The violence that saves

From the time of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forced open, and it is the violent who are taking it (Matthew 11:12).

This verse can be misunderstood without the overall understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The kingdom of heaven refers to the presence of God, in simple terms in this verse, the HEAVEN or the place where God's children go. So, how do we get there? Jesus Christ replied, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

If faith is a condition for receiving the grace of forgiveness and for actually having access to heaven, why do we have to force the kingdom when all we need is faith? Who is violent and who takes the kingdom? Jesus Christ answered with a parable: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mat. 16:24). The violent are capable of renouncing themselves for Christ.

Repentance requires violence upon ourselves: the violence of abandoning that cute sin which distances us from God, the violence of renouncing the pride of the inner "me" so proudly defended so that Christ may have the primordial place due to Him in our lives. The drunkard will not stop drinking unless he does violence to himself, resisting the temptation to drink at every opportunity.

Pasteur Clémentine

The positive self-violence recommended to us here can lead us from success to success in our undertakings.