A Christian View of Peace and War - Romans 12:18 - Sermons from the Baptist Faith and Message

Written by Lucien Coleman

Sermon #18 of 19 Sermons on The Baptist Faith and Message

The Baptist Faith and Message sets forth "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified." You may read The Baptist Faith and Message on SBC.net. This sermon series by Lucien Coleman originally appeared in Proclaim! magazine.

Baptist Faith & Message (2008)

Introduction: In Romans 12:18, Paul told his brothers and sisters in Christ to “live at peace with everyone.” He qualified these instructions by “If possible, on your part.” This implies that living peaceably with others is a two-way street. You cannot live peaceably with a child molester who is in the act of abducting your children, or with a hostile force invading your land. In other words, peace is the Christian way; but the Scriptures contain no absolute prohibition against war, when circumstances make it inescapable.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

The message of the Bible, when taken as a whole, is that God is on the side of peace. The Old Testament prophets envisioned a time of universal peace as a goal to be realized in the “latter days.” A classic expression of this ideal is found in Isaiah 2:4.

War was not a central issue in the teaching of Jesus. The Pax Romana, the “Roman Peace” that reigned over all the Mediterranean world, made the prospect of war an extremely remote possibility. But in His teachings, and in other New Testament writings, there is a strong and unmistakable bias toward peace and peacemaking.

• At the birth of Jesus, the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!” (Luke 2:14).
• In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
• He taught His disciples that enemies are to be met with love and good deeds instead of hate and violence (Matt. 5:43–44).
• Paul wrote, “we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another” (Rom. 14:19)
• The writer to the Hebrews said, “Pursue peace with everyone” (Heb. 12:14).

When War Is Wrong

Though James 4:1–4 was addressed to problems that disrupt interpersonal relationships within the church, these words can be applied to international relationships. Most wars grow out of greed or the lust for power, and Christians who are true to the spirit of Christ will never initiate a war for these reasons. (Martin Niemoller and other faithful German pastors suffered persecution under the Third Reich because they opposed Hitler’s evil lust for power.)

Another Kind of Warfare

Physical warfare is the business of rulers and nations; but the church is locked into another kind of war, a war against wickedness, against the wiles of the devil, against the forces of evil in the world (Eph. 6:11–12). This war will not be won with weapons of iron and steel, but with spiritual armaments—truth, righteousness, faith, prayer, and the gospel message (Eph. 6:13–18).

Conclusion: The good news is, the Christian can experience peace even in a world where war still rages because Christ brings peace to the soul. This is expressed beautifully in the gospel song, “It Is Well with My Soul.”

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ®, Copyright ©1999,2000,2002,2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

About Professor Coleman

Professor Lucien Coleman retired in 1993 after twenty-seven years of teaching Religious Eductation at Southern Seminary and Adult Education at Southwestern Seminary. Before teaching served as a pastor in Kentucky. He holds degrees from Southern Seminary and the University of Kentucky. He and his wife, Bobbie, live in Parker County, Texas. They have three children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.