As a Christian and a martial arts student, I have often wrestled
with the idea of self-defense. Does God expect me to defend my family
and myself when physically attacked or am I to "turn the other cheek"
and endure it in the name of Jesus? As I considered the many comments I
encountered on this topic, I became even more confused. Some advocates
for "religion" have gone as far as to say that anyone who practices any
form of martial arts is without a doubt bound for hell. It wasn't
until I committed myself to a more thorough study of the scriptures that
I discovered the truth for myself. The Bible gives more than a few
examples of the practice of self-defense and the idea of martial arts. I
would like to share some of what I have learned in this study of the
Bible - Old Testament and New. The Bible is, in fact, the very word of
God (II Timothy 3:16-17).
God and Warfare
The first example
of a physical struggle in the Bible is in Genesis chapter 4. It is here
that Cain kills his brother Abel. This is an act of violence condemned
by God for two reasons. First, the violence was out of anger and
jealousy because his brother's actions were better than his own (Genesis
4:4-7). Secondly, the violence was pre-meditated. God confronted Cain
before this violence occurred. He told Cain that he would need to
figure out how to master the sin of anger and jealousy that was trying
to overtake him. What this scripture teaches is that God does not want
us to initiate violence but he wants us to train ourselves to master our
emotions when tempted with feelings of anger, jealousy and rage. He
wants us to prepare our hearts to respond humbly. I believe the study
of martial arts can provide this kind of training. I have seen it in my
son's martial arts class. His sensei (teacher) may spend up to half of
the one-hour class teaching the children humility, manners, concern for
others and peace-making. They are taught to avoid violence and stay
calm in situations of conflict. This kind of character training is
right in line with the example of God's training of Cain.
The next
biblical example of a conflict involving a physical struggle is found
in Genesis chapter 14. In this chapter, kings are at war and Abram's
nephew, Lot, and Lot's family are taken captive. In response to hearing
the news about his relatives, Abram sends men to rescue them. In
Genesis 14:14-16, Abram sent out "the 318 trained men born in his
household". It seems that even though Abram was not at war, he had a
training program for his family and household. It was obviously a
training program for warfare of some kind - and a good one, at that,
since they were victorious in returning Lot, his family and all of their
possessions from the hands of warring kings. After Abram's successful
rescue, he is honored by God and reminded that God had made him
successful against his adversary. God later renames Abram, "Abraham"
and he becomes the founding father of faith for the Jewish people (and
later Christians as well).
To clarify the meaning of the term
"martial arts", Webster's defines the word martial as "warfare" or
"warrior", and arts as "a skill acquired by study". In the story of
Abram rescuing Lot, the Bible gives us an example of warrior training.
Not everyone in Abram's household was a part of the 318 trained men, but
the ones that were had excellent martial arts training. And God helped
them to be victorious as they executed their warfare skills.
Here are a few other brief examples of warfare, from the Old Testament, that could be studied further:
- Genesis 32 - Jacob avoids war with his brother, Esau. He prepares for battle but orchestrates a peaceful resolution.
- Deuteronomy 20 - God goes with the warriors to fight against their enemies.
- II Samuel 23:8-39 - the Bible describes David and his mighty men of battle.
- Nehemiah 4 - the builders of Jerusalem's city wall carry weapons to defend themselves during the rebuilding.
There are many more examples in the Old Testament, with a
wide variety of scenarios and many unique resolutions. The subject of
warfare is very complex and each situation needs to be considered
carefully. Therefore, when faced with adversity, wisdom needs to be
applied.
An Eye For An Eye
Even with the Old Testament of
the Bible showing support for martial arts training, some might argue
that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New
Testament - that God's position on warfare changed when Jesus came on
the scene. It might be said that the God of the Old Testament was about
war and the God of the New Testament is about peace.
The Bible,
however, does not support this. James 1:17 says that God does not
change, and Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ [God] is the same
yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, the God of the Old Testament
is the same God of the New Testament. As we continue to study this
topic, we will see that the New Testament also discusses self-defense
and the idea of martial arts.
Matthew 5:38-42, in which Jesus
talks about "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", has been used
to condemn martial arts. It reads, "You have heard that it was said,
'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you do not resist an
evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the
other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let
him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go
with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away
from the one who wants to borrow from you." At first glance this
passage seems to be advocating a reversal of the Old Testament laws. I
was swayed by this argument myself, and was torn in my own convictions
for some time. But when I finally decided to dig deeper into the Bible,
I was amazed and encouraged to find some answers.
