Yahweh, the God of the Bible, hates violence. He views violence so seriously that He decided to wipe out humanity because of their violent behaviour. In Genesis 6:13 God says to Noah before the flood:
“The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
The God of the Bible also expresses His displeasure over the violence of His chosen people, Israel, in Isaiah 59:6b:
“Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands.”
Likewise, in Amos 3:10 Yahweh speaks out against the violence and oppression committed by His people:
“For they do not know to do right,’ Says the LORD, ‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’”
No one can deny that “Christians” and Christian institutions have committed horrific acts of violence in the name of Christianity. Consider the Inquisition, during which the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) brutally tortured and killed thousands of so-called heretics (apostates). These were often the true Christians who suffered under such persecution. Then there were the Crusades, also initiated by the RCC, during which thousands were killed simply because they were not “Christians.” Thousands of Jews and Arabs were slaughtered in the name of Christianity.
Even Reformers were involved in violence. Martin Luther encouraged violence against Jews. Calvin was involved in the execution of at least one “opponent,” Michael Servetus. The Swiss Reformer Zwingli died on the battlefield after an attack by Roman Catholic forces.
So-called Protestants and Catholics fought each other for decades in Northern Ireland under the banner of Christian groups, which in reality functioned as political factions. These groups developed from traditional religious views that had already drifted far from true biblical Christianity.
In none of these cases can “Christians” justify their violent actions from the Bible. Already in the Old Testament, God commands His people to love their neighbour, including strangers. This has already been discussed. God says in Leviticus 19:18:
“… but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:” And in Leviticus 19:34: “The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself;”
God insists on love toward foreigners in Deuteronomy 10:19:
“Therefore love the stranger,”
God is serious about this. Deuteronomy 27:19:
“‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, …”
Violence in Christianity is not Yahweh’s fault, nor is it likely the fault of true Christians. Although Christians under deception may sometimes be involved in violence, it is far more likely that those who are regarded as Christians, but are not truly so, are the guilty ones. These “Christians,” like most people today who pass as Christians, do not know the biblical definition of true Christianity.
It has already been shown that a righteous and loving God, precisely because of these attributes, needs to punish and to protect. It was therefore unavoidable that God sometimes had to discipline His people and sometimes act firmly against pagan nations through Israel. This was the result of His love for humanity. He wanted to redeem humanity in a just way, and His plan of salvation was under threat. It was the only way to keep it on course.
From the beginning, Satan attempted to sabotage God’s plan for humanity’s redemption from the power of darkness. For this reason, he tried from the start to destroy Israel, the nation through whom God intended to bless the world (Genesis 12:3). He also tried to lead them into idolatry and sometimes succeeded. God therefore sometimes punished His chosen people through other nations for their idolatry, and sometimes commanded Israel to act against certain hostile and pagan nations. There was a valid reason for each of these commands. It was primarily about purifying and preparing the nation through whom God would bless the world through His Redeemer, Jesus Christ. It was never intended as a rule for how Israel should treat other nations, nor as a mandate for Israel to dominate others.
The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Redeemer for every person who believes, comes in the New Testament and makes it clear that love for God above all, and love for one’s neighbour as oneself, is the summary of God’s law:
Matthew 22:37–39: “Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”
Only the person whose “mind the god of this world has blinded” (2 Corinthians 4:4) cannot see the great love of God in this.
How can one claim to love God while committing violence and shedding blood in direct violation of His command? How can one claim to love one’s neighbour as oneself while committing violence against that neighbour?
Christian believers often wonder, and sometimes ask: “If the true living God is a God of love and almighty, as the Bible teaches, why then all the violence and senseless suffering in this world?” The Bible provides enough information to understand why this is so. What follows is a brief summary of the Bible’s answer:
Humanity was created to live in a relationship of love with God (Gen. 1:26–27). They were in His presence and under His care. They had the ability to choose (free will), and they chose to place their own interests above God’s and disobeyed His warning (Gen. 3:6). God is just, and therefore they died spiritually that same day (Gen. 2:17). God sent them out of His presence, immediate care, and protection (Gen. 3:23) into a world that was cursed and under the power of the Evil One (Gen. 3:17), and made it impossible for them to return to Him (Gen. 3:24). Because God is righteous, He never says one thing and does another. He acted according to His warning. It was their choice; God had warned them.
Every person born after The Fall of Man is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1–5; Col. 2:13) and physically in a world still under the power of the Evil One. Mankind cannot return to God by its own will or effort (Gen. 3:23–24). Only God can rescue people from this condition. God is love and desires that people return to Him (1 Tim. 2:3–4; 2 Pet. 3:9).
God determined that He Himself would pay the price for mankind’s redemption from spiritual death. To accomplish this, God worked through people He could use – prophets, kings, and others. From these people He prepared a nation for Himself through covenants. Through this nation, Israel, He provided redemption from sin and reconciliation with Himself. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus, who is a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:2–3), as the ransom and atonement for humanity’s sin.
The true God forces no one to worship Him. God listens to the prayers of people who are genuinely seeking Him and who are open to His gift of salvation. Those who accept His gift of salvation are spiritually reborn and reconciled to God. Only then does a person receive the privilege of praying to God in the Name of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only way by which God has made it possible for human beings to be saved from their condition of eternal ruin.
Many people call themselves Christian believers but have not truly repented, heard, believed, and accepted the saving work of the Lord Jesus, nor surrendered themselves to Him. Some are part of the church merely out of tradition. Others join for selfish motives, hoping for worldly advantage. These people have not denied themselves and are not willing to trust God with their lives. God is love, and He loves such people too. He desires that they return to Him through the salvation He has provided in the Lord Jesus. Then, according to His righteous will, He will hear their prayers.
God is good and “… He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45). However, if people have not received God’s gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus and have not truly surrendered to Him, they cannot insist on God’s protection and help at all times. According to the Lord Jesus, God does not know them: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21–23
True believers still live physically as strangers and sojourners in this world (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11), which is still under the power of the Evil One, and they are often subject to pain and suffering because of the sins of others (and sometimes their own). Yet God is with them every moment, and in His almighty power He ensures that everything – no matter how severe – ultimately works for their good (Rom. 8:28).
From this, the reasons for violence, pain, and suffering within Christianity should be clear. The God of the Bible is against violence, and only human sin (lovelessness) sometimes necessitates violence from His side – violence He would have preferred to avoid. Violence initiated by Yahweh is primarily to protect His plan of salvation for humanity. The motive behind it is love. All other violence, except self-defence against unlawful attacks, is contrary to God’s will and is sin against Him.
But what, then, would be the reasons for violence in Islam?