Spurgeon’s Top Eight Lost Quotes: On Christians & War

We are up to the hilt advocates for peace, and we earnestly war against war. I wish that Christian men would insist more and more on the unrighteousness of war, believing that Christianity means no sword, no cannon, no bloodshed…

The Lord’s battles, what are they? Not the garment rolled in blood, not the noise, and smoke, and din of human slaughter. These may be the devil’s battles, if you please, but not the Lord’s. They may be days of God’s vengeance but in their strife  the servant of Jesus may not mingle.

Long have I held that war is an enormous crime; long have I regarded all battles as but murder on a large scale.

What pride flushes the patriot’s cheek when he remembers that his nation can murder faster than any other people. Ah, foolish generation, ye are groping in the flames of hell to find your heaven, raking amid blood and bones for the foul thing which ye call glory.

The Christian soldier hath no gun and no sword, for he fighteth not with men. It is with “spiritual wickedness in high places” that he fights, and with other principalities and powers than with those that sit on thrones and hold sceptres in their hands.

Our kingdom is not of this world; else would God’s servants fight with sword and spear. Ours is a spiritual kingdom, and the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds.

Why does a peaceful nation bluster and threaten for a few months, and even commence fighting, when in a short time it sighs for peace, and illuminates its streets as soon as peace is proclaimed? The immediate causes differ, but the abiding reason is the same — man is fallen, and belongs to a race of which infallible revelation declares “their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known.”

The church of Christ displays its banners for distinction’s sake. It desires not to be associated with other armies, or to be mistaken for them, for it is not of this world, and its weapons and its warfare are far other than those of the nations. God forbid that followers of Jesus should be mistaken for political partisans or ambitious adventurers. The church unfurls her ensign to the breeze that all may know whose she is and whom she serves.

I always rejoice to find a soldier a Christian, but I always mourn to find a Christian a soldier,..The followers of Christ in these days seem to me to have forgotten a great part of Christianity.

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“The thought of slain bodies and of murdered men must always harrow up the soul…if we should see at our doors the marks of carnage and bloodshed; then should we more thoroughly appreciate what war means.”–C. H. Spurgeon

*You who follow do not receive many notices as this is more of a resource page of key quotes from Spurgeon on War And Christians, rather than a blog of regular postings.  Farming makes it hard for me to look for opportunities to share this blog during the summer and fall.  For those who care about this topic, your help is needed in keeping this alive.

Thank you to all who are able to help. Blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ.

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A Spurgeon Thought for Veterans Day

Stanley Weintraub wrote a whole book about November 11th, A Stillness Heard Round the World. (You can find cheap, used copies at bookfinder.com)  Most folks today have no remembrance that 11 November was Armistice Day, the celebration of the end of bloodshed in WWI. 

Why does a peaceful nation bluster and threaten for a few months, and even commence fighting, when in a short time it sighs for peace, and illuminates its streets as soon as peace is proclaimed? The immediate causes differ, but the abiding reason is the same — man is fallen, and belongs to a race of which infallible revelation declares “their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known.”

[1914-2014:  Centennial of the WWI Christmas truce]

Great Summary on War a la Spurgeon

“We are up to the hilt advocates for peace, and we earnestly war against war.  I wish that Christian men would insist more and more on the unrighteousness of war, believing that Christianity means no sword, no cannon, no bloodshed, and that, if a nation is driven to fight in its own defence, Christianity stands by to weep and to intervene as soon as possible, and not to join in the cruel shouts which celebrate an enemy’s slaughter. . . . Today, then, my brethren, I beg you to join with me in seeking renewal.”

From An All-Round Ministry, (Charles Spurgeon’s Annual Conference Addresses at the Pastors College), “A New Departure.”   [SIXTEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Spring 1880]

“Mr. Spurgeon always regarded the Conference week as one of the most important of the whole year; and he devoted much time, and thought, and care, and prayer to the preparation of his Addresses to the hundreds of ministers and students…”

Few have seen these ‘Lost Quotes’ of Charles Spurgeon. Please Share!

[Apologies for the “Lost” hype. Not actually Lost, but Censored by Spurgeon’s Overlords, following in the footsteps of Twitter Jack and Zuckerberg]

SCROLL DOWN for more Key Quotes from Spurgeon

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[A new, ‘stand alone’ web page has been put up for my book on Christian Pacifism (link), the journey of a twenty-something Christian and Marine.]

Top Twitter comment:

Jonathan Martin ‏

@textsincontext Wow-this is REALLY cool. I had never read Spurgeon on war!? I actually DO wish this would break the internet :)

C. H. Spurgeon: “…nothing can be more abhorrent to the Christian man than wholesale slaughter.”Hiroshima After the Bomb, 1945; 75th Anniversary, August 6, 2020

I voiced to him my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives.—Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (to Sec. of War before the dropping of the bomb)

The Japanese had, in fact, already sued for peace. The atomic bomb played no decisive part, from a purely military point of view, in the defeat of Japan.

— Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

The atomic bomb had nothing to do with the end of the war at all.

