10 Questions About God and War

By Steve Arterburn and David Stoop
New Life Ministries

CBN.com – 1. Does God choose sides? God is always on the side of what is right because it is God who made up the rules about what is right and what is wrong. He explains what is right in the Bible. God doesn’t change his mind about what is right and wrong. So, even though it sometimes looks like God chooses sides, it is really people who choose whether or not they will be on God’s side. If someone little is being hurt or beat up by someone bigger, God is on the side of protecting the little person who can’t defend himself. God wants people to be free, so when someone is taking away another person’s freedom, God is on the side of protecting freedom.

2. Why are there so many wars in the Bible? The Bible is a book about real people and their countries. Since God is telling us about these people, he tells us a lot of things about them, including the wars they fought. As long as there have been people, there have been misunderstandings, disagreements, fights and wars. The Bible was written so we could see how God is involved in the lives of people in all sorts of situations, including wars. Because we can see all sides of people, their good sides as well as their bad sides, it helps us learn right from wrong. It also helps us to know if we should fight in a war and when a war is right.

3. Does God like war? No, God does not like war. God loves all of us, no matter what side of the war we are on. And God doesn’t like to see people that he loves hurt each other. The Bible tells us that one day God will make a new earth where there won’t ever be any more wars. When God makes this new earth, there won’t be war or weapons or pain or crying – even the animals won’t fight with each other! We will all live together in peace and harmony. But for now, we live in a world where things are not perfect. There are some things that God allows us to do, even though he doesn’t like them.

4. Does God want freedom? Freedom is one of the most important things to God. That’s why God lets us make choices. He even lets us choose whether or not we will love him. God wants freedom for all people and all countries, but he gives us the freedom to decide if we want to enjoy his freedom or not. When someone or some country has freedom and someone else tries to take it away from them, this is called oppression. The Bible tells us that God does not want people to be oppressed. God wanted freedom so much that he sent Jesus to earth to help everyone find freedom from sin in their lives, even if they live in a country that does not have freedom.

5. Why does God let war happen? God has given us the freedom to choose whether we will do right or wrong. He has given everyone that freedom because it is so important to our lives. When people have freedom to choose, sometimes they make bad choices and that creates wars. The Bible tells us that wars and fighting happen because of the way people are inside. When people have greed and selfishness in their hearts, they start a fight in order to get what isn’t theirs. Many times when this happens, others who see this wrong being done will try to stop it by talking to the side that is doing the wrong thing. But sometimes talking isn’t enough to make the bully stop doing bad things to other people. That’s when it may be necessary to use force to stop a big bully from taking things that aren’t his. When countries do this, it is called war. God doesn't like war, but he lets it happen because he has given us freedom to choose for ourselves – even if our choice is to go to war.

6. Whom should we pray for? We should be praying for everyone we care about. God tells us we can bring all of our cares and worries to him because he cares for us. If we can give God all of our worries and anxieties, we don’t have to be so afraid. We should also pray for all the people who are our leaders. We can ask God to give them wisdom and courage so that they will do the right thing. We should also pray for the enemy and for their leaders and their families. We may not always feel like praying for our enemies, but God has asked us to pray for them, and it is good for us to do that. We can pray that they will be able to know what is right. We can also pray that God will protect the families and the children in countries where wars are being fought.

7. Does God love the enemy? God loves everyone in the whole world. That means he loves the enemy – even the enemy leaders who are making people die. Just because God loves the enemy, though, does not mean that he approves of the things they do when those things are wrong. God can still love the enemy and make sure that there are bad consequences for their bad behavior and good consequences for their good behavior.

8. I’m mad at God about war! Does that make God mad at me? If you can say that you are mad at God about war, that is really good, because it means that you know how you are feeling. God understands our feelings, and if we are mad at him, it doesn’t upset him. All of us get mad at God sometimes. You know how you sometimes get mad at Mom or Dad when you can’t change things to be the way you want them? Do we still love you when you are mad at us? Of course we do. We love you even when you are angry at us, and God loves you even when you are angry at him. Have you told God how you are feeling about him and what you wish he would do to help you feel better? Why don’t you do that? Maybe it would help you and God to make up. God knows that this is very hard for us to do, and that is why he listens so carefully when we want to talk to him.

9. Does the Bible say when the world will end? No, the Bible does not say when the world will end. Thinking about the end of the world can be very scary. What do you think of when you hear people talking about the world coming to an end? Actually, the Bible does talk about the world coming to an end, but only so that we can have the beginning of a better world. It will be a new world where everyone is always safe, where there is no more war, no more sickness or death, and no more sadness or crying. It will be a beautiful new world where there is peace, and where people will always do what is right. In the new world, all people will love God and each other. We don’t know exactly when the old world will end. Some people think it may be soon because some of the signals that the Bible says will happen seem like some of the things happening now. What we can be sure of is that God tells us that we can hope for a new and better world to come. He also says that we should live like it could be at any time. But for each day, we are to live the best we can and love as much as we can and be at peace as much as we can in this world.

10. Is it wrong if I don’t want the world to end? Of course not. Most of us feel the same way. There are some really nice things about our world that all of us enjoy. Why don’t you want the world to end? Sometimes we can be afraid that too much is going to change and we might lose all the people who love us. You don’t have to worry about that . We will take care of you; we aren’t going to leave you alone. Neither is God. He promised that he will always love us and stay with us and take care of us, no matter what happens in this old world.

Copyright © 2003 New Life Ministries. New Life Ministries wants to be a source of hope and encouragement for you. If youd like to know about other resources for finding hope in difficult situations or if you need to speak with someone, call us anytime at 1-800-NEW-LIFE.