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  • Writer's pictureBible Brian

A martial arts analogy: The weak things shame the strong


When people think of martial arts, they generally imagine if you can do one, you're all but guaranteed to win a fight. The truth is, a martial art is not a guarantee of victory. In fact, surprisingly often, the opposite can be the case. A martial art, far from being some sort of key to invincibility, is merely a set of techniques and principles that skews the balance of a fight in your favour.


Of course, generally, this doesn't apply when your opponent is also trained in a martial art. But what if they're not? As it turns out, not only do you not need a martial art to be an effective fighter, but even those who are untrained can sometimes beat those who are. This is especially the case when we learn the right things in the wrong environment.


One benefit I have is that, while I train Krav Maga, one of my instructors is also a 2nd Dan Black Belt. Every so often, he tells us things about what they train in karate, and why Krav is, in a sense, better. For example, one thing every fighter has to account for is the possibility of being knocked on the ground. What do you do to minimise damage when that happens? In karate, the technique involves slamming both hands against the ground, pushing the body up and allowing the head to avoid contact with the floor. This technique works well on gym mats. Concrete, however, is another story. Slamming your arms against solid concrete is not much better than punching a wall. It's going to hurt your arms, maybe even damage them. That's not to mention the various hazards, such as broken glass, that you really don't want jabbing into you. The Krav technique is very different, breaking the fall down into three points of contact. Obviously, it's a fall, and not likely a graceful one, so it'll still hurt, but it is nowhere near as damaging as the karate technique.


The Bible describes a spiritual warfare in which we, as Christians living on earth, are engaged. Just as martial arts do not guarantee success in a physical fight, so also do qualifications mean next to nothing in Christianity. They are obviously useful to have. We know Paul, for example, was certainly something of a "big thing" in his circle, being both well educated and exceedingly zealous in his Pharisaic traditions. But then we have Jesus' other disciples, most famously Peter. Peter was a fisherman. Not exactly top dog in his society.


This is what Paul means when he says God uses the foolish things to shame the wise. No matter who you are, your power and value ultimately come from the God you serve. They don't come from your education, your wealth status, your gender, your ethnic origin, your training, your strength, your beauty, none of the things the world sees as valuable are valuable to God. My brethren, Satan may have an army of black belts, but there is nothing they can do that can overcome us. As long as we serve the Lord, we will prevail.

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