On July 4th we celebrate Independence Day, the day commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document declared our independence from the government of Great Britain in 1776. The Revolutionary War, however, doesn’t end until September 3, 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
A great controversy between evangelicals rages concerning what the Founding Fathers did in the Revolutionary War for Independence.
Was the American Revolution civil disobedience or rebellion against God’s Word in Romans 13?
Was the Revolutionary War Self-Defense against Great Britain or Sin?
Was the Declaration of Independence a declaration of unbiblical treason?
Was the War for Independence Just War or an offensive war?
Just War Theory or the doctrine of Just War answers two important questions. If we are going to send young people into war to kill and to be killed these questions need to be answered.
When is it justified to go to war?
How must a just war be fought justly?
Ukraine is an example. Ukraine is fighting a Just War or defensive war. They are defending their families against tyranny. Russia on the other hand is fighting an Unjust War. They are aggressively attacking another nation. Ukraine is fighting this Just War justly. Russian is not. Russia is attacking and killing non-combatants or innocent citizens.
The question is: Was the War for Independence a Just War?
At the time of the War for Independence, Christians were as divided as they are today. Some Christians against the War for Independence fled to Canaan. Obviously, many Christians fought for the independence of the 13 colonies. Christians are divided today as well.
Dr. John MacArthur represents evangelicals who think the Revolutionary War was unbiblical: “In America, certain violations of law, civil disobedience, and subversive attempts to overthrow the powers that be on a local level, state level, or national level have been led by people who claimed to be Christians. Some Christians have decided that since they received bad treatment from certain governments, they were justified in their war against those governments. To some people, evangelical Christianity was a proper justification for the American Revolution. They believe we had every right to load up our guns and kill Englishmen for the sake of our religious freedom …. The truth is, the United States was born out of a violation of Romans 13:1-7 in the name of Christian freedom. That doesn't mean God won't overrule such violations and bring about good, which He did in this case, but that end doesn't justify the means” (The Christian and Government: The Christian's Responsibility to Government--Part 1, by John MacArthur).
I hope to show in my next post tomorrow, why I disagree with MacArthur’s view that the American Revolution was a violation of Romans 13:1-7. In his article, however, there are some arguments with which I agree. He states that the church should not abandon its Great Commission and become a political Christian lobby that promotes protests and moderate revolutions. Pastors should not become politicians who give political speeches and instead of preaching the gospel. “That would be like a heart surgeon abandoning his life-saving practice to become a make-up artist.”
MacArthur makes some powerful parallels between the world of Jesus and our generation and how Jesus responded. The world of Jesus had the socially and morally repugnant institution of slavery. Yet Jesus never spoke out against this social evil. Jesus lived under absolute dictators. Jesus’ generation had to pay high taxes and was persecuted. What was Jesus’ response: “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
In his conclusion, MacArthur contradicts himself. He gives two principles. The first principle is, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers” (Romans 13:1). This principle is, MacArthur says, unqualified, unlimited, and unconditional.
But then MacArthur gives the limitation to this unlimited principle. MacArthur is correct in saying that the principle of obedience to government is limited by other verses of Scripture like Acts 4:13-20 and Acts 5:28. In both stories from the early church, the apostles disobeyed the government to obey God. In my next post, I will demonstrate that the colonists practiced the limitation of the principle of obeying God rather than man in the War for Independence from a tyrannical government.