[Note:  This is the prepared text for a split sermon given to the Portland, Oregon congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, October 24, 2026.]

Good afternoon, brethren; it is a pleasure to see you all once again after my travels.  One of the common images that we see in portrayals of Jesus Christ is that he is an effeminate man with long hair who looks unable to and not only uninterested in engaging in any sort of violence against evildoers. Yet the Bible, especially the New Testament, portrays Jesus Christ as capable of vigorous action even in his first coming–overturning tables in the Temple and telling a Roman government that if His kingdom were of this world His servants would fight, and even telling his disciples to bring swords with them when they traveled after his death and resurrection. Revelation portrays Him even more fiercely, as a king with a sword returning on a horse with his robe dipped in blood to enforce divine judgment on a rebellious world. This is clearly not the pacifist vision many people have of Jesus Christ, and in the remainder of my time today I will discuss how the New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ is not a pacifist and what that means for us, both now and at the return of Jesus Christ, as His followers from a biblical perspective.

I have divided this message into two parts. In the first part, we will look at the New Testament passages that show us the character of Jesus Christ as one who is willing and able to use force in the service of righteousness, while also understanding why He did not use that force at His first coming. In the second part, we will look at what kind of warfare we are engaged in as believers today, and what kind of warfare awaits those who are faithful when Jesus Christ returns.

Part One: Jesus Christ Is Not a Pacifist

Let us begin with the cleansing of the Temple, which is recorded in all four of the Gospels. John’s account gives us a detail the others do not. Let us turn to John 2:15-17:

“And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

Consider what is happening here. Jesus Christ does not merely speak a rebuke. He takes the time to braid a whip out of cords. That is not an act of sudden rage; it is a deliberate preparation. He then uses that whip to drive out men and animals, scatters coins across the floor, and flips over the tables of the money changers. Picture the scene: a crowded Temple court during the Passover season, filled with merchants who had a financial interest in staying put, and one man drives them all out. That requires physical strength, personal presence, and a willingness to confront people who would have been angry and likely resistant. His disciples did not look at this and think He had acted out of character. They remembered Psalm 69:9, that zeal for God’s house had consumed Him. Jesus Christ’s use of force here was an expression of His righteousness, not a departure from it. Matthew 21:12-13 and Mark 11:15-17 show that He did this again near the end of His ministry, so this was not a single lapse but a consistent stance against the corruption of what belonged to God.

Next, let us look at what Jesus Christ said to Pilate, the representative of Roman authority, in John 18:36:

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

Many people read this verse as if Jesus Christ were saying that His followers never fight. But read it carefully. He does not say that fighting is wrong. He says that if His kingdom were of this world, then His servants would fight. The reason His servants were not fighting at that moment was not a principle of nonviolence, but a matter of timing and the nature of His kingdom at that point in God’s plan. The kingdom was “not from hence”—not yet established on the earth. The implication is plain: when His kingdom does come to this world, the question of whether His servants fight will have a different answer. We will see that answer in Revelation.

Now consider Luke 22:35-38, spoken at the Last Supper on the night before His death, as Jesus Christ prepared His disciples for the time when He would no longer be physically with them:

“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”

Jesus Christ contrasts two seasons. In the earlier season, when He sent them out, they had been provided for directly. In the coming season, after He was taken from them, they would need to provide for themselves—money, provisions, and a sword. He tells them that a sword is important enough to sell one’s cloak to obtain. It should be noted that a cloak was not a luxury in that world; it was protection from the cold at night. Jesus Christ was telling His disciples that the ability to defend themselves while traveling through a dangerous world was worth that sacrifice. A pacifist would never give such an instruction. And when they showed Him two swords, He did not rebuke them for carrying weapons. He said it was enough.

Some will point to Matthew 26:52-54, when Peter used one of those swords in the garden, as proof that Jesus Christ rejected force:

“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?”

Notice what Jesus Christ did and did not say. He did not tell Peter to throw the sword away. He told him to put it back in its place—to sheathe it. He warned that those who take the sword, in the sense of living by it and making it their means of achieving their goals, will perish by it. And then He explains why force was not being used at that moment: not because He lacked it or opposed it, but because more than twelve legions of angels were available to Him at a word, and He chose not to call them because the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. He was going to the cross willingly. Peter’s sword was not wrong because swords are wrong; it was wrong because it was standing in the way of God’s plan for our salvation.

We should also remember Matthew 10:34, where Jesus Christ says:

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

In context, Jesus Christ is speaking of the division that His message would cause, even within families. Yet His choice of imagery tells us something. He did not see Himself as one who would smooth over every conflict. His truth would cut, and it would separate those who followed Him from those who would not.

The New Testament also shows us how Jesus Christ and His forerunner treated soldiers. When soldiers came to John the Baptist, Luke 3:14 records:

“And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

John did not tell them to leave military service. He told them not to extort, not to falsely accuse, and to be content with their pay. When a Roman centurion came to Jesus Christ seeking healing for his servant, Jesus Christ said in Matthew 8:10:

“Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

The centurion’s faith was praised, and his profession was not condemned. Likewise, in Acts 10, Cornelius, another centurion, was the first gentile convert, and nowhere was he told that his military service was incompatible with following God. And Paul writes in Romans 13:4 of civil authority:

“For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

God Himself ordains the use of the sword by legitimate authority to restrain evil. This is the God whom Jesus Christ revealed and served.