Many people who
want to obey the Bible simply gloss over this scripture, like I did,
because they are torn between what they think the Bible says and their
consciences telling them to prepare for warfare and to protect.
The
truth is that Jesus never intended to abolish the Old Testament laws.
He only intended to clarify them, to reinforce them, fulfill them, and
reveal God's heart behind them. This is what Jesus says just moments
earlier in Matthew 5:17: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the
[Old Testament] Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but
to fulfill them." When Jesus speaks about "turning the other cheek",
in Matthew 5, he is referring to the Old Testament Mosaic laws found in
Exodus 21, 22 and 23. These chapters in Exodus contain the laws God
gave to his people, which reinforce and further detail the famous "ten
commandments". Jesus is specifically referring to Exodus 21:22 where
God explains what punishment should be given if men are fighting and an
innocent by-stander is harmed (in this instance, a pregnant woman).
This is not a scripture about self-defense but about restitution and
punishment for a crime. Jesus referred to this scripture because the
people, in religious self-righteousness, were using this particular
scripture to justify retaliation and vengeance.
"An eye for an
eye" had become an excuse to be intolerant and merciless toward one
another. A closer look at the "act of aggression" that Jesus refers to
as a strike on the cheek, will reveal that he is talking about an insult
rather than a fighting fist. The word "strike" is translated from the
Greek word "rhapizo" which is used interchangeably with the word "slap".
In the Jewish culture (as in many other cultures), a slap in the face
was a form of humiliation or rebuke. It was not necessarily a physical
attack and was not meant to result in physical harm. Even Exodus 21:21
(regarding "an eye for an eye") says that if, as a result of a conflict,
a pregnant by-stander is forced to give birth pre-maturely but there is
no serious injury to the woman or the baby, "an eye for an eye" should
not be applied as a punishment. Jesus is confirming that this Old
Testament law regarding punishment is not to be used as an excuse for
retaliation when inconvenienced or insulted. Jesus is exposing the
heart of man and is further clarifying the Old Testament Law. God's
desire is that we don't retaliate but rather that we restrain our
emotions in the heat of conflict and maintain righteousness and
mercifulness. We are not to pounce on our adversary at the first sign
that we have been offended. The ultimate goal of God is to win over the
offender, help him to see God's mercy and institute a change of heart
in the offender (see 2 Peter 3:9-15 and Luke 9:51-56 for further study).
Guidelines For Martial Arts
The
Bible provides some guidelines for practicing self-defense and martial
arts as it aims to clarify what is and is not acceptable in the face of
conflict. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture [the Bible] is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work." I Corinthians 13:7 says, "[Love] always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres". Using the Bible as a
guide, a person can become thoroughly equipped to be a protector.
Permanent
injury or death can occur as a result of practicing martial arts. This
does not make martial arts unacceptable to God but God clarifies what
is and is not acceptable in regard to deadly force in various
situations. For example, Exodus 21:12-14 says that if a person is
killed unintentionally, the killer is not guilty of murder. If it is
intentional, the killer is to be sentenced to death. Exodus 21:18-19
says that if men are quarreling and one strikes the other and injures
him seriously but not permanently (even with a weapon), he is
responsible only to compensate the injured man for loss of time and
medical expenses. I point out these scriptures to show that God is
concerned with the attacker's and the defender's intentions as well as
the outcome of the conflict. We cannot simply say that anyone who harms
or kills another man is guilty and has committed a sin. It depends on
his intentions. Also, we see that using extreme force, or even a weapon
may be acceptable if it is used in a way as to not intentionally
inflict permanent damage.
The Bible refers to another situation in
which self-defense may be used during a robbery, in Exodus 22:2-3. If a
man is being robbed, he is entitled to protect his property, his family
and himself. If the attempted robbery takes place at night and the
actions of self-defense result in the death of the robber, the defender
is not guilty. If the attempted robbery takes place in the daytime and
the robber is killed, the defender is guilty of sin. The difference may
be that in the daytime, the defender should have more control of his
actions and should be able to subdue the robber without killing him.
Self-defense is warranted but control must be applied. At night, in the
dark, maximum force would be acceptable since it is more difficult to
assess the threat that the robber poses. It would be more difficult to
tell if the attacker had a weapon, or to assess his physical strength.
God
expects us to constantly make decisions about the situations we are in.
