Because of the commands God gave throughout the Old Testament to Israel to wipe out whole nations, many conclude that the God of the Bible promotes violence. But is that conclusion fair? The problem is that it can be a form of cherry-picking—hearing only one part of a conversation and then forming an opinion without taking the time to hear the entire story. Most of us would consider it unfair if someone did that to us, yet this is often how Scripture is approached. So, does Christianity promote violence? No—but to understand why, we first need to examine the passages that can lead someone to that conclusion within the larger story of Scripture. This means considering their historical and cultural context, what Scripture reveals about God and His character, and the nations themselves and the reasons God gave for bringing judgment upon them. Only then can we begin to understand these difficult passages in their proper context.

Upon examining the Old Testament period, roughly 1450-400 B.C., we find that much of the “God promotes violence” accusation stems from this era, when war was often necessary for survival. Israel was the nation chosen by God as His people, used to carry out His message to other peoples and nations. This means that if they were unsuccessful in battle, this small nation could have been completely destroyed or enslaved, and they would fail to fulfill God’s will of establishing His name above all other names.

Now let’s look at what Scripture says concerning the annihilation of these nations God called Israel to destroy. A key Scripture that answers this question as to the reason for God’s judgment on these nations is Deuteronomy 9:4-6, which states, “After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

God makes it very clear that it was not based on His favoritism toward a certain people group or His hatred for them, but rather, due to the wickedness of these nations, God brought severe judgment upon them. God is a God of justice (Isaiah 30:8), so it would be necessary for Him to bring judgment on those who have disobeyed or lived wickedly; otherwise, He wouldn’t be a just God. We may see this as God being wicked, but it is us being self-righteous towards a God we could never fully comprehend (Isaiah 40:3-4, Romans 11:33-34, Isaiah 55:8-9).

Tim Keller made an extraordinary quote about suffering in this world, and I believe it could also apply to this topic. He said, “If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn’t stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can’t know. You can’t have it both ways.” If we believe God is God and is who He claims to be in Scripture, then God’s actions and judgments are vast and unsearchable in that we may never fully understand (Romans 11:33-35).

But does the destruction of certain nations by the hands of Israel, commanded by God, mean we can take that same approach as Christians today? Absolutely not. These moments in Scripture are specific to their time and not the message of the Gospel. This can be highlighted in Scriptures such as Romans 12:14-21: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…Do not repay anyone evil for evil…If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends,” and Titus 3:1-2, which says, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” Other scriptures that command Christians to follow the path of peace rather than violence include Matthew 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, and 1 Peter 2:21-23, among others.

Ultimately, the difficult accounts of war and judgment in the Old Testament should not be ignored, minimized, or taken out of context. They are challenging passages that deserve honest examination. However, they also cannot be used to claim that Christianity promotes violence without considering the entirety of Scripture. The Bible presents God as both just and merciful, and the judgment He brought upon specific nations was not a universal command for His people to imitate. For Christians, the clearest expression of God’s character is found in Jesus Christ, who taught His followers to love their enemies, bless those who persecute them, pursue peace, and leave vengeance to God. Christianity does not call us to violence; it calls us to truth, justice, mercy, forgiveness, and peace. When we examine Scripture as a whole rather than through isolated passages, we find that the God who judges wickedness is also the God who calls His people to love their enemies—and those truths are not contradictions, but part of the fuller picture of who God is.