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When the apostles were concerned about their own faith, they asked Christ an important question. The Scripture says,
And the apostles said unto the Lord, "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5).There are a number of ways in which we as christians can increase our faith. Let us briefly examine a few of them.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).When we do this, our faith in what we have gleaned from the Scriptures as absolute truth will be firmly established so that we cannot be
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (Ephesians 4:14).
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.There are two sins that are committed when we worship with churches that are outside of the body of Christ. First, if we worship with a church that teaches and practices doctrine contrary to the teachings of Scripture, we are guilty of condoning those beliefs. And, second, we become susceptible to unscriptural change in our faith.
We can increase our faith by associating with those who are sober-minded. Paul says,
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners (1 Corinthians 15:33).Also,
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).This is not to say that we should disassociate ourselves from every ungodly person. It is only in the condoning and practicing of their evil words and deeds that we are to abstain from.
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15).
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Ira Mikell
ira@thechristianexaminer.com
Last week we examined the Christian and his responsibilities to his government. We learned that he must always remember that the world is not his home, he should pay his taxes and render obedience to the government insofar as the government does not infringe on his ability to serve God, and that he should continually pray for the authorities of the government so that he may continue to live in tranquility.
A similar issue for the Christian is the question of war: when, if ever, can a Christian fight in an armed conflict? The issue is an extension of the government issue, as governments are normally the bodies which declare war on one another. What does the Word of God say about war?
The question of war is not discussed directly in Scripture. We are to fight a spiritual battle against sin and darkness (Ephesians 6:10-20), but not to fight any physical battles. We are told of soldiers who converted to Christ: Cornelius in Acts 10 and the Philippian jailer in Acts 16. We are not told, however, whether or not they continued in their positions after conversion. History shows us through Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History that in the second and third centuries AD, soldiers who converted to Christ would often renounce their military positions, even to the point of martyrdom.
Jesus did teach against the general concept of war, however. We must always remember that war begins due to a sin: some group or individual sinned against another, and an armed conflict arose from it. Christ has this to say about enemies that one makes in Matthew 5:43-44:
You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.So, we are to love our enemies! This would make a strong argument against the Christian's involvement in war.
Paul also gives us a principle, not contrary to that of Jesus, that would be good to remember, 1 Timothy 2:1-2:
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may live a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.Here we are urged to pray for tranquility and peace in our lives. We may have to defend and protect ourselves so that we may continue to live in such peace.
So, then, what is the Christian to do? Shall he serve in war or shall he not? The question must be answered by each individual Christian with his own conscience directed by a true faith. He must study the Scriptures and see what they have to say, and make a decision based upon them. My own personal conviction is that a Christian ought to serve in war if the borders of his nation have been violated by another power, and his security and tranquility is impacted; for a war of external aggression, however, a Christian ought not serve. I hold to this belief, and will be judged for it; so too must every man come to his own conclusions based upon Scripture, and also be judged (Romans 14:10).
Ethan R. Longhenry
ethan@thechristianexaminer.com
www.deusvitae.com
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