On this we agree
Evil exists in this world. Do you agree? Consider the following. Chemical warfare. Beheadings. Suicide bombers. Sex slave traders. Financial traders stealing pensions and life savings. Phone scammers. Governments only concerned with their own power and influence. People who walk on and over anyone who stands between them and the top, especially as it relates to personal pleasure. The list seems endless.
Evil is defined as “a force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin.” If this refers to the fallen human nature that includes both original sin plus actual sins humans choose to commit, I agree.
Everyone inherits the spiritual disease called original sin, which was first observed after Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Why did they do it? They wanted to become their own god.
This “force in nature” is not Mother Nature, El Niño, or La Niña. What secularists consider impersonal, Christians consider very personal in a spiritual sense. Spiritual does not mean not real or real only in a psychological way or as a metaphor. Lucifer, Satan, the Destroyer, Father of Lies, and Beelzebub are just some of the names for a fallen archangel cast from heaven to earth.
Jesus referred to him as the prince of this world whose time is finite and who will be imprisoned when Christ returns. Satan seeks to “steal and kill and destroy” through unfortunate incidents such as cancer, tornados, breakins, and death.
Often he works through the gossip and greed of people. And, I have heard people describe very personal attacks by Satan or those he commands called demons. James, the brother of Jesus, clearly believed demons were real even though many people relegate them to make believe and movies today.
Evil may also be actions that are morally wrong or bad and actions that cause physical injury or emotional harm. The actions of a person may be or cause evil, but the person themself is not. Missing this distinction frequently leads to revenge not justice and the destruction of lives rather than their rehabilitation.
Everyone is a sinner; i.e. does wrong things. Few people are so bad as to be labeled evil. Consequently, please do not confuse the person with the evil in which they participate. “The wicked or immoral part of someone,” is not the totality of who they are.
Nice, France; Munich, Germany; and Istanbul, Turkey, have known intense evil these last few days. The perpetrators had a “wicked or immoral part” but are not total evil. They may influence others to do evil, but they should not be considered beyond the reach of rehabilitation.
Who will reach out to them, how will they attempt it, and will they keep trying if their efforts are not met with immediate success?
Someone reached out to each of us. “Are we any better? Not at all!…As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one.” Evil must be resisted and evil must be destroyed. Jesus did his part. He has conquered Satan and will imprison him in hell. Until then, we must choose to overcome evil and encourage others to do the same with the rehabilitative help of the Holy Spirit.
Make no mistake, however, we fight the Evil One and the evil present in every human when we love them and seek to persuade them to choose Jesus Christ as their savior. Agreed?
— Dr. Randy Rowlan is pastor of First United Methodist Church. Comments are welcomed at randyrowlan@yahoo.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.