Philemon - The Doctrine of EvilTo: Philemon Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page What is Evil? [9]Evil is the reasoning and policy of Satan in his desire to become God. And just as the concept of grace represents the reasoning and policy of God, evil represents the thinking of Satan. And the influence of the souls of mankind are the objective. Evil, then, may be a simple distortion of God's Word and His directives. Evil invades all aspects of thought and life as it pertains to mankind: religion, legalism, socialism, apostasy, etc. Under the concept of religion, evil includes any system of religious function outside of the 'church,' which church has been ordained by God. This means that certain denominations, movements and organizations within religion can be evil. And one of the most harmful things that can befall any believer is to become influenced by evil -- Satan's system. Spiritually mature believers are said to be able to differentiate between good and evil, Hebrews 5:14, which says, "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." And according to Romans 7:19-21, a good thing done in an evil manner is evil: "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I don not want to do -- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." Philippians 3:2 warns believers to beware of evil men, "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh." And the saints are not to keep company with evil, and influence by evil explains why prayers are not answered: Job 35:8,9, says, "He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with wicked men. For he says, 'It profits a man nothing when he tries to please God.'" Ecclesiastes 9:3 makes the somber and astounding statements that false religious teachings are evil and can lead to insanity, "This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead." Spiritually mature believers are protected from evil, according to the following verses: Psalm 21:11, Proverbs 12:12,20,21; 23:4; Genesis 50:20; 48:16; Psalm 37:16-19; 97:10; 119:101; 121:7, and Proverbs 1:33; 2:10-14; 19:23. Within the souls of believers, the question is: Is the believer influenced by God's Word and grace, or by evil? This question is clearly asked in Proverbs 15:3; 16:6; 22:3, and 24:1-4, which says, "Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." God's Word overcomes evil; Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." And Psalm 54:5 says, "Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them." Apostasy is shaped by evil, according to John 3:19, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." And Psalm 36:1-4 makes it even more lucid, "An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong." So here, then, we have the sins of arrogance and hatred included in evil, and helping to form apostasy in the believer's soul. Thinking evil leads to a complete reversal of standards, Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." And the thinkers of evil destroy themselves (God using evil to destroy evil), according to Psalm 34:21, "Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned." Evil has no loyalty to anyone or anything, Psalm 35:12, "They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn." And finally, and efficiently, James 1:13 asserts that there is no evil in God, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." And God will judge evil, Isaiah 13:11, "I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless." Here we have sin and evil mentioned as two components of the same system. 'Haughty' thinking (evil) leads to 'arrogant' actions (sin). And 'ruthlessness' (hate as a system of thought or evil) leads to 'pride' (self-esteem and self-sufficiency). "In the present age, man proves his separation from his Creator by his spirit of self-sufficiency and positive rejection of God. The present issue between God and man is one of whether man will accept God's estimate of him, abandon his hopeless self-struggle, and cast himself only on the grace of God which alone is sufficient to accomplish his needed transformation." [10] Paul's aim, then, is to influence Philemon with God's way, grace, rather than Satan's way, evil and coercion. Notes: [9] Thieme, Robert. The Concept of Evil; from notes 1971. Revised and altered by R. E. Radic. [10] Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Satan; page 49. 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