up in front of that dummy and "cut out his guts." He reminded
him that this was war, and not a Sunday School picnic, and that every man
in the camp was there to learn how to kill Germans.
It's impossible to have the spirit of Christ within, and at the same
time bear arms. The carnal sword and the spirit of Jesus do not point in
the same direction.
(3) The methods of Christ are not of this world. Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 10:3, 4, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
after the flesh: for the weapons of out warfare are not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strongholds." Jesus endured much reviling
and persecution when He was here on earth, and yet never once did He use
carnal weapons for defense. And the same thing can be said for true Christians
down through the centuries. They have won their battles by using the breastplate
of righteousness, and the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God.
The Christian doesn't use carnal weapons, but this does not mean that
he is helpless in the face of evil and unrighteousness. Take the weapon
of prayer for example. When (during the persecutions of the early church)
Peter was cast into prison, the Bible says, "Prayer was made without ceasing,
of the Church, unto God for him" (Acts 12:5). The people prayed. Here the power of prayer was pitted against the power of the armed might of the Roman Empire-and
those who prayed won the battle! The iron gate opened, and Peter was set
free. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.
Another powerful weapon used by the believer, is the practice of deeds
of kindness. Jesus says, "Do good unto them that hate you." Paul puts it
this way: "if your enemy hunger, feed him." We have a beautiful illustration
of the victory of kindness over evil in 2 Kings 6. The Syrian army had
been delivered into the hands of Israel through the intervention of the
prophet Elisha. And when the king of Israel saw that the enemy had been
delivered into his hand, he said to Elisha, "Shall I smite them?" And he
said again, a second time, "Shall I smite them?" This may have been the
most natural course of action, but Elisha said, "Thou shalt not smite them,
(but) set bread and water before them that they may eat and drink, and
go to their master." Elisha said, "Feed them and let them go." Show them
kindness, he said. And that's what the king of Israel did. And you know,
there's an interesting postscript to this story: 2 Kings 6:23 says, "So
the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel."
The Christian's weapons are spiritual. He conquers with the power of
the Cross. Menno Simons used to say, "Our fortress is Christ, our sword
is the Word of God, out victory is faith in the Almighty. We let swords
of iron and steel to those who consider human blood equal to swine's blood."
The Christian has spiritual weapons.
These have been principles upon which the doctrine of nonresistance
is based. The kingdom of Christ, the spirit of Christ and the methods of
Christ are not of this world.
2. PROBLEMS OF THE DOCTRINE
Most every doctrine carries with it some related matters that seem to
be problems. We want to look primarily at the problem of Israel's practice
in Old Testament days. The Old Testament frequently tells about the wars
of Israel, and many of these wars were authorized and commanded by God.
It's hard for the Christian to reconcile this with the command to "resist
not evil" in the New Testament. Jesus said the Scriptures cannot be broken,
and they do not contradict themselves, and so the problem seems to be very
real.
There are at least three things we must remember here:
[1) Israel was a nation of this world, while the Church is a spiritual
nation not of this world. Israel was a nation just like any other nation,
except that God had chosen her for a special purpose. The Israelites lived
in a particular location on earth; they had boundaries to their possessions;
they maintained a government, with a capital city, a throne, a king, and
a royal family. And to maintain this nation in the land, God permitted
the use of force. But the Church is not such a nation. The Church is a
people called out of darkness into the light of the Gospel, from every
land and every nation. There's no particular geographical location; there
are no boundaries to maintain; there's no capital city; there's no regal
throne. Israel was a nation; the Church is not such a nation.
(2) Israel was not a regenerated people, while the Church is composed
of those who are regenerate. Romans 8:3, 4 says, "For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
In the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;
that
the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Israel could not perform the
righteousness of the law, for she walked after the flesh. But Christians
have been regenerated, and thus are equipped for a new kind of life, and
they are called upon to follow a much higher standard than the Old Testament
law.
(3) Israel operated under the dispensation of law, while the Church
is living during the dispensation of grace. Jesus says, "Ye have heard
that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but I
say unto you, that ye resist not evil, but if any man shall smite thee
on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." This is an extension that
Christ Himself made. He participated in giving the Old Testament law, and
certainly He has the right to broaden it. Someone says, "But God never
changes, and if God doesn't change, then He can't approve
war in the Old Testament, and condemn it in the New Testament."
But this is a faulty argument. It's true that God's character never changes,
but His methods do change from time to time, from age to age, from dispensation
to dispensation. The relationship between the Old and New Testaments is
a study that requires take here, but remember that the more space than
we will truths of the Old Testament receive a new and deeper significance
in the New Testament, in light of Calvary and Pentecost. The New Testament
is the Christian's final authority for faith and conduct. If we are to
have a true understanding of the will of God, we must always accept the
New Testament interpretation of the Old Testament.
Some folks have a problem accepting the doctrine of nonresistance, however,
because of a few statements Jesus made, as recorded in the New Testament.
Jesus said, for example, "Think not that I am come to send peace on
earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword." But here the context clearly
shows that the word "sword" is a figurative word, which indicates the division
and persecution and misunderstanding that will arise in families and communities
when there are those members of the family or community who follow Jesus.
The parallel reference in Luke 12:51 says, "Suppose ye that I am come to
give peace on earth? I tell you nay, but rather division; for from henceforth
there shall be five in one house divided; three against two, and two against
three." Sometimes Christians will find even members of their own families
turning against them.
