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What did the early Church fathers say about those who voluntarily joined the Roman military? It depends on how early we look. For the first couple of centuries, they rejected it, and rejected those who joined the military. There is much discussion about allowing / not allowing those who served...

We aren’t living in Old Testament times. Many Christians seem to think we are, and act like it. Neither Jesus nor the Apostles called upon believers to defend the Roman Empire. Neither Jesus nor the Apostles called upon believers to keep order in society or punish evil doers. The early...

Believers killing fellow believers isn’t the will of God. The Messiah wouldn’t be pleased with that, but the devil would.

Cops are also God’s ministers to keep order and punish evil doers. The cops in Jesus’ day was the pagan Roman military. Unbelievers serving as God’s ministers to keep order and punish evil doers is God’s will.

“Jesus replied, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from the world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’” (John 18:36, NET) Christians did not kill in order to deliver the...

“As it was then, so it is now” -> unbelievers serving as God’s ministers to punish evil doers. That looks like the NT biblical model. Setting aside for the moment unbelievers, Christians killing fellow Christians violates God’s law. That’s a good starting point in the military service...

That’s right. At the time it was written, Christians weren’t in those positions. Unbelievers were. Leave it to unbelievers in our day? There was no quitting the Roman army. Unbelievers who became believers while serving in the army were persecuted by the army when found out. If the army...

* My blood pressure just went up 20 mm Hg. *

Christians fighting against Christians (and non-Christians) for the nations of this world; something which the Messiah’s original disciples didn’t do and the Messiah said they wouldn’t do (John 18:36). Military service -> a good candidate for “come out from among them and be separate”?

What about military service?