In regard to martial arts and self-defense, it seems that God is
concerned with our intentions. Guilt and innocence, to him, are a
matter of the heart. God expects us to be directed by the heart of the
scriptures in the Bible. We must be directed in our actions by
scriptures such as Deuteronomy 5:17, which says, "You shall not murder"
as well as I Corinthians 13:7 which says, "[Love] always protects". As
the Bible states in II Timothy 3:16-17, all Bible scripture is relevant
and useful. During one of my martial arts classes, one of my fellow
students asked our sensei, "What attack should I make now?" He had just
finished practicing a series of intense self-defense tactics on his
partner, rendering him harmless. Sensei replied, "Run". No final
"kill-move"? No, it is time to make another decision about the threat
the attacker poses. If the attacker has been successfully rendered
harmless then you shouldn't stick around to inflict more damage or
further risk your own safety. The Bible gives us specific guidelines
for martial arts but God also communicates his heart about how he wants
us to treat one another. He wants us to treat one another with love -
even in conflict.
Weapons
I have also wrestled with the
question of whether or not it was right for weapons to be used as a
means of defense. Should I own a fighting knife, a sword or a gun?
Isaiah 2:4 says, "...They will beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war anymore." If this scripture were
taken out of context with the rest of the Bible, to use a weapon would
be a sin. But this scripture has to be balanced with others. In the
context, this scripture is describing the contrast between the nations
of that time and the type of nation Jesus would establish in the future.
The nation that Jesus would establish would have no military and there
would be no physical walls to defend. It would be a spiritual nation,
not a physical one.
The New Testament clearly confirms the right
to bear arms. Romans 13:4 says, "For [the governing authority] is God's
servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does
not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath
to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Even Jesus directs his disciples
to acquire weapons as the time of his crucifixion approached. Luke
22:36 says, "He said to them, 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and
also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy
one.'" And in Luke 22:38, "The disciples said, 'See Lord, here are two
swords.' 'That is enough,' he replied." Peter soon after uses the
sword to protect Jesus and Jesus rebukes him for it. This was not to
say that it is wrong to use a weapon to protect someone. Peter had
earlier been rebuked by Jesus for trying to keep him from fulfilling his
mission of dying for the sins of the world (see Matthew 16:21-28).
Jesus was re-stating that Peter was not to protect Jesus from going to
his death. This was not the correct time to use the sword. Jesus had
his disciples arm themselves because Jesus was not going to be with
them, physically, any longer. They would need to protect themselves and
each other and Jesus gave them the right to bear arms in order to do
so.
Martial Arts Is Not Religion
It is important to note
that martial arts is not religion in that it is not an institute of
service and worship of God. It is only a tool to accomplish a necessary
training. There will be flaws in all martial arts training and even
things taught that are contradictory to the Bible. This will happen
even when the martial arts style or system is advocating biblical-based
training. Romans 3:4 says, "...Let God be true and every man a liar."
My son was recently taught by an instructor during class to avoid
talking about politics and religion in order to avoid conflict. Though I
appreciate the effort made to train the kids to keep the peace, the
concept is biblically flawed. I spent the next week teaching Bible
scriptures to my son such as Acts 4, "Judge for yourselves whether it is
right in God's sight to obey [man] rather than God. For we cannot help
speaking about what we have seen and heard." It is each person's
responsibility as a Christian to know what the Bible teaches. Even in
Acts 17:10-11, when the apostle Paul taught the people of Berea, the
Bereans were honored by God for having a noble character because, "they
received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures
every day to see if what Paul said was true." Each of us has the same
responsibility to examine the scriptures to see if what we are being
taught is true, whether it be a teaching from our martial arts
instructor, school teacher, neighbor, or religious leader.
Conclusion
Martial
arts training has its place. It can help people learn to deal with the
inevitable conflicts in life. There is no escaping battle in life.
God wants people to be prepared to handle these battles, whether it is
to turn the other cheek to an insult, find a peaceful resolution, or
physically defend themselves or others. Martial arts and self-defense
are not sinful or inherently wrong, but without the guidance of God and
the Bible, martial arts could be misapplied. Without proper biblical
training we are left to our own sinful nature, which tends toward
retaliation, haste, fear, hatred, pacifism, and intolerance. Martial
arts is a biblical concept, but even more attention should be given to
biblical training. The Bible should be used in conjunction with martial
arts training. In conclusion, I Timothy 4:7-8, which says, "Have
nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train
yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but
godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present
life and the life to come."
