The Source of Evil and its Devastating Impact on Mankind
Desert LandscapeBroadly speaking, the created order (the world and universe and all that is in them) can be categorized into two parts, two opposing forces and two camps: God Almighty vs. Satan/devil, good vs. bad, carnal vs. spiritual, and Light vs. darkness.
The Bible is clear that God created the world and all that is in it very good (Genesis 1:30-31; Psalm 24:1). Where, then, did evil come from, that is a constant nagging problem for every human being? How may we fight and overcome it and live a life of peace and prosperity that God meant for each person and his/her environment?
There are philosophical and theological debates about the origins of evil; but the reality of its existence and its devastating consequences is plain to all. In fact, most of the news coming through both the print and electronic media is dominated by bad people and things: religious sacrilege, murders, wars and civil conflicts, rapes, thefts, gross dishonesty, destruction of the environment, and in general, man’s inhumanities to man. As human beings, we are so wicked that laws and various forms of punishment are instituted to protect us against one another. The civil war in Liberia and its aftermath remind us of the unimaginable, unexplainable and despicable evil we humans are capable of! Left to ourselves we have no hope.
Where does this evil that is killing us come from? In James’ letter to the New Testament Christians, he advances an explanation that might help us combat evil in us and around us. He writes:
“What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:1-4).
It is true that there may be other sources of evil in this world such as Satan, the archenemy of God and the environment, but the focus of this article is on the evil that is within each one of us. The best place to begin change in the family, institution, community and nation is with oneself. One of the meanings of ‘Original Sin’ is that we are all born with a corrupt nature, born of sinful parents into a sinful environment; and sooner or later we too begin to add to the list of sins in the world by our wrong choices.
James is right that the main source of most of our problems is wrong desires. We desire power, wealth, fame and pleasure for the wrong reasons: to satisfy our lusts or passions. William Temple was right when he defined sin as self -- preserving and promoting self at the expense of other selves. Jesus teaches us that self-seeking is self-defeating: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). It is in seeking others that one finds self, ministering to others that one is ministered to; it is in making others happy that one finds true happiness; and it is in seeking the security of others that one finds his or her own security.
Evil does not and cannot pay. It may give temporary relief, enjoyment and answers; but in the long term it hurts self, family and the wider society. Let us stay clear of evil. Too many of us in this country are taking to evil ways and habits. We mix religion and evil by preaching the love of Christ but practicing the tricks of Satan. Great delight is taken in manifesting the outward forms of religion but the practice is basically pagan and devilish.
The remedy is self-surrender to God and consciously submitting to his rule and will for us, others and the world. God will not bless us if we mix religion and the devilish ways of dishonesty, theft and hurting other people in favor of protecting and promoting self. The choice is between life and death, blessing and cursing.
For the business-minded, who may understand it better in dollars and cents, the economics of good and evil can be summarized in this way: Good is costly but enriches life. As our elders would say, ‘Good never lost.’ It pays. Evil, by contrast, may have cheap introductory rates, but the total price of evil paid over a given period of time is far greater than good will ever cost in a lifetime. Evil diminishes and destroys life. The good news, though, is that the choice is ours.
0Copyright Liberian Observer - All Rights Reserved. This article cannot be re-published without the expressed, written consent of the Liberian Observer. Please contact us for more information or to request publishing permission.
Broadly speaking, the created order (the world and universe and all that is in them) can be categorized into two parts, two opposing forces and two camps: God Almighty vs. Satan/devil, good vs. bad, carnal vs. spiritual, and Light vs. darkness.
The Bible is clear that God created the world and all that is in it very good (Genesis 1:30-31; Psalm 24:1). Where, then, did evil come from, that is a constant nagging problem for every human being? How may we fight and overcome it and live a life of peace and prosperity that God meant for each person and his/her environment?
There are philosophical and theological debates about the origins of evil; but the reality of its existence and its devastating consequences is plain to all. In fact, most of the news coming through both the print and electronic media is dominated by bad people and things: religious sacrilege, murders, wars and civil conflicts, rapes, thefts, gross dishonesty, destruction of the environment, and in general, man’s inhumanities to man. As human beings, we are so wicked that laws and various forms of punishment are instituted to protect us against one another. The civil war in Liberia and its aftermath remind us of the unimaginable, unexplainable and despicable evil we humans are capable of! Left to ourselves we have no hope.
Where does this evil that is killing us come from? In James’ letter to the New Testament Christians, he advances an explanation that might help us combat evil in us and around us. He writes:
“What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:1-4).
It is true that there may be other sources of evil in this world such as Satan, the archenemy of God and the environment, but the focus of this article is on the evil that is within each one of us. The best place to begin change in the family, institution, community and nation is with oneself. One of the meanings of ‘Original Sin’ is that we are all born with a corrupt nature, born of sinful parents into a sinful environment; and sooner or later we too begin to add to the list of sins in the world by our wrong choices.
James is right that the main source of most of our problems is wrong desires. We desire power, wealth, fame and pleasure for the wrong reasons: to satisfy our lusts or passions. William Temple was right when he defined sin as self -- preserving and promoting self at the expense of other selves. Jesus teaches us that self-seeking is self-defeating: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25). It is in seeking others that one finds self, ministering to others that one is ministered to; it is in making others happy that one finds true happiness; and it is in seeking the security of others that one finds his or her own security.
Evil does not and cannot pay. It may give temporary relief, enjoyment and answers; but in the long term it hurts self, family and the wider society. Let us stay clear of evil. Too many of us in this country are taking to evil ways and habits. We mix religion and evil by preaching the love of Christ but practicing the tricks of Satan. Great delight is taken in manifesting the outward forms of religion but the practice is basically pagan and devilish.
The remedy is self-surrender to God and consciously submitting to his rule and will for us, others and the world. God will not bless us if we mix religion and the devilish ways of dishonesty, theft and hurting other people in favor of protecting and promoting self. The choice is between life and death, blessing and cursing.
For the business-minded, who may understand it better in dollars and cents, the economics of good and evil can be summarized in this way: Good is costly but enriches life. As our elders would say, ‘Good never lost.’ It pays. Evil, by contrast, may have cheap introductory rates, but the total price of evil paid over a given period of time is far greater than good will ever cost in a lifetime. Evil diminishes and destroys life. The good news, though, is that the choice is ours.
0Copyright Liberian Observer - All Rights Reserved. This article cannot be re-published without the expressed, written consent of the Liberian Observer. Please contact us for more information or to request publishing permission.
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