Hacksaw Ridge: Nonretaliation Under Fire - Anabaptist (Romans 12:9-21)

In the heart of World War II, amidst the cacophony of gunfire and cries of the wounded, stood Desmond Doss—a man of unwavering conviction and unshakeable faith. Picture this: the blood-soaked earth of Hacksaw Ridge, littered with fallen soldiers, echoes of chaos swirling around him. Yet, in this harrowing scene, Doss was not just a soldier; he was a beacon of the very love and grace that Romans 12:9-21 calls us to embody.

As bombs exploded and men fell, Doss faced the ultimate test of his Anabaptist beliefs, clinging to the command, “Repay no one evil for evil.” With each life he saved, Doss didn’t just defy the brutality of war—he actively transformed it. He knelt beside enemy soldiers, their faces twisted in pain, and offered his hands not as a weapon, but as an instrument of healing. Can you hear the prayer on his lips, the fierce hope in his heart? “Lord, give me one more, just one more.” In that moment, he exemplified the essence of hesed—steadfast love, a love that transcends animosity.

Doss made the conscious choice to leave vengeance in the hands of God, trusting in a divine justice far greater than the battlefield could offer. Each time he dragged another soldier to safety, whether they wore the enemy's uniform or his own, he shattered the cycle of hatred and retaliation. This was no mere act of passive resistance; it was an active, courageous stand against the darkness of the world—a profound testament to overcoming evil with good.

Desmond Doss invites us to lean into our own convictions, urging us to respond to hostility not with retaliation, but with the radical love of Christ. In a world rife with division and strife, his legacy compels us to be active peacemakers, embodying the very heart of Romans 12 in our daily lives. Let us rise to that challenge, trusting that in every moment we choose love over hatred, we are writing a new story, one of redemption and hope, amidst the chaos.