Violence and Killing in the Bible
A John Piper Sermons Summary
We deserve to die because of our sins. We live only because of God’s grace, which He gives and can take away.
How God takes life is His call, and He can use humans as His instrument. For example, when sin was rampant in Jericho, God told Joshua to kill everyone there. Today, God gives our governments—not citizens—the authority to kill (Genesis 9:6).
So why is there so much killing in the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT)?
The OT focuses on God’s righteousness and holiness. Killings in the OT are God’s just wrath against sin. The NT focuses on God’s mercy in the form of Christ coming to save the world (John 3:17). When Jesus cited Isaiah 61:1-2, He did not include its ending: “the day of vengeance of our God” (Luke 4:16-20).
Now is the time of mercy, when sinners are welcomed to repentance. But this period won’t last forever. One day, the window of mercy will end. The NT closes with Revelation, which depicts lots of horrific killing.
Violence in the Bible also reflects the world we are in. Some of us live in a soft, easily offended, and emotionally fragile culture. But our history is full of violence and cruelty.
When humans betrayed God (Genesis 3), God cursed our bodies and other physical creations (Genesis 3:17-18, Romans 8:20-22). Moral evil is displayed in physical decay, including flood, famine, pandemic, and war. We have caused lots of violence and suffering.
Such violence in the world reveals our need for civil authority. The phrase “No kings in Israel” is repeated four times in Judges (18:1, 19:1, 17:6 & 21:25) preceding periods of violence when everyone did as they saw fit, with no restrain (19:1). So, let’s not romanticize our goodness and believe we don’t need police, armies, and laws in our society.
Finally, violence in the Bible shows the love of God. Observe the atrocity of Christ’s crucifixion. Such violence was in God’s original plan and is praised in Revelation (Revelation 13:8, 5:9). Our salvation is through the shedding of Christ’s blood. Because the violence He endured, we can be re-united to God.
Summarized from three short teachings by John Piper:
“What Made It Okay for God to Kill Women and Children In the Old Testament?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taYhbRm6pnU
Why was God so harsh in the Old Testament but more forgiving in the New? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prlr5qa1UsE
Why Is the Bible So Violent? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxszErfCwzo
How God takes life is His call, and He can use humans as His instrument. For example, when sin was rampant in Jericho, God told Joshua to kill everyone there. Today, God gives our governments—not citizens—the authority to kill (Genesis 9:6).
So why is there so much killing in the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT)?
The OT focuses on God’s righteousness and holiness. Killings in the OT are God’s just wrath against sin. The NT focuses on God’s mercy in the form of Christ coming to save the world (John 3:17). When Jesus cited Isaiah 61:1-2, He did not include its ending: “the day of vengeance of our God” (Luke 4:16-20).
Now is the time of mercy, when sinners are welcomed to repentance. But this period won’t last forever. One day, the window of mercy will end. The NT closes with Revelation, which depicts lots of horrific killing.
Violence in the Bible also reflects the world we are in. Some of us live in a soft, easily offended, and emotionally fragile culture. But our history is full of violence and cruelty.
When humans betrayed God (Genesis 3), God cursed our bodies and other physical creations (Genesis 3:17-18, Romans 8:20-22). Moral evil is displayed in physical decay, including flood, famine, pandemic, and war. We have caused lots of violence and suffering.
Such violence in the world reveals our need for civil authority. The phrase “No kings in Israel” is repeated four times in Judges (18:1, 19:1, 17:6 & 21:25) preceding periods of violence when everyone did as they saw fit, with no restrain (19:1). So, let’s not romanticize our goodness and believe we don’t need police, armies, and laws in our society.
Finally, violence in the Bible shows the love of God. Observe the atrocity of Christ’s crucifixion. Such violence was in God’s original plan and is praised in Revelation (Revelation 13:8, 5:9). Our salvation is through the shedding of Christ’s blood. Because the violence He endured, we can be re-united to God.
Summarized from three short teachings by John Piper:
“What Made It Okay for God to Kill Women and Children In the Old Testament?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taYhbRm6pnU
Why was God so harsh in the Old Testament but more forgiving in the New? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prlr5qa1UsE
Why Is the Bible So Violent? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxszErfCwzo