Would YOU Rather Fight Than Switch?

The most widespread war being waged today isn’t on any battlefield shown on the nightly news; it’s not a war of high-tech weaponry. In fact, its combatants often wear no uniforms and carry no bullets, and they seldom shed any blood.

The main thing these warriors share is their unwritten, unspoken, yet well-understood slogan, “I’d rather fight than switch.” The Baby Boomer generation might recognize this slogan from the American Tobacco Company’s high-profile ad campaign from 1963 to 1976 promoting Tareyton cigarettes. These magazine and television ads were developed to encourage a sense of loyalty to the Tareyton brand over all other cigarette brands.

The gist of the matter is “brand loyalty” to one’s own personal “Tareyton”—our own ways of thinking, of interacting, and of getting things accomplished. Do we hold any interest in what others have to say, or are we “always right” and “sticking to our guns”? Scripture warns against such a stance in the book of Proverbs, where it is stated twice that “[t]here is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

Most people act with the best intentions, hoping for the best results, as they go through their daily routines—but what if our best intentions are not good enough? What if our way of doing things is, in the end, the way of death? Many very sincere people so fix their minds on what they believe to be right that, when told they’re wrong, they’d “rather fight than switch.”

From its earliest origins, mankind has adopted such an attitude. Choosing to fight rather than switch did not begin with a cigarette ad; it began in Eden and has coursed through the history of mankind. When Cain’s offering was not accepted, he chose resentment over repentance, self-justification over change. He chose to fight rather than switch, even when God showed him the right way (Genesis 4:3–16). Egypt’s pharaoh chose his own methods over Moses’ God-inspired direction (Exodus 5:1–19). Faced with overwhelming evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, many sought to silence Him rather than change their beliefs (John 11:47–53).

From Cain to Pharaoh to the Pharisees, Scripture repeatedly shows that human nature would often rather fight than switch. Convinced they have the right perspective on reality, most people continue to choose to wage war against the instructions of the One who made all things and knows all things.

But we need only to consider the lives of David (2 Samuel 12:13), King Josiah (2 Kings 22:3–20), or the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3) to conclude that when it comes to choosing God’s way or our own way, it’s much better to switch than fight. All these people were told that they weren’t going in the right direction. They were then shown the right way, the way of God, which greatly benefits those who follow it, even in this life. Scripture praises those who made mid-course corrections when most others would say, “I’d rather fight than switch.”

Yet the world continues its course, at war with the direction given to us in God’s word. Rather than changing their direction, most resist the very truth that would bring them peace. The war being fought on a global scale has only ever been won by surrendering.

The God of the Bible requires nothing less than total, unconditional commitment and devotion from those who would accept Him as their Lord and Savior. If you are ready to cease your fisticuffs and switch to a way that brings peace and life, order or read online the free study guide Christian Baptism: Its Real Meaning.