Can a Christian serve in the military?
"The one in authority serves God for your good. But if you do wrong, watch out! Rulers don’t carry a sword for no reason at all. They serve God. And God is carrying out his anger through them. The ruler punishes anyone who does wrong" (Romans 13:4).
Yes, the Bible says that Christians can serve in the military.When God created the earth, the first couple, Adam and Eve, inherited a planet that knew nothing of disease, hunger, poverty, suffering, or war. When pride caused Adam and Eve to willfully disobey God, sin polluted the planet. With sin came disease, hunger, poverty, suffering, and even war. This is not how God intended life on earth to be.
War is ugly, but some wars are justified. Stopping evil dictators like Hitler must be done. We can thank brave soldiers who stand against evil leaders.
King David, a man highly loved by God, was a soldier (1 Samuel 17). Abram, who later was known as Abraham and a friend of God, took up arms against his enemy (Genesis 14). The Apostle Paul, who sought protection from soldiers when his life was in danger, wrote that God gives government the right to keep order and defend its people (Romans 13:4).
Jesus is coming back to fix this broken planet. He is going to right all of the wrongs. As King, Jesus will see that everyone lives in peace. King Jesus will not need an army because He alone is the Prince of Peace.
