Post # 63 - Fait Accompli
This blog post is addressed to the Christian Church, but all are welcome to read. I will open up this post with a few verses that are relevant to current events:
Romans 12:14-15, 17-21: 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn… 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 5:38-48: 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Proverbs 24:17-18:
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.
On Sunday Osama bin Laden was finally killed. The way I saw it he was the entire reason we went into Afghanistan. Strangely enough we killed him in Pakistan. Immediately upon hearing the news I was unsure about how to feel. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a sense of relief, but I also felt an overbearing sense of "well...what now?" Like many of my friends I was extremely hesitant to celebrate. It is true that Osama bin Laden was responsible for many American deaths and stole from us our sense of invincibility. However I knew that celebrating was probably not the wisest thing to do and so I opened my bible.
The act was done by the United States, and many members of the body of Christ are citizens of the United States. If we as citizens of the United States and as members of the body of Christ have ever had an enemy, Osama bin Laden was it. It is very easy to love others when you are with your family. It is very easy to love others when you are with your friends. I encourage you to replace the word “tax collectors” in Matthew 5:46 with “terrorists.” Just as the law must speak most clearly when the situation makes it tough to follow, so must the Christian act according to scripture when we are tempted to do otherwise. Think pensively on that.
We must also ask ourselves was all of this worth it? There comes a time when a shepherd must protect his flock, and in their duties as President, George Bush and Barack Obama have done just that. We’ve spent billions of dollars and lost thousands of soldiers’ lives along with thousands of civilian and Taliban lives. Much of the information leading to this particular raid, though still unconfirmed, seems to have come from Guantanamo Bay. And so we must ask ourselves, was all of this worth it?
Finally in Matthew 26 after Peter cuts off a servant’s ear while attacking those who were arresting Jesus, Jesus exclaims: 52 “Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” I do not think that the killing of Osama bin Laden was wrong. He was openly at war with us. As a nation we (recently) have become committed to having church and state completely separate, and so we cannot force the President to live by “wwjd.” However, I also do not wish to live by the sword, nor do I wish to die by it. Osama bin Laden is dead, but I hope the Christian spirit is not. "As far as it is possible" we must strive for peace. We must not gloat. We must not repay evil for evil. If one forces us to go one mile we ought to go with him two. Revenge is for God, and so if our enemies are hungry we should feed them. If they are thirsty we should give them something to drink. In doing these things we just might overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:14-15, 17-21: 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn… 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 5:38-48: 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Proverbs 24:17-18:
17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.
On Sunday Osama bin Laden was finally killed. The way I saw it he was the entire reason we went into Afghanistan. Strangely enough we killed him in Pakistan. Immediately upon hearing the news I was unsure about how to feel. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a sense of relief, but I also felt an overbearing sense of "well...what now?" Like many of my friends I was extremely hesitant to celebrate. It is true that Osama bin Laden was responsible for many American deaths and stole from us our sense of invincibility. However I knew that celebrating was probably not the wisest thing to do and so I opened my bible.
The act was done by the United States, and many members of the body of Christ are citizens of the United States. If we as citizens of the United States and as members of the body of Christ have ever had an enemy, Osama bin Laden was it. It is very easy to love others when you are with your family. It is very easy to love others when you are with your friends. I encourage you to replace the word “tax collectors” in Matthew 5:46 with “terrorists.” Just as the law must speak most clearly when the situation makes it tough to follow, so must the Christian act according to scripture when we are tempted to do otherwise. Think pensively on that.
We must also ask ourselves was all of this worth it? There comes a time when a shepherd must protect his flock, and in their duties as President, George Bush and Barack Obama have done just that. We’ve spent billions of dollars and lost thousands of soldiers’ lives along with thousands of civilian and Taliban lives. Much of the information leading to this particular raid, though still unconfirmed, seems to have come from Guantanamo Bay. And so we must ask ourselves, was all of this worth it?
Finally in Matthew 26 after Peter cuts off a servant’s ear while attacking those who were arresting Jesus, Jesus exclaims: 52 “Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” I do not think that the killing of Osama bin Laden was wrong. He was openly at war with us. As a nation we (recently) have become committed to having church and state completely separate, and so we cannot force the President to live by “wwjd.” However, I also do not wish to live by the sword, nor do I wish to die by it. Osama bin Laden is dead, but I hope the Christian spirit is not. "As far as it is possible" we must strive for peace. We must not gloat. We must not repay evil for evil. If one forces us to go one mile we ought to go with him two. Revenge is for God, and so if our enemies are hungry we should feed them. If they are thirsty we should give them something to drink. In doing these things we just might overcome evil with good.
posted by James | 11:48 AM
2 Comments:
A good post, James. Like you, I was initially unsure how to take the news. Did I have mixed feelings? I don't think so. He was killed as a man of war. Specifically targeted, yes, but he still chose that road. My issue, like yours is how many of our fellow Americans chose to react to the news. It's not good news, it's just news. One death isn't to be celebrated, but instead it's a day to remember many more who have died leading to that day.
God's commandments on how to treat your enemies may be some of the hardest in the bible to follow. Sadly, our society doesn't support the Christian idea of turning the other cheek. In our society, if someone strikes you, you're expected to not just retaliate, but escalate. It's how our government thinks and how most of our citizens think as well. Thanks for the post. A solid refresher on God's will.
James... I wish the world were full of people with the courage, gentleness, and conviction that you have.
Do you mind if I send a copy of this Blog to my Mom and Dad?
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