EVIL FOR EVIL
Do not say, “I will repay evil”; hope in Yahweh, and He will save you. Proverbs 20:22
Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion: “for every action there is an equal/opposite reaction.” What is true in physics sometimes applies to the political realm. Inattentiveness to the chief responsibility of civil government—the protection of the public from evildoers (Romans 13:1-7: 1 Peter 2:13-14)—along with despotic overreach and the political weaponization of the machinery of the state have bred enormous public frustration. However, sometimes the legitimate outcry for redress can turn dark.
If you’ve ever conversed with a radical “militia” type, it’s disconcerting. They profess allegiance to Jeffersonian principles of constitutional government—yet despair of democratic institutions, advocating lawless vigilantism and violent revolution. They denominate themselves “patriots”—yet reject the core principles and decent sensibilities of America’s Founding Fathers. They posture as defenders of Christian values—yet spurn Biblical authority and its restraining ethics, and reject prayer as a meaningful resource (1Timothy 2:1-2). They profess hostility towards the Far Left—yet profoundly mirror its basic presuppositions and tactics.
Advocates of anarchic violence, both Right and Left, share the idea that bringing down an imperfect Established Order through some bloody catharsis will bring about the utopian outcome they wistfully long for—setting the world “right” again. They reject law-abiding avenues for change, and sneer at the peaceful Biblical injunctions (Matthew 5:38-39; Romans 12:19-21) to commit our cares unto God and rest in His sovereignty. They disregard the radical effects of the Fall and fail to understand that Utopia doesn’t come until JESUS comes! They ignore the historical laboratory that confirms the Biblical witness (Matthew 26:52) that once we start down the bloody road of anarchy, nothing awaits us but greater despotism and an endless orgy of “cleansing”—guillotines, purges, and firing squads. Let’s just trust Jesus.
Terry L. Reese