The Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall on Monday made some ill-advised tweets about the celebrations surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden. He tweeted, "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..."
Mendenhall turned the tweeting toward God, "I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge." He continued, "Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves." He added, "For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn ... I ask how would God feel about your heart?"
I don't know about Mendenhall's faith. But he seems to be saying what some people of the Christian faith are saying - that we should not have invaded bin Laden's compound, that as a nation we are supposed to turn the other cheek, that as a society we are to love our enemies.
These conclusions seem to me to be unfortunate and short-sighted misapplications of biblical truths. I believe that when Jesus says that we are to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek, He's not intending for us to apply these principles at the expense of the pursuit of justice in society.
These commands are to be seen as individual and personal. We are not to take justice in our own hands. Love, forgiveness, and mercy are the practices that individuals live out. But God has given governments the responsibility to restrain evil and promote good.
Romans 13:3–4 says, "For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer."
The purpose of government is established by God in order to restrain evil, punish wrongdoers, and promote the order and well-being of society.
Government is to be "an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer" (Rom. 13:4; cf. 1 Pet. 2:14). So, the death of a murderer such as Osama bin Laden is to be seen as (1) an outpouring of divine justice in this present life, (2) a deterrent from personal vengeance (Rom. 12:19), and (3) a deterrent from further crimes (see Eccles. 8:11; Rom. 13:3–4).
"God does give civil government the responsibility and the authority to use superior force, even deadly force, to protect its citizens from evil. This is because, until Jesus returns (Dan. 9:26; Matt. 24:6), there are some people so deeply committed to doing evil that they can be restrained, not by reason and persuasion, but only by superior force" (from the ESV Study Bible).
Individually, we don't take revenge; rather, we forgive. Personally, we don't "pay back"; instead, we turn the other cheek. But our government not only has the right, but the responsibility to restrain evil.
While I respect the right of Rashard Mendenhall to tweet what he wants to tweet, I am grateful for the courage of our political and military leaders to seek to execute justice in an effort to create a safer world in which to live. And while we believers are first to pledge allegiance to the kingdom not of this world, we should still be grateful and productive citizens of the USA.
We know we live in a fallen world. There are no perfectly just societies. So, let's pray for our leaders and work toward a more God-honoring nation. And let's pray for the Kingdom of the Prince of Peace to come. And to come quickly.
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