A two-part sermon from famous pastor Wayne Grudem.

The part 1 MP3 file is here.

The part 2 MP3 file is here.

The PDF outline is here.

Part 1 topics: (just war and conduct of war)

• the commandment to not kill does not apply to killing enemy soldiers in war
• government is authorized to prevent foreign countries from harming citizens the same way it prevents criminals from harming citizens
• there are examples in the Bible of using military force to stop an aggressive nation, e.g. – David vs Goliath
• principles of a just war, and relevant Bible passages, e.g. – just cause, only as a last resort
• Moral principles for the conduct of a just war, e.g. – proportionality, combatants vs non-combatants
• Can a Christian serve in a just war in good conscience?
• What should a Christian do if called upon to fight in an unjust war?

Part 2 topics: (responses to pacificism)

• what are the arguments in favor of pacifism?
• government can do some things that individuals cannot do, e.g. – taxing vs stealing, punishing criminals vs revenge
• it’s wrong for individuals to use force to advance the gospel, but not wrong for government to use force to restrain evil
• Jesus loves everyone, but even he will come in judgment one day and use force to punish evil
• what about nuclear weapons, nuclear arsenals for deterrence, and defenses to long-range nuclear missiles?
• missile defense systems work, e.g – Iron Dome in Israel stopped about 85% of incoming missiles
• building defenses does not embolden the enemy to attack us, it deters the enemy from attacking us
• “turn the other cheek” means don’t return an insult, but you can defend yourself from physical threats

My favorite part of this two-part series was the midpoint of part 2, when a lady asked him a question about what is behind pacificism. Dr. Grudem runs through all the places in society where the secular left is opposed to authorities judging and punishing bad behavior with force. There are so many examples of this: parents disciplining rebellious children, teachers disciplining misbehaving kids, police catching criminals (lots of that lately!), courts putting criminals in jail for long periods of time, giving murderers the death penalty, using waterboarding on terrorists, and of course pacifism in the face of aggression, e.g. – Iran vs Israel, Russia vs Ukraine. Then another lady asked him why the same people who are so concerned about going easy on violent criminals and aggressive nations are so intent on being able to kill defenseless innocent children in the womb. Good question.