In another place, Jesus says "He that hath a purse, let him take it,
and likewise his scrip. And he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment
and buy one" (Luke 22:36). Jesus spoke these words just before He went into
the Garden to pray. And just a little later, when the crowd had gathered
to take Jesus, Peter used the sword. He smote the high priest's servant,
and cut off his ear. But Jesus rebuked him for using the sword, and then
He said to him, "All that take the sword shall perish by it." And then
Jesus graciously restored the servant's ear. Whatever else Jesus meant
by the words, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy
one," He certainly did not mean that the disciples were free to injure
others with the sword. A dagger such as the disciples carried, was often
used to cut wood and to slay animals for food.
There are other problems associated with the doctrine of nonresistance,
but the basic principles upon which the doctrine is built, are clear. Each
one of the problems that sometimes is associated with the doctrine, is
really only a seeming contradiction.
3. PROTECTIONS FOR THE DOCTRINE
There are always some who try and make a teaching mean something that
it was never intended to mean. For the purpose of safeguarding the doctrine
of nonresistance, several things should be pointed out.
(1) War is permitted for civil government. Jesus said,
"if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight" (John 18:36) Jesus recognized that the very nature of the kingdoms of this world, demands
that they be defended with armed might. The hardness and greed of unconverted
human hearts, sometimes seem to understand nothing but the language of
force. The sons of God can live a life of love for their enemies, but the
sons of men are living under the rule of Satan, and are governed by the
law of force. Paul says of the state official (in Romans 13), "He beareth
not the sword in vain; for he is a revenger to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil." The masses of this world will not allow God's Word to control
their lives, and therefore they must be held in control by the sword. The
state has the authority to punish; it has the right to carry the sword;
if there had been no civil authority, only anarchy and chaos would exist,
because of the wickedness of human hearts. Both the Old Testament and the
New Testament recognize the authority of the state to maintain order by
the use of force. And because we recognize this permission in the Scriptures
(for governments to use the sword) we cannot (according to modern use of
the term) be called "pacifists." Pacifism covers many types of opposition
to warfare. It is Satan's counterfeit for the doctrine of nonresistance.
True Christians have never advocated the doctrines of present day pacifism.
The pacifist aims to establish a better world by eliminating war; he attempts
to bring peace and harmony among the unregenerate nations of earth, by
working through political influence; his primary mistake lay in the fact
that he believes in the innate goodness of man. One pacifist group told
John F. Kennedy, "We believe there is a divine power in man, that can save
the world from war and destruction." But this contradicts the teaching
of our Lord when he says, "For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed
murders and wickedness" (Mark 7:20).
The peace-emphasis promoted by most leaders within the churches of America
today, is not the doctrine of nonresistance taught in the Bible. Nonresistance
describes the faith and life of those who accept the Scriptures as the
revealed will of God, and who cannot participate in warfare because their
Lord forbids it. He teaches the law of love. Pacifism, on
the other hand, is something different. Roland Bainton says that modern
pacifism (as promoted by most civil and religious leaders today), is not
based so much on Christian principles, as it is on a mere desire for survival.
Many of our leaders object to war, not because of loyalty to Christ and
the Scriptures, but because they have a fear of death and destruction in
this awful atomic age.
(2) Wars will continue until the end. The Bible does not
teach that a time will come during this age, when wars will cease. Daniel
9:26 says literally, "Even unto the time of the end, wars and desolations
are determined." Jesus, when describing the closing days of this age, says
there shall be "wars and rumors of wars". In the closing days of this age,
the armies of the world, under the leadership of the Antichrist, will march
against Jerusalem for one final burst of rage against God and His people,
and there they shall utterly perish (Joel 3:9-12). The Bible teaches that
the nations of the world will be universally armed (not disarmed), as we
approach the close of this age.
Our early Anabaptist forefathers were not optimistic about the prospects
of peace for this age. Harold S. Bender says that they "saw the whole of
history (from the fall of the first Adam, down to the Second Coming of
Christ), as a great battle between God and His enemies. There was no humanistic
vision of getting rid of war in history." The Christian does not expect
that economic justice and political cooperation are going to be ushered
in by efforts of unrighteous men. Our hope for changing the world, lies
in the coming of Christ, who will "judge among the nations," and usher
in a kingdom of peace. In the meantime, the Christian obeys his government,
pays his taxes, and respects governmental leaders. And only if the government
expressly commands us to do that which God has forbidden, only then do
we follow the example of Peter and John, when they said, "We ought to obey
God rather than men."
War is a terrible thing. One of the survivors of the atomic blast at
Hiroshima describes what she saw. She says, "All the houses were demolished;
the crumbled walls stretched for many, many miles; people rushed out from
the center of impact; their bodies were burned; their skin was hanging
down like tags; their faces were swollen to twice their normal size; people
were crying aloud with pain." She says, "I saw someone walking, dragging
something along. To my surprise it was his own intestines. His stomach
was ripped open, and he was dragging it along as he walked without knowing
what he was doing." She continues, "My oldest daughter had only two slight
wounds, but a month after the bombing, she died from radiation." A soldier
who witnessed the air raids in Germany says he saw people coming out of
their shelters---insane, wandering about, running away, not knowing where
to go. Thousands were killed. Still others died of disease and cold and
starvation." No one can ever measure the suffering and misery and heartaches
that have resulted from war. And on the Judgment Day, God will hardly look
down upon the soldier's bloody hands, and say, "Well done, thou good and
faithful servant."
To serve as a conscientious objector to war may bring ridicule from
friends, but one who practices nonresistance in life, can stand before
God with clean hands, unstained by human blood. And always remember that
"a conscience void of offense before God and man," is a greater reward
than any human decoration ever offered for bravery on the battlefield.
Be grateful to God if your government has provided for alternative service
of a constructive nature.