Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/84

Contributor - Coby Veenstra

Title - A Sword For Peace

Topic - Peace

PEACE! There is no word around today that elicits more response in the media and over coffee, than"peace". Instead of kissing babies, politicians now proclaim peace to bolster a faltering image. If a career as a movie or sports "hero" falters, all one needs to do is sponsor a peace demonstration to receive instant fame and acclaim. A world made nervous by visions of the kind of thing expounded in the movie "The Day After", forgets that God was in control of nuclear power long before man invented the means to use it. In its fear it buries its head in the sand and dares not face reality. So it is fair game to those who abuse this fear to further their own ends, in the name of peace. These we can easily see through and discount, but what of the honest and sincere people who proclaim disarmament with hands folded on an open Bible. Where do we, as Christians, stand in the arms race?

In the Old Testament time and again, God called His people to war against the godless nations around them who tried to oppress them. Not that war was desirable or glorious, certainly not the "blood, guts and glory" mentality expounded by the sellers of "GI Joe" and their ilk, but simply because it was necessary. The peace movement's response to this fact is the statement that this was in the Old Testament and we live in New Testament times. That is true, but Jehovah of the Old Testament is the same as the Triune God of the New Testament The same God that called His people to war, is the God who became flesh to dwell among us. Jesus told us: "Peace I leave with you", and this is used as a rallying call of the pacifist movement. But read on. . . " not as the world give till give I unto you". Not the world's brand of peace - absence of war - but a unique peace that only He can give - the peace that fills our hearts, the peace that made it possible for hymns to be sung from the terror-filled Nazi prisons, the peace that illumined the dinginess of Japanese prison camps, the peace that quiets the frightened young soldier in his fox hole as he cleans out his rifle, the peace that made a little Rumanian boy beg his parents to let the communist torturers kill him because to save his life his parents would have to deny their faith.

As we look back at World War 11, a question arises for pacifists: Why is it that the Dutch underground was full of ministers and other leaders of the Church? If the pacifists were right the Church should have preached peaceful submission to the Third Reich instead the Church preached resistance, aided Jews, hid young men slated for slave labour in Germany and uttered forbidden prayers for the House of Orange in exile. Instead, the cream of the Church, so to speak, led in raids on ammunition dumps, stole food stamps for those in hiding, destroyed town records to confound the enemy, fought and even killed when they had to and generally tried to do all they could to undermine the Nazi regime. Why? Because they were convinced, armed with the mandate of God to confound evildoers, that they had to.

Although the peace movement has made Jesus their spokesman, of Himself Jesus said: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth- I am come not to bring peace but the sword" (Matt 10:34 ff). He goes on to say in the following verses, that even within households shall one find enemies. That is certainly not a pacifist lullaby. It is a cry to stand up for right and justice. Christians did just that in World War 11. Can we do less? Can we sit back and let powers of evil have dominion over the earth? Of course not'

As an example: Had Reagan left the 1,000 Cuban forces on Grenada, the Soviet Bloc would have had another foothold in the Carribean from which to assault the already beleaguered Central American nations. Although a Peace Corps worker naively protested that the U.S. attacked a contingent of harmless dentists, doctors and agriculturists, any realist could see that these men were far too welled armed and certainly too well trained to be anything but communist soldiers. And where would they stop if the free world let them take over helpless nations such as Grenada?

If we don't keep up in the arms race, the evil of communism will take over the West. Humanly speaking, all that holds them at bay now is the fact that the West is at least as strong. Would we lay down our arms now, we could celebrate New Year 1985 under communist rule, and justice and freedom including freedom of religion, would be trampled with hobnailed boots.

To keep peace we must carry a sword, whether it be a sword or a Springfield or an M-60 Gatling gun, or whatever is necessary. Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7 and Luke 21:19 all warn us that wars are with us and will continue to be with us until Jesus comes again. Our duty is to be prepared when it comes, not to seek it, but to face it when it comes, until Satan and all his followers have lost their powers. It will come when Jesus shall return. Until then we must be faithful and do what we must to confound the powers of evil.

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