Expert: Derrick Holland - 6/19/2009

Question
I know that JW are not allowed to join the military...but why would the Holy Scriptures speak about a Centurion a high honor..even by Jesus himself...

A centurion is a Roman commander in the military..

Now I know we should not kill our brothers..but somewhere in the bible speaks about there is a time for peace and a time for war...Even we know that such things are unavoidable in our world until we are governed under GOD.

So - why cant a JW truly serve and protect and still be like the Centurion?

"As He entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, beseeching Him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." And He said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion answered Him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard him, He marveled, and said to those who followed Him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." (Matthew 8:5-10 RSV)

"At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and bring one Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside." (Acts 10:1-6 RSV)

"And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?" And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say." (Acts 10:21-22 RSV)

Answer
Hello Richlo.  Good to hear from you.

These are some of the same points I made to a JW a number of months ago, regarding the topic of war.  This person had made the false claim that "born agains love war".  Of course, no true Christian wants war, but the Scripture does give a person or nation the right to defend themselves.  And sadly, sometimes this involves war.

I think on this topic, the JWs really believe they are doing what Jesus would want.  The problem is, that it is based on their perception of the way Jesus would do things, and not so much on what the Bible actually says about it.  Your points are a good example....we have examples in the Scripture of Godly individuals serving in both military and governmental capacities.  Yet, JWs say this is not permissible for a true follower of God.

You mention the example of Cornelius, which is an excellent example.  Cornelius was obviously a military man of some authority, and was also God-fearing.  He eventually became a Christian, and I read nowhere that he was commanded to leave his position.  And yes, Jesus also commended the centurion for his faith in Matthew chapter 8.

And here is another interesting verse from the Psalms....

Psalm 144:1-  "  Blessed be the LORD my strengtha, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:"


Kind of hard to figure why David would say this, if indeed war was always wrong.  The Bible clearly allows for personal or national self-defense.  Now being an aggressor for reasons of greed or power is another matter.  


Nobody wants war, but I for one appreciate the sacrifice our soldiers are making for our freedom, and believe they deserve our respect and our prayers.  That's part of the reason JWs themselves enjoy the freedoms they do.

Thanks for writing, Richlo.  Take care, and God bless.

Derrick