Killing Innocent People In War

Q

My niece wants to know where in the Bible does it state that it is OK to kill innocent people in war…like Iran or Iraq?

A

This is a much more complex question than you might think. On the simplest level the Bible says “Thou shalt not kill.” (Exodus 20:13) That means it’s never OK for one person to murder another. From time to time, God has used His people to bring judgment upon His enemies, and sometimes He has used His enemies to bring judgment upon His people. Individuals we would consider to be innocent have died in these cases. So it comes down to whether the war is one that God has ordained or not, and in our time that’s always a matter of opinion. The only nation in the world today that God has clearly sworn to protect is Israel.