The Call to Absolute Peace
The Mission
The Wednesday series “The Way of Peace” has and will continue to alternate between takes on current events from a peace perspective, and an analysis of what Scripture teaches us about Christ’s call to peace. The next 11 or 12 such Scripture based essays will focus on what Scripture teaches about Jesus and His call to peace, and some common objections by those who think violence is sanctioned by Scripture.
These posts will lean heavily on the magnificent book War and the Gospel by the French theologian Jean Lasserre. In so amplifying what Lasserre taught my hope is that I can move the argument to a greater understanding of the pacifist position, at least among those who are faithful enough to take Scripture seriously.
Laying a Solid Foundation
The first thing Lasserre points out that we must do is to reject preconceived ideas. Indeed, it is the bane of Scriptural study that people approach the text with an idea of what the conclusion should be. It amounts to working backwards from the conclusion to the justification. This always results in shoddy biblical exegesis.
The primary reason the Church has historically justified war is that it approaches the Bible with preconceived political and philosophical frameworks (like the “Just War” theory) rather than letting the Scripture speak for itself. Lasserre insists that Christian theology must start from the Word of God alone, not from what we consider “common sense,” “necessity,” or “national interest.”
Lasserre identifies a fundamental error in how the question of war is usually posed. Most people ask: “How can we defend our country?” or “How can we stop an aggressor?” Lasserre reframes the problem entirely. The real question is not about the effectiveness of war, but about the lordship of Jesus Christ. The central issue for a Christian is: “Can a disciple of Christ kill another human being for whom Christ died?” Lasserre argues that once the problem is stated as a matter of individual and corporate obedience to Christ, the “necessities” of the state become secondary to the commands of the Gospel.
The Centrality of the Fifth Commandment
Lasserre begins to lay the groundwork for his later sections by emphasizing that the prohibition “Thou shalt not kill” must be taken with absolute seriousness. He challenges the “compartmentalization” of Christian life, the idea that one can be a “peaceful Christian” in private life but a “soldier who kills” in public life. For Lasserre, the Gospel demands a unity of life where the ethics of Jesus apply to every sphere, including politics and war. In fact, as I have pointed out many times the prayer our Lord gave us calls for “His will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Jesus makes no qualification regarding this, nor does He ever even suggest that there is an area of our lives that is not of concern to God.
There’s That Normative Jesus Again
As I pointed out previously we must look at the earthly life of Jesus as our source and norm. Jesus’s life is not a simple descriptive, it is normative. That is, we must seek to imitate Jesus as best we can. Jesus is the template for what a fully human life looks like. To follow Jesus is to imitate as a response to the faith in His salvific power that He placed within us. It is this faith that saves, but that faith must penetrate our hearts in a way that will change us. This is what it is to believe and obey.
Obviously, we must look at Scripture to understand what all this looks like, for we have no place else to look. This makes leaving your biases and assumptions aside when approaching the Book. As we progress further I hope to make clear, with Lasserre’s help, is that the Scriptures reveal a Jesus who’s call to and claim upon us is one of absolute pacifism.
The Key Takeaway
All of this initial effort is an “intellectual clearing of the brush.” Lasserre, and I concur completely, demands that his readers stop looking for loopholes and instead confront the radical, non-violent nature of the Gospel as a non-negotiable command. So, set aside any and all preconceptions about the justification of violence and set your mind free to embrace the Word of God as when the world was new.
This process is possible for I was a war supporting (at one time an ardent imperialist) justifier of state sponsored violence. However, by the Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to put aside all the assumptions I had about violence and look afresh at what Jesus the Christ gave us. So, I welcome you along on the journey of why we are to wage ceaseless peace in the name of the Prince of Peace. Come and see!
Praise Be to God
