Taken from pages 81-83 of The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down © David Bercot. Used by permission. Copies can be obtained from Scroll Publishing Co., P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210 or see their website at www.scrollpublishing.com.

But can’t we wear two hats? When I’m in an army uniform and am part of the U. S. Army, it isn’t me, the individual, doing the killing. It’s the United States government. And the United States government has been entrusted with the sword by God, according to Romans 13.

This argument seems plausible only because most Christians are still unable to think of the kingdom of God as a real, existing government.

To illustrate, suppose an American citizen were living in Germany in the 1930s. And further suppose that the German army drafted him. (Yes, governments have the power to conscript residents who are non-citizens.) Let’s say that this American accepted being drafted into the German army and that he later killed his fellow Americans during one of the battles of World War II. Further suppose that he was eventually captured by American forces and was put on trial.

Suppose that at his trial, this American presented the following defense: “I know it would have been wrong for me, an individual American, to take up arms against my fellow citizens. However, I was drafted into the German army and so it was no longer me, the American citizen, who killed other Americans. It was the German government conducting lawful warfare against the United States.”

Do you think the people and government of the United States would accept that plea? Of course not! So why do we imagine that Jesus will accept such a plea?

Actually, a real-life situation similar to my illustration recently happened. A few years ago, the United States conducted a war against the Taliban regime of Afghanistan. In the course of the war, the U. S. Army captured an American citizen named John Walker Lindh, who had joined the Taliban fighters. Now, let’s suppose that Mr. Lindh had made the following defense at his trial:

“I, John Walker Lindh, as an individual American citizen would never do anything to harm another American. Yes, it’s true that I joined the Taliban army. But at the time I joined, they were not at war with the United States. Whatever actions I took after that were not mine–they were the Taliban government’s actions. I did not fight against the United States as an individual. I only fought as a unit of the Taliban government. Therefore, I am innocent.”

Do you think an American jury would have accepted that? I think not.

Christians who reject nonresistance, in effect, want Jesus to subjugate Himself to Caesar. They want Jesus to acknowledge that His laws can be broken if Caesar requires people to do so. But would Caesar be willing to do the revers? Will Caesar allow us to break Caesar’s law if Jesus requires it?

In answer to that question, let’s suppose that Mr. Lindh had made this defense: “I, John Walker Lindh, the American citizen, would never do anything to harm another American. Of course that would be wrong! If I fought against the United States in Afghanistan, I did so purely as John Walker Lindh, the Muslim. My allegiance to Allah requires me to kill all infidels. Therefore as a member of Islam, I killed Americans. But I did this only as a part of the Islamic international community–not as an individual nor as an American. Therefore, I am innocent.”

What do you think? Would that defense have worked? Of course not. The United States government will not allow its citizens to kill one another, regardless of their religious beliefs. If someone kills another American, he will be charged with murder. The fact that his religion required it will be no excuse.

If our government will not allow its citizens to slaughter one another because of their religious differences, why do we imagine that Jesus will allow His citizens to slaughter one another because of their political or national differences?