BiblicalInsights.net

One of the notable characteristics of the world prior to the flood was violence (Gen. 6:11-13).  Here is a formula that may explain the violence of man at this time:  Godlessness leads to lawlessness which in turn leads to violence.  Violence abounds in any society where the fear of God is not present.
Violence is “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation” (Wikipedia).  Globally, violence takes the lives of 1.5 million people.  50% of these deaths is due to suicide, 35% is due to homicide and 12% is due to war or some other form of conflict.  In addition to deaths, there are countless hospitalizations and doctor’s visits.
Violence does not have a single cause.  It has multiple causes.  Consider the following:
1.  Biological.  The National Academy of Sciences just reviewed hundreds of studies on the relationship between biology and violence, and it came to this conclusion, “No patterns precise enough to be considered reliable biological markers for violent behavior have yet been identified.”  Violence does not appear to be biological or genetic.
2.  Sociological.  The following statistics and information indicate correlations rather than direct cause/effect relationships.
a.  Those who commit violence on the street are disproportionately poor and unemployed.
b.  90% of those arrested for crimes are men.  There is no place in the world where men make up less than 80% of those who commit violent crimes.
c.  Violence is primarily the work of younger people.  People in their late teens or early twenties are much more likely to be arrested for violent crimes than those younger or older.
d.  The arrest rate for African Americans is 6 times higher than for white Americans.
e.  The overall crime rate is drastically underestimated, particularly domestic violence.
3.  Psychological.
a.  Major mental disorders account for 3% of violence in the U.S.
b.  We know that while many aggressive children go on to be law-abiding adults, aggression at age 8 significantly predicts violent convictions well into the thirties, in every culture in which it has been studied.
c.  We know that most children who have been physically abused by their parents go on to be perfectly normal adults.  Yet, physical abuse doubles the risk that a boy will have convictions for violent crime as an adult.
d.  We know that failure of a child in school is one of the most enduring correlates of later violence.  Four out of five violent offenders in prison never finished high school.
e.  We know that stability matters.  The more changes of placement a foster child experiences while growing up, the more likely that child will later be arrested for a violent crime.
f.  We know that lack of parental supervision has been consistently related to delinquency, including violent delinquency.  One study, for example, found that 10 percent of non-delinquents were poorly supervised by their parents, one-third of one and two-time delinquents were poorly surpervised, and over three-quarters of repeat offenders were poorly supervised.  Parental involvment in the lives of children makes a difference!
g.  Finally, we know much about the relationship between illegal drugs and violence.  But it is important to remember that the connection between one legal drug–alcohol–and violence is beyond dispute.  About one-third of all violent offenders are alcoholic, and the earlier an adolescent starts to drink, the more likely that teen will be violent as an adult.  (The above information was taken from an article by John Monahan, Ph.D. professor of Law at the University of Virginia, 2/19/10).
4.  Spiritual Factors.
a.  Anger/Malice.  Cain killed his brother Abel because he was angry (Gen. 4).  This is the first murder recorded in Scripture.  God attempted to intervene with Cain and showed him another pathway where he, too, could be accepted.  Cain rejected it and in anger killed his brother.
b.  Envy.  Cain may have been motivated by jealousy and envy as well (Gen. 4).  In Matt. 27:18, Pilate correctly understood that Jesus was delivered to be crucified due to the envy of the Jews.  Envy seeks to destroy its object.
c.  Pride.  Attitudes of superiority over another person or race can produce violence.  Racism is a common motivator for violence.
d.  Lust.  James 4:1-2, James mentions lusts  of the heart as a cause for war and conflict.  Covetousness would belong to this classification.
e.  Lack of empathy and love.  Violence results when the conscience is seared (past feeling).  When a human heart lacks emotional bonding to another human being there is a coldness that can manifest itself in violence.
f.  Violence begets violence.  Rom. 12:19.  Paul warns about revenge.  One act of violence may give place to another act of violence when revenge is sought.  Paul advises that we trust God to be the great avenger.
g.  Alcohol can play a role in violence.  Proverbs 23:29-35.  Under the infuence of alcohol some lose the normal restraint of the passions and violence follows.  Fights, murders and domestic violence have been increased due to the influence of alcoholic beverages.
h.  Selfishness or Convenience.  Abortion is an act of violence against the unborn.  Those who are innocent and defenseless are most vulnerable to the selfish motives of others.  To our shame, we have made this legal in America.
The causes named above are mostly sins of the heart.  We will never solve the problem of violence until the human heart is transformed by the saving work of Jesus Christ.
The Cure for Violence.
The cure for violence is to be found in redemption.  We must turn to God and seek His mercy and commit to walk in the image of His Son–Jesus Christ.  We must trust God.  We must repent of sin including the sins of the heart.  We must commit to follow Jesus in His teaching and His example.  We must slay sins of the heart like envy, jealousy, lusts, uncontrolled anger, wrath, and malice.  The whole duty of man is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Eccle. 12:13).  We must be immersed in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).  This will give us a new beginning in Christ.   We must return to the values that Jesus taught.  These include  the Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matt. 7:12).  This is the law of love.  We must develop self-control as a Christian grace or virtue (II Pet. 1:5-11).  We must restore the responsibilities of parents in the home.  Parents need to be present and on the job.  They must love their children and invest their time, attention, and affection in them.  We must relinquish revenge to God.  Trust God’s justice even as Jesus did (I Pet. 2:21-25).
We will never solve the problem of violence until we change our hearts and comply with God’s Will for our lives!  We can do this.  We must do it one person at a time.  It begins with you and me.