It is in the Garden of Eden that we
first see the significance of good and evil when Adam and Eve were
forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of “good and evil” (Gen.
2:9). In disobeying God’s command, they, and all humankind after
them have been tainted with the knowledge and practice of evil. God's
stated purpose in the Scriptures is to impart the knowledge of good to humankind.
It is only through the power of God, and His salvation in Christ that those who
take Him seriously can live lives marked by goodness.
The antithesis of goodness is evil. In Isaiah’s
depiction of the "seven deadly sins," we read: "Woe to those
who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness before light and light
before darkness, who put sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet."(5:20). Here we see how God
views those who reverse the meaning of good and evil. If there is no repentance, then values, actions, and attitudes
such as these, found in the children of Israel (and by extension, in us as
well), will reap God's judgment.
In the New Testament, the difference between Good
and Evil takes on additional significance.
"When
tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows." (James 1:13, 17)
We
also read that God cannot be tempted to do evil nor does He tempt anyone. His
desire is the opposite. His desire is to redeem humankind, make them good, and
give them good gifts. Jesus did not mince any words concerning good and evil,
and how they come about.
"You brood of vipers, how can
you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the
mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him,
and the evil man brings evil out of the evil stored up in him."
(Matt. 12:34-35)
He
connects the good and the evil tongue with being good or evil inside,
suggesting that the four components of the Fear of the Lord have their origin
in the core of our beings. They are entwined with our basic thoughts and
attitudes, and govern how we think and what we do.
So
that no one is confused about what Good is, Matthew relates Jesus’ conversation
with the rich young ruler. This intelligent and good person asked Jesus the
question: "What good thing must I do
to get eternal life?" (Matt. 19:16). Jesus then named those
Commandments which pertained to his relationships with other people. This,
according to the young man, he had done. Jesus then hit on the heart of the
matter. He replied, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your
possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then
come, follow me." (Matt. 19:21).
Jesus
puts the young man's real loyalties to the test. Where is the focus of his
worship? Notice that Jesus refers to Himself
and the necessity of following Him as
being the same as his allegiance to Yahweh. Which is more important, helping
the poor and following Jesus, or his possessions?
The
apostle Paul shows us in Romans 12:9
what we are to do with good and evil: "Love
must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." In v.21, he asserts that there is a
struggle between good and evil that takes place in our lives: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.” He elevates
goodness as being more powerful than evil. Evil is overcome by good.
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