To defend one’s faith through physical force or threat, unwarranted by love, is to deny the meaning of the love of Jesus Christ – as demonstrated in the events related to the capture, and ultimate crucifixion of Jesus. In the aggression of the soldier to take Jesus, the disciple Peter drew his knife and slashed at the soldier. In the clumsy act, Peter simply cut off the ear of the soldier. Perhaps the soldier was garbed so that his helmet and other protection prevented Peter from a more offensive thrust. Jesus caused a temporary pause in the main event, reprimanded Peter for violence and misunderstanding of God’s way of doing things, and healed the ear of the soldier. Peter may have felt during the following hours: Jesus, whose side are you on? It may have played a part in Peter’s denial to questioners some hours later relative to his relationship with Jesus. Peter absorbed a great deal during those hours, and the meaning of what he had been taught the previous thousand days at the feet of Christ became clear. He learned what someone has verbalized: We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience. If anyone is violent, let it be God, who judges righteously and with equity. Any other orientation is not of God. God is of peace, and in peace we mean to live or die.
We need to remember that biblical religion is a useful concept for the consideration of all, but a reality for Christians. It includes getting rid of, or shying away from, a lot of stuff that relates only to physical life and its limitations. Religion deals with the analysis of the faith values of the religion. Where does faith lead? Faith leads to a way of life, which is summarized in the word religion. The important matter is that faith is individual, personal. Religion is philosophical and public. True religion indicates that a faith pattern of spiritual values has become practical in the world. The person has joined faith and practice to both personal (self) and social (neighbors, all others) benefit. Each corroborates the other. If not, the religious person loses force in witness. Truthful and honest witness is the first duty of the expression of the Christian to others of the human race. Spiritually, a Christian’s first duty to God is obedience in the light of Scripture and conscience. That obedience makes practical one’s worship in the context of God. Persons presume they have a right to their own religion, whether of God or not, so they may create what may be identified as humanistic religions. These are really extensions of human culture, and are part of the system, perhaps none of which relates personally to God. Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and other religions answer the yearning for idealism to meet life contexts so to make life easier and more acceptable for the adherents. Some are elevated philosophies, made into religions. Some are quite humanistic.
A Christian goal is to overcome sin, so to improve daily living, and prepare believers for citizenship in another place than earth. That preparation is in righteousness, so has a side benefit of making life better for all. The Christian, following Scripture and the model of Jesus Christ, means to witness the redemption of Christ, with righteousness, peace, love, mercy, service, patience, hope, prayer, faith-growth and order. The Christian means to, or ought to, work against suffering, want, pain, violence, selfishness, wrongdoing, arrogance, ignorance, hatred, – whatever may be lumped under the rubric of sin. The sum is different from that of other religions. It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and works out from there with the institution of the Church as originated at Pentecost, noted in Scripture. The large natural benefit is corporate affecting society. This is the proper follow-up of the Judaic tradition noted in the Old Testament that promised a Messiah. For the Christian, Jesus fulfills the Messianic promises, and closes the matter of the redemptive plan, a plan that makes any person incorporating it as a child of God. It is not a matter of natural birth, of nationality, of good works or intentions, of sectarianism, or of any other circumstance or affinity. It is a personal commitment by the individual to the person, work and authority of Jesus Christ – a commitment to the divine person of God. This leads to a considerable extension to society in which the Christian, largely through a faithful and effective church program contributes to society. If all goes well the experience is personal (individual), expressed in divine service (social). *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020