Question:
Please explain Matthew 11:12—”And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Answer:
The teaching is this; when John came and began to preach his tremendous gospel of repentance, there was mighty earnestness manifested by those who heard. Men were strenuous in their effort to make things right and enter the kingdom. Some evidently felt that they would not be saved unless such effort was put forth. “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,” or, as the margin reads, “is gotten by force”—not that men were slain or that this violence was put forth against men. It was not manifested in conflict. Those who accepted the Lord Jesus had calmer, sweeter rest in place of strife.
The “violence” necessary to gain the kingdom takes in the whole heart. To be double-minded is to be unstable. Resolution, self-denial, and consecrated effort are required for the work of preparation. The understanding and the conscience may be united, but if the will is not set to work, we shall make a failure. Every faculty and feeling must be engaged. Ardor and earnest prayer must take the place of listlessness and indifference. Only by earnest, determined effort and faith in the merits of Christ can we overcome and gain the kingdom of heaven.
