Why Does War Exist?

Russia is invading Ukraine. Buildings are being destroyed. Souls are being sent into eternity. Old and new alliances are evidencing themselves and being tested. The stability of peace in Europe is being shaken in a way the world has not seen in 77 years. Meanwhile, across the globe, concerns grow over a similar invasion of Taiwan by the People's Republic of China. Turmoil and concerns of war continue to rise in parts of the world such as the Middle East, Myanmar, and Korea. Sovereign borders are discounted. Peace is disavowed. Life is devalued. How do we make sense of a world at war?

Christian, it is easy to look at the craziness of the world and get disheartened. Even more so, it is easy to feel the temptation to close our eyes and ears, stick our heads in the sand, and not care for the brokenness of this world. And yet, since God's love abides within us, we cannot close our hearts (1 Jn. 3:17). Our disposition should be one of compassion and love. "For God has not given us spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). With the Spirit of God living within us and God's sufficient Word guiding us, we should be able to have a right understanding of why war exists in this world.

Now, I must be careful as I write. We need to acknowledge that ultimately, we do not have an exhaustive answer to why bad things, such as war, are allowed to happen by a sovereign and good God. He, in fact, uses wars in many different ways. He can use them to judge nations or to discipline his children. But, at the end of the day, His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Is. 55:8-9). Furthermore, we also must acknowledge that there are historical and political components that have brought us to this point in history. There are reasons leading up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reasons I do not have time to explore right now. Still, Scripture tells us that war--along with all other kinds of sin and suffering--has a beginning. It began with a serpent who hates God.

War exists because evil exists

In the very beginning of the Bible, we are introduced to the devil, that ancient serpent, who has been sinning from the beginning (Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9; 1 Jn. 3:8). He is on a mission to deceive Eve and bring down humanity with him. Why? Because he hates God and hates those who are of God. And, as the narrative unfolds, Satan nearly succeeds. He tempts Adam and Eve to distrust God's Word and rebel against Him. As a result, death came into the world (Rom. 5:12). God cursed Adam and Eve and sent them out of the garden. But before He does, He makes a promise to the serpent: "I will put enmity between her offspring and your offspring. He will crush your head and you will bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15).

The first real evidence of the brokenness of sin and Satan's enmity with Eve's offspring is found in Genesis 4, when Cain murders his brother, Abel. This is war--brother killing brother. Cain hated and killed Abel because "his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous" (1Jn. 3:12). When sin crouched at the door of Cain's heart, he caved into the devil's temptation. Once again, Satan nearly succeeds in bringing down humanity.

War exists because Satan exists. He attempted his rebellion and has already lost. So he is hell-bent on bringing image-bearers of God down with him. This kind of naked aggression is shown through every war throughout history. Men, dead in their sins and children of the devil, hate and kill and murder (Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 3:10). There is war without because there are desires at war within each of us (Js. 4:1). Therefore, war should be no surprise to the Christian. Furthermore, Christians should refrain from suggesting that they know just how far sin will go. Let us not forget the atrocities of Egypt in the time of Moses, the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, the Uyghur concentration camps, and the 62 million lives lost to abortion in the U.S. A totally depraved humanity is capable of doing the most drastic of evil, including starting a nuclear world war.

War exists because good exists

In Genesis 3:15, God does not leave us without hope. Neither does he simply hand humanity over to the serpent to be devoured. He certainly has the right to do that. No, instead he said that he would "place enmity" between the serpent and the woman. And, judging by the outcome of that enmity, God chose a side--the side of the woman. Even though mankind rebelled against God and wars against each other as a result, God chooses to show grace by fighting on the side of mankind.

Throughout history, specifically in the Old Testament, we have seen the preservation of mankind in order that God may provide redemption. We see this in Noah's family being saved from the flood. Moses and Israel were saved from Egypt and the Canaanite oppressors. Even though Israel sinned, God preserved a remnant in order that he may redeem them. All though Satan hates the world, God loved the world that he gave his Son in order that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). Jesus disarmed the prince of darkness through his death on the cross (Col. 2:15) and defeated death through his rising from the grave (1 Cor. 15:55-57).

While God continues to show his common grace to the world and Christ's church remains on this earth, there is still hope for humanity--hope that there is still good in this world and there is still time to repent and believe the Gospel. Even with the moral relativity that this world tries to adopt, there is still an understanding of good and evil. Because of that, we can praise God for leaders that, although not perfect, have stood in favor of goodness and truthfulness--men like Abraham Lincoln, Fredrick Douglas, Winston Churchill, George Patton, and Ronald Reagan. God's grace can be seen through Christians like Harriet Tubman, Corrie Ten Boom, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who stood in the face of oppression and tyranny to save image bearers of God.

A Moment from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

One of my favorite quotes in The Lord of the Rings movies comes at the end of The Two Towers. Sam and Frodo are at one of the lowest parts of their journey. A hypnotized Frodo had nearly handed the ring to a wraith, at which moment Sam tackles him to save him from giving the ring away. The scene shifts between the hobbits and Rohan's victory over Saruman's army at Helm's Deep. Sam gives this speech: “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. . . . Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. . . . There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”

Christian, we are citizens of heaven and ambassadors of a kingdom far greater than this world in which we live. Nevertheless, as citizens of that country, we ought to be champions of what is right, good, just, beautiful, and lovely. At every moment possible, we should love what God loves and hate what God hates. God loves image bearers and hates evil.

We do not ultimately wrestle against flesh and blood--although we may at times be called to fight for our country--but against the princes and powers of this present darkness. Wars will always exist until Christ comes back (Matt. 24:6). However, at the end of time (Rev. 19-20), we see the final triumph of good over evil. Christ will return to subdue all of Creation. He will conquer all of his enemies--Satan, his forces, and all who failed to kiss the Son. And, at after all is said and done, Christ will reign as King forever.