Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones centenary
The Doctor's classic Why does God allow war? Is being republished by Bryntirion Press at £3.99 in early June. This book consists of five sermons preached shortly after the outbreak of WWII. With conflicts in the Balkans and elsewhere, its re-appearance is very timely.
We must consider, first, what we may call the 'biblical' view of war. It is not that war as such is sin, but that war is a consequence of sin.
The Bible traces war back to its final and ultimate cause, although it does not altogether ignore the various political, social, economic and psychological factors of which so much has been made. But these things are no more than the intermediate causes. The thing itself is much deeper. As James reminds us, the ultimate cause of war is lust and desire (James 4.1). In precisely the same way it leads to personal quarrels and strife, sin also leads to wars between nations.
