April 9, 2019

Many warriors and police officer struggle with guilt for taking someone’s life.  Mr. Tony, a WW2 Naval warrior for the USA, passed away 10 days ago at the age of 98. He on some impressive ships in the Pacific. He never told his family what he did, but his family found out that He was a gunner.

 

Mr. Tony had told me he “felt” God couldn’t forgive him – but He was wrong!  He struggled with guilt, shame, and self-condemnation for what he had to do in the war. Mr. Tony wasn’t alone.  

Thou Shalt Not Murder or Kill?  What about Military, Law Enforcement, and Self-defense?

It was a dark night in April 2008 when Bill called me. I had only spoken to him once since the last time I saw him about 9 years prior.  Bill was an army sniper in Vietnam. He saw lots of action, the kind Hollywood celebrates and wows young men, the kind of action that fuels Rambo type movies, but also the kind of action that causes an older reflective man to wake up in cold sweats. I met Bill in the first church where I was pastor in the late 90’s.

Strangely enough I met Richard, another unrelated Vietnam war army sniper about 5 years previously. He saw the same kind of action. The kind of action that plays on a man’s nerves years later.

I am grateful I knew both these men and that they allowed me into their “brotherhood.” Men who went to war, rarely if ever talk to those who didn’t go about the things they did.

Strangely enough, they had the same question, how can I be forgiven for taking another man’s life?

The question is still alive and well with our military today, police officers who have to kill in the line of work, prison executioners, and even home owners who while protecting themselves or their family have to take the life of someone else.

What is a man or woman to do when the stark cold reality hits that they took a person’s life from them. They have entered into the realm of eternity and have made the appointment with their Maker as the Bible says “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27).  The one who had to take their life in self-defense, military call of duty, or law enforcement is now facing guilt, shame, and an overwhelming sense of a need for forgiveness.

Three Things

What is this person to do?  I want you to consider these things that will help you overcome these haunting memories.

First, you need to understand God’s perspective.

What you did, did not surprise God.  He knows it, saw it, and could have stopped it.  Why didn’t He? I don’t know.  That is part of getting God’s perspective. God never said “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”  He did say “You shall not MURDER.” (Exodus 20:13).  Some older translations (ASV, AV, KJV, RSV) wrongly translate this passage as “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”  The Hebrew word used is the one for murder – taking one’s life without just cause. These two concepts, “Killing” and “Murder,  are worlds apart. The Bible is replete with examples of God giving governments to carry out capital punishment, to make war, and for individuals to protect themselves and their families. (see Genesis 9:5-6, Romans 13:1-7).  If God’s Word said that you cannot kill and then God tells the nation of Israel to make war on a certain nation, or for them to kill someone who murdered someone else – wouldn’t that make God kinda schizophrenic?  God would be telling us not to do one thing and then telling us it was OK another time.  That is not the character of God.

If your government gave you responsibility and charge to fight for your city, state, or country – they have the greater responsible. I am not talking about blaming everything you do on the government and saying that you were “just following orders” like the Nazi’s did. There is such thing as a just war.

Second, Receive God’s Forgiveness.

If you were justified in your actions, then that doesn’t mean you will not have feelings of guilt and remorse. If you were not justified in your actions, you will still have feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse. The fog of a “politically correct” war can even lead to cloudy judgments and self-scrutinization that were never intended for the warrior.

God never intended you to live under a cloud of guilt, shame, and condemnation. This is the reason God the Father sent God the Son, Jesus to reveal His love toward us, then be the sacrifice for our sins upon the cross.

Jesus, God the Son, took the punishment for ALL of your sins.

All means everything – even “Thou Shalt Not Murder.”

When you place your faith in Jesus as the Lord of your life (Leader/Master/Boss), and trust in His death as the PAYMENT, the punishment for your sins – He forgives you completely.  You are totally and completely forgiven. There is nothing else you need to do for forgiveness. There is no future punishment for your wrong actions – Jesus took all of the punishment, guilt, and shame – for you.

Jesus’ death on the cross was an exchange for the punishment, guilt, shame, and condemnation we all deserve for all of our sins – no matter how “big” or “small.”  He took it all upon Himself so we could have total and complete forgiveness!

If you haven’t received His forgiveness, then there are two real requirements:

Requirement #1:  Place your faith in Jesus’ death as total payment for your sins, and that He proved what He did was acceptable to God by being resurrected from the grave.  Tell Jesus this in your own words and ask Him to forgive you of all your sins.

Requirement #2:  Surrender the leadership of your life. Surrender being the boss of your life to Jesus and allow Him to be the Lord (boss/master) of your life.  Tell Jesus you want Him to be the Lord of your life and you are surrendering control of your life to Him.

Thank Him for the new life He has given you!

Welcome! You are now in the Christ Follower family if you prayed and connected with Jesus in these two areas.

 

Third.  Walk in God’s Forgiveness of You.

Haven’t you heard or said, “Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to forgive yourself”?  We don’t really have a problem forgiving ourselves. The real problem is truly believing God has forgiven us completely.

If you have received God’s Forgiveness – you are forgiven completely.

• Stop condemning yourself – God has removed all condemnation from you to Jesus.
• Stop guilting yourself – God took all of your guilt and placed it upon Jesus.
• Stop shaming yourself – All of the same you deserved was placed upon Jesus.

Why Jesus?  Because He could handle it all, even the punishment for our sins, death. He handled it like God would then He arose from the dead, like God, because He is God!

We couldn’t handle our guilt, shame, and condemnation we deserved, but God could and did, like a good-good Father.

You may have been taught something different about God’s forgiveness, but this is what the Bible teaches from cover-to-cover. We can sit down and look at passage after passage for hours looking at God’s amazing love and forgiveness through Jesus only. 

If you were acting justly in self defense, law enforcement, or military orders then walk in the fact that you did nothing wrong. It was horrible and a terrible thing, but not wrong. However if you really feel you did something wrong, then ask God to forgive you. The fog of war, especially the “politically correct” fog of war is something warriors were never meant to experience.

Other things to consider in helping you to heal through this process:

• Walk in God’s Grace toward you. He loves you and you are highly favored by God.
• Pray for those families that were affected by the incident or directives.
• Forgive anyone who you may have caused you trouble in this. Don’t become a casualty of bitterness.
• Don’t be a victim. Be an empowered survivor! You went through something terrible and God is going to help you through the valley.
• Get in a Bible teaching church. There are many churches that are really good, but find one that will help you understand the Bible better each time you go.
• Walk in faith! God is going to carry you through this!

Your friend

Bill Stevens