By comparison, the Buddhists pose a similar question. Dr. K Sri Dhammananda in his book What Buddhists Believe gives his answering perspective,
"Does Buddha teach the doctrine of complete self-surrender? Should I suffer the evil-doer to do what he pleases and yield submissively to him who threatens to take by violence what is my own? Does the Buddha maintain that all strife including warfare waged for a righteous cause should be forbidden?" (Pages 369-370).
Sri Dhammananda asserts Buddha taught,
"'He who deserves punishment must be punished. And he who is worthy of favor must be favored. Do not do injury to any living being but be just, filled with love and kindness'" (Page 370).
He continues,
"These injunctions are not contradictory because the person who is punished for his crimes will suffer his injury not through the ill will of the judge but through the evil act itself. His own acts have brought upon him the injury that the executors of the law inflict. When a magistrate punishes, he must not harbor hatred in his heart. When a murderer is put to death, he should realize that his punishment is the result of his own act" (Page 370).
Lots of wisdom there.
We learn from Romans 13:1-5 that authorities are God's servants to "carry out God's wrath on the wrongdoer" (vs 4). Yes, there are those in authority who are not good leaders yet as discussed in the past, God still uses them to accomplish His purposes. They will have to answer to God and be responsible for their actions and their consequences.
So if God uses those in authority to keep things "godly and orderly," to defend "innocent people from evil aggressors" and "promote justice," I ask you, wouldn't that be a worthy cause to join?
Army personnel, police officers, lawyers of integrity, even politicians who think of people and not their own agendas (Possible? With God all things are possible), could work together for the common good.
I'd like to add...is God calling you to such positions? Well and good. To the rest of us, pray for them that justice would well and truly be advanced through those on the front lines of administering justice through legitimate government channels. All Godspeed to those at that helm.
There are some good articles on this topic by other authors. Click on the following links to check for more in depth study.
Compelling Truth/Christian Military
Got Questions/ Military Christian
Live As Free People/Join the Military/Police Force
Why Didn't Jesus Denounce Military Service?
It is difficult to ascertain what exactly is implied by the Buddhist definition of "righteous cause" for which they could go to war. It is known from history that the Sinhalese Buddhists of Sri Lanka engaged in war for years whether to "protect" their territorial boundaries or to defend and preserve Buddhism itself is not entirely clear. There is a rather lengthy article written by one P. D. Premasiri entitled The Place For A Righteous War in Buddhism you may be interested in; click on link.
Another article by Barbara O'Brian that was recently updated follows a similar view. You can read for yourself about Buddhists At War. Buddhists condemn war but they are also seen engaging in and fueling it as in the case of Japan during WW2. You can read about that in the indicated article.
Getting away from the actual physical joining of the military or other law enforcement agencies, there is the idea of conquest; that is, the conquest of self. Can we be our own "soldier" or "police officer" to route out that which is unwholesome and wrong in God's eyes? This implicates the spiritual realm aspect.
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda raises this issue by quoting a portion of Gautama Buddha's teaching from Page 371 of his book,
"Great is the successful general...but he who conquers self is the greater victor"...The person who has conquered himself is more fit to live, to be successful and to gain victories than is the person who is slave of self...struggle courageously and wisely. Then you can be a soldier of truth."
Remembering that a Buddhist works to earn his/her own salvation by living a life eradicating desire and of thinking good and putting it into action, this struggle with conquering self is a noble and exacting task.
However, for a follower of Jesus Christ, we have salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God then imputes His righteousness to said believer and sends the Holy Spirit to indwell him or her. That happens at the instant of salvation and the believer starts on the road of progressive sanctification "taking every thought captive to, and making it obedient to, Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). When the thoughts are obedient to Christ, the actions will follow suit.
In this way there is "self-conquest" as the individual's will has activated the mind towards obedience to Christ. Make note, however, that it is not true self-conquest because we could not gain or sustain without the help of the Holy Spirit.
This we learn from Romans 8:6-9 (ESV),
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit..."
This is inside, outside "help". The Holy Spirit of God is an "outside source" Who indwells the believer therefore becoming an "inside source" of aid. We definitely need Him for such warfare.
Julie Gossack brought my attention to this in her work about the Ministry of the Holy Spirit published through Crossway Publishers. She writes,
"The Holy Spirit is at odds with the flesh...The Spirit and the flesh are both at war in us. This adversarial relationship creates a ceaseless battle in our hearts and minds. The flesh and Spirit will never be at peace with each other. However, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit subdues the flesh. Thus, we must avail ourselves of His power as a spiritual weapon against sin."
Another day I read...
"We are filled with the Holy Spirit when we let the Word of God dwell richly in our hearts" (Colossians 3:16).
As we read God's Word and obey it we allow the Holy Spirit to reign in us more and more to become obedient in thought (mind) and heart to Jesus Christ. In this we will have degrees of "self-conquest" as we submit our will and ways ever more to our loving Heavenly Father. He works in us every good work conforming us to the image of His dear Son Jesus (Romans 8:29). This is Christian living.
From the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association there comes an article by Ken Boa about this type of obedience titled, How to be Conformed to Christ's Image. Please click on the link to learn more.
In conclusion...to join the army or not to join the army (or other law enforcement)...there is much biblical backing to do so should the need arise. Let the Holy Spirit of God help lead and guide you to such a decision. As far as self-conquest is concerned, I'd say that is a definite 'army' to join and 'war' to fight.
~ERC November 2018~
In some sense, the spiritual warfare is an ongoing process until we see him face to face. We are soldiers in Christ
ReplyDeleteSo true. Need to don the armour of God to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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