— Major General Curtis LeMay

The first atomic bomb was an unnecessary experiment … It was a mistake to ever drop it … [the scientists] had this toy and they wanted to try it out, so they dropped it …

— Fleet Admiral William Halsey, Jr

Quotes From More Heroes of the Faith on War and Christians

D.L. Moody, Wm. Booth (Salvation Army), Geo. Fox, Menno Simons, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Vernon Grounds, Early Church Fathers, etc.

http://christianpacifismblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/moody-spurgeon-bonhoeffer-witherington-cyprian/

(Spurgeon Quotes continued in posts below)

Spurgeon on True Christian Soldiers

Sermon

A Good Soldier Of Jesus Christ

Before I proceed fully to open up this metaphor, let me say that though we shall use military terms this morning, and stirring speech, it should ever be remembered that we have no war against persons, and that the weapons which we use are not such as are forged for the deadly conflicts of mankind. The wars of a Christian are against principles, against sins, against the miseries of mankind, against that Evil One who has led man astray from his Maker. Our wars are against the iniquity which keeps man an enemy to himself. The weapons that we use are holy arguments and consecrated lives, devotion and prayer to God, teaching and example among the sons of men.

Ours is battling for the peace, and fighting for rest. We disturb the world to make it quiet, and turn it upside down to set it right….We have no sympathy with any other war, but count it an evil of the direst sort, let it be disguised as it may. Now with that caution, whatever I shall seem to say will not sound as though I loved or excused ordinary warfare—for nothing can be more abhorrent to the Christian man than wholesale slaughter.

[A lesson I learned the hard way; My Story]

The Church As She Should Be

Spurgeon Sermon

No. 984

…Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. Song of Solomon 6:4

WHY IT IS THAT THE CHURCH OF GOD IS SAID TO BE AN ARMY WITH BANNERS. That she is an army is true enough, for the church is one, but many; and consists of men who march in order under a common leader, with one design in view …She is the church militant here below, and both in suffering and in service …She is contending for the truth against error, for the light against darkness: till the day break and the shadows flee away, …But why an army with banners? Is not this, first of all, for distinction? How shall we know to which king an army belongs unless we can see the royal standard? In times of war the nationality of troops is often declared by their distinguishing regimentals. The grey coats of the Russians were well known in the Crimea; …No one mistook the Black Brunswickers for French Guards, …Quite as effectively armies have been distinguished by the banners which they carried….The church of Christ displays its banners for distinction’s sake. It desires not to be associated with other armies, or to be mistaken for them, for it is not of this world, and its weapons and its warfare are far other than those of the nations.* God forbid that followers of Jesus should be mistaken for political partisans or ambitious adventurers. The church unfurls her ensign to the breeze that all may know whose she is and whom she serves.

*Romans ’13’ In Context

Living our Resurrection Faith, Following our King

How shall we know to which king an army belongs unless we can see the royal standard? –Charles Spurgeon

First Published by Friends United Press

For more see the ‘look inside’ feature at:

For Nook or PC

Kindle

Kindle, UK 

$3

A Biblical view, a journey from U.S. Marine to Christian pacifist…

NEW Standalone Page for Book

This book is valuable. It was written by a former Marine which sounds strange considering its subject. But as a former Marine myself I firmly believe that those of us who have been to war are quick to reject it. This book answered many questions about the peace of God and the Old Testament. It was very helpful to me in that area.

–D. Morris’ Review on Amazon Kindle.

[Note: Both Barnes and Noble and Amazon have a free “look inside”/”read sample” feature. Follow the link/s above]

Other reviews on Amazon Kindle Books

[Originally published by Friends United Press (currently out of print, ebook ony, link/s above, some used print version copies can be found).  This is my personal testimony to the change wrought in my life when I began to examine it as I struggled to align my path with that narrow way charted by Scripture.   Aside from the obvious teachings of Jesus, there were many surprises in the Old Testament.

This book gives an overview of my journey and those Scriptures that confronted me. For an academic work on Scripture and war,  see Dr. Preston Sprinkle’s new book, Fight, published by David C. Cook, and the classic, Yahweh is a Warrior by Mennonite scholar Millard Lind. ]

To believe the promise of Jesus that his followers shall possess the earth, and at the same time to face our enemies unarmed and defenseless, preferring to incur injustice rather than to do wrong ourselves, is indeed a narrow way. – Dietrich Bomhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship)

Jesus’ kingship is not something that remains in the future. Christ is King right this minute. —R.C. Sproul

Christ our Peace

Spurgeon Sermon

…The Lord Jesus Christ is our peace in a second sense, namely, in making peace between nations. That there are wars in the world at the present time is not the consequence of anything that Christ has said, but of the lusts of our flesh. As I understand the Word of God, I always rejoice to find a soldier a Christian, but I always mourn to find a Christian a soldier, for it seems to me that when I take up Christ Jesus, I hear one of His Laws, “I say unto you, resist not evil. Put up your sword into its sheath; he that takes the sword shall perish by the sword.” The followers of Christ in these days seem to me to have forgotten a great part of Christianity.

[See on Romans ’13’ ]