Martial Arts Along With The Bible
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As a Christian along with a martial arts student, I've typically wrestled with the notion of self-defense. Does God count on me to defend my loved ones and myself when physically attacked or am I to "turn the other cheek" and endure it inside the name of Jesus? As I deemed the many comments I encountered on this topic, I became much more confused. Some advocates for "religion" have gone as far as to say that any one who practices any type of martial arts is with out a doubt bound for hell. It wasn't until I committed myself to a extra thorough study with the scriptures that I found the truth for myself. The Bible provides far more than a few examples from the practice of self-defense as well as the notion of martial arts. I'd like to share a few of what I have discovered Ju-jutsu in this study in the Bible - Old Testament and New. The Bible is, in truth, the incredibly word of God (II Timothy three:16-17).
God and Warfare
The very first example of a physical struggle within the Bible is in Genesis chapter 4. It is right here that Cain kills his brother Abel. This is an act of violence condemned by God for two motives. First, the violence was out of anger and jealousy since his brother's actions were superior than his personal (Genesis 4:4-7). Secondly, the violence was pre-meditated. God confronted Cain prior to this violence occurred. He told Cain that he would must find out the best way to master the sin of anger and jealousy that was trying to overtake him. What this scripture teaches is the fact 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 think the study of martial arts can supply this type of instruction. I've noticed it in my son's martial arts class. His sensei (teacher) may possibly commit as much as half in the one-hour class teaching the kids humility, manners, concern for other individuals and peace-making. They're taught to avoid violence and remain calm in circumstances of conflict. This kind of character instruction is suitable in line with all the example of God's education of Cain.
The subsequent biblical instance of a conflict involving a physical struggle is found in Genesis chapter 14. Within this chapter, kings are at war and Abram's nephew, Lot, and Lot's family members 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 appears that even though Abram was not at war, he had a training program for his family members and household. It was naturally a education plan for warfare of some sort - plus a superior one, at that, since they were victorious in returning Lot, his loved ones and all of their possessions in the hands of warring kings. After Abram's profitable rescue, he's honored by God and reminded that God had created him profitable against his adversary. God later renames Abram, "Abraham" and he becomes the founding father of faith for the Jewish folks (and later Christians also).
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". Within the story of Abram rescuing Lot, the Bible gives us an example of warrior training. Not everyone in Abram's household was a element in the 318 trained guys, but the ones that had been had superb martial arts instruction. And God helped them to become victorious as they executed their warfare abilities.
Right here are a number of other brief examples of warfare, in the Old Testament, that could be studied additional:
Genesis 32 - Jacob avoids war with his brother, Esau. He prepares for battle but orchestrates a peaceful resolution.
Deuteronomy 20 - God goes with all the warriors to fight against their enemies.
II Samuel 23:8-39 - the Bible describes David and his mighty men of battle.
Nehemiah four - the builders of Jerusalem's city wall carry weapons to defend themselves through the rebuilding.
There are several much more examples within the Old Testament, having a wide selection of scenarios and quite a few exceptional resolutions. The topic of warfare is extremely complex and every single scenario must be regarded cautiously. For that reason, when faced with adversity, wisdom must be applied.
An Eye For An Eye
Even using the Old Testament in the Bible showing help for martial arts education, some could argue that the God on the Old Testament is distinctive than the God with the New Testament - that God's position on warfare changed when Jesus came on the scene. It could be mentioned that the God from the Old Testament was about war plus the God of the New Testament is about peace.
The Bible, on the other hand, does not support this. James 1:17 says that God does not transform, and Hebrews 13:eight says that Jesus Christ [God] may be the identical yesterday, currently and forever. Consequently, the God from the Old Testament is definitely the identical God from the New Testament. As we continue to study this subject, we'll see that the New Testament also discusses self-defense and also the thought of martial arts.
Matthew 5:38-42, in which Jesus talks about "an eye for an eye along with a tooth for any tooth", has been employed to condemn martial arts. It reads, "You have heard that it was mentioned, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I inform you don't resist an evil person. If a person strikes you on the proper cheek, turn to him the other also. And if an individual desires to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go a single mile, go with him two miles. Give towards the a single who asks you, and do not turn away from the one particular who desires to borrow from you." Initially glance this passage appears to be advocating a reversal in the Old Testament laws. I was swayed by this argument myself, and was torn in my personal convictions for some time. But when I ultimately decided to dig deeper into the Bible, I was amazed and encouraged to seek out some answers.
Many persons who desire to obey the Bible merely gloss over this scripture, like I did, since they are torn among what they believe the Bible says and their consciences telling them to prepare for warfare and to shield.
The truth is that Jesus never ever 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. That 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've not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." When Jesus speaks about "turning the other cheek", in Matthew 5, he's referring for the Old Testament Mosaic laws located in Exodus 21, 22 and 23. These chapters in Exodus include the laws God gave to his people, which reinforce and further detail the famous "ten commandments". Jesus is especially referring to Exodus 21:22 where God explains what punishment ought to be provided if men are fighting and an innocent by-stander is harmed (in this instance, a pregnant woman). This isn't a scripture about self-defense but about restitution and punishment for a crime. Jesus referred to this scripture mainly because the folks, in religious self-righteousness, had been making use of this certain scripture to justify retaliation and vengeance.
