I like violence. That sounds incredibly strange and ungodly, but I can explain... sort of. My proffessor for Ethics, Dr. Cremer (barrycreamer.com,) preached to all of the prospective Preview Day students about Just War. I believe that he successfully convinced many of us that we should be fighting in wars on the grounds of acting out God's judgment on the sinful nations that are attacking us or threatening us. Don't worry, this entry is not about Just War. It is, however about violence: a good kind.
Personally, I believe that we serve the most violent God (except for some extremist renditions of Allah.) Therefore, if we truly seek to represent who He is in an appropriate manner, we should be violent. Obviously, I'm not saying that we should pick a fight with the lady at the McDonalds drive through. I'm not talking about physical violence or even verbal confrontation. What I'm suggesting, however, is aggressive intolerance to the presence of sin in our lives.
If we truly wish to live God honoring lives, then we must not allow ourselves to become calloused and indifferent to sins. We can NEVER under any circumstances accept worldly ideas like, "This is just who I am," or "It's my cross to bear." If we truly believe in the power of God's Holy Spirit living in us, then we need to violently destroy the footholds of the enemy in our lives. This type of violence involves not only a conscious decision to change, but also entails (1) Sincere Repentance, (2) No-Holds-Barred Accountability, and a (3) Battle Plan.
If you're uncomfortable with my decision to use the word violence, let me take a moment to explain myself. It's primary use in this entry can be most closely related to "fervor" or "enthusiasm". Dictionary.com defines it the best: "Swift and intense use of force." I chose to use the word violence for several reasons. First of all, it catches our attention. This is primarily because it is usually used to describe an intense action, such as a storm or a car accident or a police shootout. Second, it adds energy to an idea. It can take an idea, and almost energize it. For example, "the tiny butterfly violently made it's way to the ground." The sentence depicts a scene that is much more dramatic or intense than it should be. Lastly and most importantly, it makes us uncomfortable. This is why I love this word. It drives home the idea that we can't afford to value our own comfort over truly walking with God.
In a great sermon directed to several hundred teenagers, Paul Washer uses a great metaphor for salvation. He says, roughly: "If I came to work late today and said, 'Sorry I was late, I got hit by a mac truck on the way to work.' They would think I was either crazy or lying. Why is that? It's because they know that there is no way that I can have an encounter with something that big and not be permanently changed. So how is it that some of us claim to have an encounter with God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and not expect to be permanently changed?!"
Violence is also necessary for entering a covenant with God. Noah sacrificed several unclean animals after leaving the ark (Gen 9:20-21.) Abram/Abraham cut several animals in half and laid there bodies on the ground and when Abram had fallen asleep, the Lord passed through them. (Genesis 15:9-18) This meant that on penalty of death, God would honor His side of the covenant. (I know, He's immortal, but it was a formality that He chose to partake in.)
I say that we violently take arms in this war that so many of us are losing. With the whole armor of God, fight the good fight, brothers.
In Christ,
-Mike Carranza
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