Finally, and most dramatically, let us turn to Revelation 19:11-16:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Here is the same Jesus Christ who was led as a lamb to the slaughter now riding as a conquering King. The text says that in righteousness He judges and makes war. Making war is not set against His righteousness; it flows from it. He smites the nations, rules with a rod of iron, and treads the winepress of God’s wrath. The patience He showed at His first coming was not weakness and not an unwillingness to fight. It was restraint, held back for a purpose, until the appointed time. The whole of the New Testament shows us a Jesus Christ who is fully capable of overwhelming force, who uses it righteously, and who withholds it only for the sake of God’s plan of salvation.

Part Two: The Warfare of the Believer

If Jesus Christ is not a pacifist, what does that mean for us? Are we called to take up arms on His behalf right now? The New Testament gives a clear answer: we are absolutely called to warfare, but our warfare in this present age is of a particular kind. Let us look at what the Bible says about it.

First, let us turn to Ephesians 6:10-18, the most well known passage on this subject:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Paul was writing as a prisoner, likely chained to a Roman soldier, and he used the equipment of that soldier to describe our own. Notice who the enemy is: not flesh and blood, not our neighbors, not people of a different political party or nation, but the spiritual forces of wickedness and the devil himself. Notice also that this is not a passive posture. We are told to be strong, to stand, to withstand, to quench fiery darts, and to wield a sword. The only offensive weapon in the list is the word of God. Our battle is fought with truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, the assurance of salvation, the Scriptures, and prayer. A soldier who neglects any piece of his armor exposes himself to harm, and a believer who neglects truth, or righteous conduct, or prayer, leaves himself open to the attacks of the enemy.

Paul gives us a second description in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Here Paul uses the language of siege warfare. A stronghold is a fortress, and pulling it down is the hard work of an attacking army. The strongholds we attack are imaginations, arguments, and every proud thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. And the captives we take are our own thoughts, which we bring into obedience to Christ. Much of our warfare, then, is fought within our own minds. Every false idea we have absorbed, every rationalization for sin, every prideful thought that puts our own judgment above God’s word, is a fortress that must be torn down.

James makes this inner battle explicit in James 4:1:

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”

The conflicts in our congregations and families often begin with a war inside of us, between our own desires and God’s ways. Paul describes the same struggle in Romans 7:23, speaking of another law in his members warring against the law of his mind. We should not be surprised that this fight is hard. It is a war, and wars are hard.

Paul also tells us what kind of soldiers we must be. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4 he writes:

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

A good soldier endures hardship without abandoning his post. He is focused, not distracted by the civilian business of life that has no bearing on the mission. He seeks to please the one who enlisted him. This is a call to discipline, to priorities, and to loyalty. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 to “fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,” and at the end of his own life he could say in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” The Christian life is not a peaceful stroll; it is a campaign that lasts our entire lives.

We also need to know our adversary. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

A soldier on watch must stay alert. The devil is a vicious predator who targets those who are careless, isolated, or weakened. Our response is to resist him, steadfast in faith, remembering that we are not alone. Our brethren around the world and from time immemorial have faced the same struggles, and we are part of a larger army that has existed throughout history.

At the same time, the Bible is clear that in this age we are not to take personal vengeance against people who wrong us. Paul writes in Romans 12:19 and 21:

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord… Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

This is not pacifism. Paul is not saying that wrongs will go unpunished. He is saying that the punishment belongs to God, who will repay, and who in the meantime has appointed civil authority, as we saw in Romans 13, to bear the sword. Our part is to overcome evil with good, which is itself a form of fighting. Refusing to be conquered by bitterness, resentment, or hatred is a victory in the spiritual war we are waging.

But our warfare does not end with this present age. Let us turn to Revelation 17:14:

“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

When the nations make war against Jesus Christ at His return, He will overcome them, and those who are with Him are described as called, chosen, and faithful. These are the armies that we saw following Him in Revelation 19, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, which Revelation 19:8 tells us is the righteousness of saints. And Jesus Christ makes a promise in Revelation 2:26-27:

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”

Here is the full picture. The faithful who overcome in the spiritual warfare of this age will share in the authority of Jesus Christ in the age to come. The same rod of iron that He wields, He will give to those who have been faithful. The battle we fight now, against our own sinful nature, against false ideas, and against the devil, is our training for the responsibilities we will have when the kingdom of God comes to this earth. Those who cannot rule themselves now will not be fit to rule nations then.

So what does this mean for us as followers of Jesus Christ? It means we should reject the false image of a weak and passive Savior who had no strength and no will to confront evil. Jesus Christ is a King who makes war in righteousness, who restrained His power at His first coming for our salvation, and who will exercise it fully at His return. It means that we are soldiers now, not in a carnal war against flesh and blood, but in a real and demanding war against spiritual wickedness, against the strongholds of darkness in our minds, and against the lusts that war within us. It means we must put on the whole armor of God every day, stay sober and vigilant, endure hardship, and refuse to entangle ourselves in distractions from our spiritual growth and maturity. And it means that we should look forward to the day when the One whose name is Faithful and True rides out of heaven, and those who have been called, chosen, and faithful ride with Him.

May each of us fight the good fight of faith, so that at the end of our course we too can say that we have kept the faith, and be counted among those who are with the Lamb when He overcomes.