Men are always fighting wars.

But they didn’t invent them. God did. And I think the Bible explains why.

The first man, Adam, allowed himself to be overcome by the sin of disobedience. His wife, Eve, was deceived first, then he followed suit. Nevertheless, it was him God told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before the first woman even existed. [Gen. 2:15-17]

So it happened on his watch, not her’s.

As a result, God charged Adam and his male descendants with the responsibility of waging war against every form of evil imaginable over the last 6000 years. He let it happen, so God dropped the task of dealing with it back in his lap.

Perhaps the first indication of the Lord’s mandate for men to make war against evil occurred when He told Cain that his toughest battle was gonna be conquering his own wicked heart:

“…sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” [Gen. 4:7]

So when we consider the role of a righteous warrior, we should regard him a savior as well. And Jesus Christ is our paradigm:

“…the one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” [1Jn. 3:8] [my emphasis]

[σωτήρ: (sō-tair’) savior, redeemer, deliverer]

But the godly warrior’s battles aren’t limited to dispensing justice on foreign soil or defending territory. By reflecting the character of Jesus Himself, he puts on the whole armor of God, and wields his most lethal weapon in the face of evil—that is, his sword of the Spirit delivered by the power of the written Word. [Heb. 4:12-13] Not only that, his constant prayers are administered as a standing line of defense surrounding his stronghold in the midst of the fray.

Combat training is essential. Biblical literacy is his weapon of choice, and he never goes to war without it.

His toughest battle isn’t to liberate and protect the weak of the world around him. It’s the same one Cain failed to accomplish. He can’t save the world if he can’t save himself.

A wise man once noted that the godly savior both slays the lion with his hands and cradles the lamb in his arms. The ungodly warrior is often a thug, having no such capacity to demonstrate Christ’s character.

The righteous savior is confident in the outcome of God’s war. He fears nothing or no one.

But he fights with his tongue first, then his sword.