Christ and Self Defense

The only time violence is morally justified is in self-defense. Everyone knows this. This excludes, of course, legal sporting methods such as boxing, MMA, hockey (which is a fight on ice, after all), etc. Why shouldn't we punch each other in the face to win an argument? Why can't I pop you in the beak to get my way? What's wrong with that? Of course, we all know it's wrong to initiate force against an innocent person. Unfortunately, we usually stop thinking at this...
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The only time violence is morally justified is in self-defense. Everyone knows this. This excludes, of course, legal sporting methods such as boxing, MMA, hockey (which is a fight on ice, after all), etc.

Why shouldn't we punch each other in the face to win an argument? Why can't I pop you in the beak to get my way? What's wrong with that? Of course, we all know it's wrong to initiate force against an innocent person. Unfortunately, we usually stop thinking at this point. In Christ & Self-Defense, best-selling martial arts author Jason Korol explains the much-needed foundations of this critical subject. In so doing he provides a powerful presentation and defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ for our time.

Every person, created by God in His image, has the right to life and liberty. This simple truth is at the heart of this ground-breaking book. Its implications are staggering. Since all people everywhere exist in His world, they can't create their own moral order. Only God is authorized to issue moral commandments. We have liberty within them, not over them. Rejection of this is the cause of all conflict. It's that simple.

The very concept of self-defense rests upon the foundations of Christianity. The personal and authoritative Creator commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He alone gives liberty and defines obligations. Conflicts arise when men or groups abuse, deny, or twist this basic truth. Thus, Christ & Self-Defense presents an amazing "common grace" argument. All people have these basic rights. All have the right to life and, therefore, by God's order, the right to defend it. Yep...Cowboys fans, Republicans, Democrats, city-dwellers, rednecks...even fans of Nickelback. No one is authorized to play god except God - and He commands us to love our neighbor, not oppress, enslave, or murder him. Self-defense rests only upon, and is limited, by this foundation. For a man to live peaceably with others, and for governments to rule with moral legitimacy, they must stand here. A sin-sick person or culture will reject this.

The root of violence lies in our insistence on rejecting God's authority. As Dostoevsky said (via one of those Karamazov bros) "without God all things are permissible." You see, once we reject the plain fact of nature that we're not God, we all act as our own god. This is inevitable because something must be the ultimate standard of right and wrong. Thus, little pretend gods will end up in arguments. Man's history is one of war, oppression, and slavery because he insists on being his own deity.

Christ & Self-Defense provides a Biblical tour like no other, detailing some of that violence and oppression. Cain and Abel. Lamech and the Mighty Men of Renown. Abraham and his elite fighting force of 318 who saved his beloved nephew - and a whole city too. The horror of anarchy in Judges and the terror of despotism in Saul. And the lesson of King David - one of the greatest warriors of them all. Finally, there's the account of the undefeated champion, Jesus Christ, who rescues us from the fight we started and gives us a way out of the catastrophic cycle of violence.

Since sin is the root of conflict, and we're all sinners, only by abolishing sin can we have peace. An unrighteous peace is a contradiction in terms. That's the logic of Scripture. That's the logic of the cross. Repentance means, in this context, our surrender to God. It means we lay down our sword. At the cross of Christ our war against God is over. And only there is our war against each other over. Thus, though this isn't a how-to on self-defense, it is a how-to on ending our self-destruction. It means that Christianity is the greatest self-defense "style" of them all - because we can have no peace without it.