The Bible condones violence and genocide.
The Devotional Answer
The devotional answer requires us to hold two truths in tension: God is perfectly loving and God is perfectly holy and just. The passages that appear most violent are records of God’s divine judgment—His just response to wickedness that had become irredeemable.
It is crucial to understand that these severe judgments are unique, divine commands for a specific time and place (the conquest of Canaan) and are not a blanket permission for humans to engage in violence.
The God revealed in the Old Testament (OT) is the same God who suffers and forgives in the New Testament (NT)—the difference is one of action, not character. The violence is a reminder of the ultimate seriousness of sin, which is so offensive to God's holiness that it demands a severe, but righteous, response.
The Simple Answer
The Bible does not condone violence or genocide as a general moral principle. Instead, it records specific, highly limited instances where God commands judgment to be executed against peoples who had reached a peak of moral evil.
The difference is key:
Human-Initiated Violence: The Bible consistently condemns random acts of murder, oppression, and war driven by human lust, greed, or hate. The moral Law (Exodus 20:13) forbids killing.
Divine-Commanded Judgment: The commands, particularly regarding the Canaanites, are instances of God acting as the Supreme Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25). These acts are understood theologically as capital punishment for generations of systemic wickedness, which God had already delayed judging for centuries.
The Deeper Dive
Understanding the context of the Canaanite conquest is essential to addressing this critique.
1. The Principle of Delayed Justice
The Bible reveals that God delayed judgment on the Canaanite nations for over 400 years, giving them time to repent.
Genesis 15:16 (NIV) explains: "In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
The judgment was not arbitrary; it was the final, devastating consequence of four centuries of profound moral depravity, which included widespread child sacrifice, incest, and occult practices—crimes so morally repugnant and destructive that God ultimately judged them for the protection of the whole region.
2. The Holiness of God
God's holiness (Question 43) is the primary reason for the severity of the judgment. God was establishing the nation of Israel as the vehicle through which the Messiah (Jesus) would eventually come.
To preserve Israel's moral purity and prevent them from being corrupted by the Canaanite practices, God had to enact a radical separation. The judgment was necessary to prevent the total cultural collapse that would have ultimately choked off the entire plan of salvation for all mankind.
3. The Limits of the Command
Crucially, these commands were unique, limited, and never repeatable. They were confined to a specific geographical area, time, and people. The Bible itself does not command future nations or groups of Christians to engage in "holy war" or genocide.
The commands given to Israel in the OT were part of their role as God's theocracy, a role that no nation holds today. The New Testament standard is one of self-sacrifice and loving one's enemies (Matthew 5:44).
God's Assurance
God assures you that His final act of justice against sin has already been settled in Christ, offering mercy where once there was only condemnation.
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." — John 3:17 (NIV)
You are assured that the God who judges wickedness also opened the door for you to receive forgiveness for your wickedness through the person of Jesus.
Your Takeaway Thought
Do not try to make these difficult passages "nice." Acknowledge that they are severe records of divine justice. However, always view them through the lens of God's holiness and patience—He delays judgment until the wickedness is absolute.
The true Christian focus is on the NT, where God's just wrath against sin was directed toward His own Son on the cross, offering the path of mercy to all who believe.
