What does the Bible say about martial arts?

That is a very good question, but actually quite simple. First of all, there is the basic concept that most practice martial arts as a form of self-defense, but even this is way off base. Jesus says VERY clearly that we are not to respond to violence with violence.

Matthew 5:40-48
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

In the New Testament, both Jesus and His disciples are persecuted, whipped and “destroyed”, but NONE of them resist – instead they put their trust in God.

The disciples actually learn a lesson, because when Jesus is captured, the disciples chop off the right ear of one of the soldiers – and instead of praising them, Jesus actually chooses to defy any human “fairness” and logic by putting the ear back on the soldier and healing him.

Luke 22:49-51 The Living Bible
When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Master, shall we fight? We brought along the swords!” And one of them slashed at the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “Don’t resist anymore.” And he touched the place where the man’s ear had been and restored it.

So, all this to say that one aspect is about violence, but if you dig further into what martial arts are and where they originate, you will gain a solid understanding of why they CANNOT be reconciled with God.

Kung Fu, Judo, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, Budo Jitsu, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Aikido are among the best-known types of martial arts – to which newer martial arts, such as kickboxing, MMA, etc. have been added.

People associate martial arts with China, Japan, or Korea, but actually a tomb has been found in Egypt from the year 5000 B.C. decorated with some karate-like positions – so it is unknown precisely where it started. It makes sense, however, that it would be among Rah-worshippers and/or Buddhists and Hindus, as the focus of martial arts is all about using acute spiritual consciousness to create the precision, concentration, speed, and strength required for martial arts. Back in the day, people would become the disciple of a master, leaving EVERYTHING to dedicate their lives to martial arts.  Thus, the student became part of his master’s family with everything this entails.

The great paradox in martial arts lies in the fact that they are designed to achieve balance, equilibrium, and harmony between “Yin/Yan”, through meditation, and/or through yoga, while they are also extremely violent martial arts. But when your body, spirit, and soul are balanced, you can control the characteristics used in martial arts. This is the precise reason why you will find that the better you get at martial arts, the more “serenity” in form of yoga and meditation it takes to achieve precision. And why is that…? Because yoga and meditation can be used to open “the Third Eye”, attaining deep spiritual consciousness and insight. This is one of the reasons that many professional martial artists, such as Ninja warriors, can win a fight blindfolded – because they have learned “to be led”. Make a quick Google search for “Ninja Chakra”, and you will see right away what I mean.

In martial arts, the Qi – or Chi – energy (Satan as a wolf in sheep’s clothing) is an extremely critical component – and from it derives names like “Thai Chi”, which is a martial art intended to increase concentration and gain control over the ”Jing” energy, which is another definition of the Chi energy. When your mind is tranquil and cleansed of your own thoughts, it is possible to defend yourself correctly, and you can achieve balance between xin (heart / conscious mind) and Chi. When xin and Chi are in balance, you are ready to fight.

If you read e.g. “venskab-danmark-kina.dk,” you will be able to read:

Qi means breath, air, and energy. The closest we can get to the meaning of the word Qi here in the West is ‘life energy’ or ‘life force’. Gong means work, activity, movement, but can also mean a great accomplishment. When we learn to use and exploit the Qi life energy correct, we enable ourselves to accomplish something extraordinary, gong.
Qi-gong’s history goes back in time for many thousands of years as one of the world’s oldest forms of therapy, from which acupuncture, acupressure, and zone therapy emerged. Therefore, there are numerous different forms of Qi-gong. Similarly, it forms the basis for Tai Chi, martial arts, and many energy-based treatment forms.

That being said, the spiritual aspect of martial arts is thoroughly hidden – or wrapped in excitement and action. But go ahead and dig into the origins and see how it emerged – precisely as with Yoga. And then you can say all you want the it is nothing but regular self-defense training to your… exactly like people who practice yoga might say it’s just exercising.

Let me ask you a question: Can you make super delicious beef steaks out of pork… with added beef flavor? If you could, would e.g. a Moslem eat it? I don’t think so…! Because it isn’t the “taste” that matters, but rather the “foundation” in it. Regardless how much you mess with the steak – even if you quote lots of scriptures while eating it, it will always be a pork chop. That’s the way it is with yoga – you can never change the foundation, regardless how many “spices” and “taste”, you add.

Read more about Yoga here – and more about Chi/Qi energy here.

Andreas Slot-Henriksen
April 2109

Translated from Danish
by Lisbeth Agerskov Christensen