Proverbs 16:29 ESV
A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.
[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+16%3A29&version=ESV]
Violence is a convenient way to solve a problem. Somebody ticking you off? Punch the daylights out of him. Political rival being the absolute worst? Imprison him. Spouse being yappy when you’re tired? Slap them…. That last one was a bit much, eh? Well, not to some, and it simply highlights the point of all three, of using violence: just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s right. Violence is a powerful tool, and it is a tool God gave us to use at times, but we sin terribly when we use it outside of that God-ordained context.
When is violence justified? God’s word gives three circumstances: in defense; in justice; and in war. In the first case, defense, we are not only permitted to use violence in self-defense but also to defend the innocent from violence (Ex. 22:2; Prov. 24:11). Whether that violence escalates to lethality, of course, depends on the circumstances; certainly it is morally allowable where death, kidnap, or similar threats are offered. This leads us into the second case: justice. The state has been given the sword (Rom. 13:1-15). This means that God intends the state to use violence- lethal or otherwise- against the criminal in measure with his crime (Ex. 22; Lev. 24:17-20). Third, then, is war; this generally is an extension of the self-defense doctrine to the state, though God provides other grounds for war in at least one instance, against Canaan (Num. 13:1).
Violence, then, is not given to man to use as a tool for general conflict resolution. To use it so, to apply it as God did not command, is to declare without so many words, ‘I have a right to dispose of the body and life of my fellow man as I see fit, will God or nil He.’ This is a grave sin, and yet… once again, violence seems to work. It really does shut people up, really does end a problem, really does feel good. On a societal scale in particular it seems justifiable. If the state has a sword, why not use it to make sure everything is better? Very often, the sword need not even be wetted, once it is whetted; we can steal from thousands through the government with barely a drop of blood shed via taxes like the inheritance tax or through laws like FDR’s seizure of all gold or through, perhaps most insidious, quietly leeching away value via inflation.
All this seems justified to solve the problem. See, though, it doesn’t solve the problem- at best, it changes the problem and adds a whole new one. If somebody is being annoying to me and I punch them in the face, I have two problems now. Sure, he might have stopped annoying me, but I’m going to be dealing with the social repercussions of wanton violence. I’ve also sinned against him and against God, which is much worse. Similarly, if we solve a problem- say, hungry children- by state violence- welfare funded by immoral taxation-, in the end we’re not only going to have hungry children (because government never does its job right), we’re going to have a whole plethora of problems: the moral issue of theft (which is very bad for a nation (Is. 1:21-23)), a vastly weakened family structure, and a vast increase in the government’s power both in fact and precedent (with the resulting incentivizing of tyranny in other areas).
We can recognize that it’s a bad idea, but all this does not get rid of one fact: violence can be a very attractive option emotionally. For men particularly (but also for women, though not being one I will not speak to its particular permutations, reliant as I am on literature and history), violence is an easy outlet for anger, an easy way to rebuff fear, an easy way to vindicate pride, at least in the short term. Now, not all of this is evil. Physical activity, even regulated violence (such as against a punching bag) can be healthy, spiritually and physically. The temptation, however, is to act outside God’s law, to do as we will despite Him. This temptation must be mortified.
We must be cautious too of things which aren’t technically violence but partake of its character. Words particularly can fulfil a similar role. James calls the tongue a ‘raging fire,’ and we have an impulse in us to use that fire to burn others. In burning others, we often care not that we burn ourselves too. We must be careful to govern our tongues, both within and without our own thoughts (Matt. 5:21-22). We can strike as deep with them as with our fists, our knives, our steel.
God calls us to use our whole being, body and soul, fist and tongue, hand and word, to glorify Him and bless His image, to bless our fellow man. To this end, let us guard our paths. Violence must be kept to righteous purposes, even to the duty of protection given by God, and let wander no farther. The tongue, a danger in us all, must likewise be restrained and likewise turned towards good (for as with the fist, there is a place for the harsh word (2 Sam 12:1-15)).
God bless.
Written by Colson Potter
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
