Our present cultural and political climate is in many respects overly and detrimentally polarized. Instead of seeking a knowledge and understanding of issues, there is an unprecedented drive to spin everything into self-serving narratives and agendas. This kind of polarization, which does not value rational and civil truth-seeking, is lamentable. But there is another kind of “polarization” that is proper and plays a necessary role in realizing God’s purpose.
In the process of purification, separating good from evil, evil is not immediately destroyed, but rather becomes more concentrated and intensified. Each side of the conflict becomes more “pure” in its extremity. In refining gold, not only is the gold purified, but the slag also becomes more concentrated. This sets the stage for major battles, and therefore major victories. Genesis 1 presents this polarizing / sanctifying process as foundational to creation: the separation of light from darkness, and the separation of the waters (of chaos) from dry land.
God’s actions against evil generally provoke a response of intensified evil. Things must get worse before they can get better. For example, Moses’s initial confrontations with Pharaoh resulted in greater oppression for the Hebrews. Pharaoh’s army was eventually enticed into a final assault, in which they were decisively destroyed. When God gave His people the Torah, Sin became utterly sinful, before Torah could have its fulfillment in Messiah, at the height of “polarization”.
As a general principle, the full measure of God’s wrath must be filled before the day of judgment. At that time, as the wisdom literature teaches, those who dig a pit will fall into it. In like manner, whenever Christians oppose evil, they are likely to provoke persecution, and the consequences will be that our enemies incur greater judgment.
There are times when we are to be a force for peacemaking and reconciliation – when engaging those who respect truth. But there are other times when we must not shy away from the battle, when faithfulness to truth will be inevitably provocative. The word of truth is a sword of judgment when engaging those who are defiantly committed to self-deception. To refuse this duty to confront darkness with light and to bear the brunt of the counter-attacks – to shy away from “polarization” – is to be lukewarm. In that, our Lord takes no pleasure.