By Tom Katch
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."