How Does Evil Begin?

“The hardening effect of sin is amazing. You feel real bad at first. You feel kind of bad a little bit later, and a little bad after that. Then particularly in the case of moral sin, before long you hear, ‘Everybody’s doing it.’ And finally, ‘I’m only human.’”

Tony Evans in Time to Get Serious

As I said in my first post on evil, at its basic level, evil is separation from God. Evil is whatever is outside of His will.

So in the quote above, we actually get a pretty complete picture of the definition of evil:

     1.   It is sin.

     2.   It is sin we not only allow, but then justify.

The problem of evil, then, really becomes the problem of relativism:

“any theory holding that criteria of judgment are relative, varying with individuals and their environment.” (Dictionary.com).

Relative, according to Dictionary.com, means

“Something dependent upon external conditions for its specific nature, size, etc. (opposed to absolute).”

“Existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent.”

“Depending for significance upon something else.”

Jesus, in John 14:6, tells Thomas,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

For Christians, Christ is the Word; absolute truth is Christ; His Word is absolute truth.

Jesus, as He prays to His Father, God, in John 17, says,

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

No room for relativism here.

It follows then that Christians will go to God through Jesus and His Word, reliant on the Holy Spirit, for right doctrine on evil and God’s role regarding it.

Paul warns young Timothy, and us, that this path we have chosen will appear at times to be daunting, but we must not look at appearances, we must live within what is actual—absolute. 

We must not look at choices and circumstances as being relative, but as relative to Christ. In that dependence upon Him, we receive our answer as to how to proceed: whatever is canceled out when held up to the standard of Christ’s Truth, that is what we shun. That is what we say “no” to.

This is the work of sanctification in God’s Truth, otherwise known as becoming wise in the wisdom of God. This is how we ward off evil.

And yes, Paul readily admits, “difficult times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

But, confident that:

“God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7), 

We turn to:

“the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Jesus, too, does not gloss over the fact that

“In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33). 

He encourages His disciples, and us, in John 14, saying,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me....

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”

In John 16, Jesus explains why He is saying this:

“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling” (John 16:1).

In addition to His Word, He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us:

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:7-8).

Furthermore, Jesus assures us,

“...when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak...He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (John 16:13a-14).

There is no room for relativism here. 

No room for the disobedience that operates out of a normalized-and-rubber-stamped-by-the-world logic, “informed” by a darkened conscience.

And we have Christ to thank for that!

I mean, seriously, don’t we want to know? Don’t we want answers?

In spite of New Age and “world peace” pablum, which attempt to toss the ball back into our court of “anything goes if it satisfies you for the moment,” people are no happier or fulfilled than before. 

They do not see peace on earth, and certainly haven’t experienced it for themselves. And many don’t even realize this, because they don’t know what true peace even feels like (the peace found in Christ alone, John 16:33). 

In fact, many people may think they are doing pretty good, relatively speaking.

Jesus is not a relatively speaking kind of guy. That’s because He is Lord. He and His Word, as we’ve already seen, is Truth. Absolutely.

This is how evil begins: 

Ignorance of or indifference to God. 

Cheap grace that honors God with lips while the heart is far from Him (Matthew 15:8). 

A sentimental “love” for God--or acceptance of His generic love for us--outside of Jesus Christ, which never gets around to us loving God through obedience to Christ in return.

A.W. Tozer said it well when he said, of believers,

“The devil loves it when we say we believe then prioritize everything in our lives ahead of God.”

He adds that Christianity destroys itself “by not living in the light, by professing a truth it does not obey.”

He says that non-believers’ refusal to “walk in the light” is due to “rottenness within, carelessness, worldliness, evil, refusing to let the Light of God find and change my dirty little nest of iniquity. That’s what is destroying us...!”

Linus, in the famous Charlie Brown Christmas play, stands alone on a stage under a spotlight and informs the world as to what Christmas is all about.

It’s time to put the spotlight on evil: true, absolute evil. The evil that begins in each and every person’s heart and mind and is either nipped in the bud by obedience to Christ, or left to take root and entangle more and more of a person’s, and thus, the surrounding world's, life.

copyright Barb Harwood

“Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if you fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ Then the devil left Him;” Matthew 4:8-11a