“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
Romans 12:9
I think most people would agree that there is evil in the world today. Whether it is ISIS, mass shooters, drug cartels, corrupt governments, or greedy businesses, there appears to be no shortage of people who are intent on harming others or seeking power and domination. There has been evil in the past and there will be evil in the future. This is nothing new or unusual. But is evil only limited to the obvious? Does evil exist elsewhere that we are perhaps not aware of until it is too late?
Well, we first must understand what evil is. The dictionary defines it in two ways. First, it says it means morally bad or reprehensible, sinful, or wicked. Second, it also defines it as causing harm to someone. In other words, it is anything that is not of God, since God is good (“taste and see that the Lord is good” – Proverbs 34:8) and God is love (“love does no harm to its neighbor.” – Romans 13:10)
When evil is viewed from a Biblical perspective we begin to recognize that evil is far more pervasive than we might normally think. Thus, common behaviors in our culture that many people often consider as personal choices can be classified as evil. This includes things like abortion, prostitution, lotteries, fornication, homosexual behavior, gay marriage, drug abuse, divorce, gossip, cheating, gambling, drunkenness, dishonesty, arrogance, pride, gluttony, laziness, and the list goes on. These are the things that draw us away from God and are therefore evil. The Apostle Paul also gives us a list in Galatians 5:19-21 when he says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” So evil is not just found in horrific atrocities, but rather is found in many of the everyday activities of this life and culture we live in.
So why do we not recognize these things as evil? Simply put, it is because we do not know God. The person who loves God and follows Jesus can more easily recognize evil, because they are walking in His truth and light (1 John 1:7). Those who do not have a close relationship with God or Jesus are therefore unable to distinguish evil from good because they are walking in darkness (Proverbs 4:19). They are blinded and just can’t see it. When we read Scripture and begin to know God more and more our eyes are opened and we become offended at what offends God – sin and evil! And that will often bring us into direct conflict with our world/culture and with Satan, the great deceiver.
You see, Satan is the Prince of Darkness and works to deceive everyone about who he is and what is evil. He packages things in such a way as to make us desire them, even though they are not good for us, or are against God’s commands. He also masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) in order to deceive the world as to his true intention – which is to lead people away from God and His Light that is Jesus! And once we believe Satan’s lies and deceit, we are hooked into accepting evil as good.
So how do we deal with Satan and the evil that is all around us in our culture? First, Romans 12:9 tells us to “hate what is evil and cling to what is good.” Secondly, Romans 12:17 says that we should “not repay evil with evil.” Finally, Romans 12:21 goes on to say that we should “not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” So we are not called to fight evil with evil, but rather to overcome evil by God’s goodness. That means that we must continue to draw closer to Jesus, to study His Word so we will know the truth, and to reach out to the lost, and our enemies, in love. That’s the deal and the only way it will work. To quote Edmund Burke, “the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing!” To be a good men/women means we must know God and His truth and live accordingly.
So let’s commit ourselves to being good by seeking God and His ways and then walking in His Light. Only then we will be able to see the evil around us, overcome it by His goodness, and become “more than conquerors.” (Romans 8:37)