What Is The Biblical
Meaning Of “Evil”?
“I form the light, and
create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].” (Isaiah 45:7)
“[Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on
iniquity:…” (Habakkuk 1:13)
“Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man:” (James 1:13)
In above set of Scriptures, we find one of the supposedly
contradictory texts of the Scriptures.
On one hand, from the lips of the Lord Himself, He clearly states that “I create evil”. Then later in the Scriptures we find Habakkuk
as he speaks concerning the Lord says “[Thou
art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:” then, to
add confusion to our subject, James states clearly that God “cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”
In this series of lessons, we will be looking into two basic
questions, first, “What Is God’s Role In The Existence of Evil ?” and,
secondly, “What Is The Purpose Behind The Existence Of Evil ?”
THE
SCRIPTURES:
(Romans
5:10-16)
For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when
there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned
from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the
offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
[which is] by one man, Jesus Christ,
hath abounded unto many. And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment [was] by one to condemnation, but the
free gift [is] of many offences unto
justification.
(Romans 6:18-23)
Being
then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of
the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members
servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
What
fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of
those things [is] death. But now being made free from sin, and become
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting
life. For the wages of sin [is]
death; but the gift of God [is]
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 8:19-22)
For
the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity,
not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected [the same] in hope, Because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
in pain together until now.
THE
STUDY:
The Characteristics
of “Evil”
To
begin our study, it is important for us to come to a Scriptural understanding
of the term “evil”.
The
word “evil” in the Bible is translated by many different words. The following
is a list of the most common root words translated by the word “evil” in the
KJV Bible:
In
the Old Testament the word “evil” is translated from the following Hebrew root words:
1. ra’ a’ – to spoil, to ruin, to be good for
nothing, to break in pcs, marred
2. bliya ‘al – worthless, destructive,
3. ‘aven – nothingness, idol, trouble, vanity
In
the New Testament the word “evil” is translated from the following Greek root
words:
1.
poneros – hurtful, calamitous, diseased,
derelict, malice, vicious
2.
kakos – worthless, depraved, causing
injury, to harm
3.
phaulos – inadequate, morally wicked,
valueless
4.
adikeo – to be unjust, to do wrong, to
injure, suffering
5. blasphemos – irreverent, blaspheme, to speak
ill of, to harm with speech
The
most basic Biblical characteristics of “evil” can be obtained from the above
lists. When used in the Holy Scriptures,
the word “evil” is speaking of:
1.
something that causes harm or injury
2. in many cases, the harm is so severe that it causes
total worthlessness and ruin
3. it can be, but not necessarily, directly involved
with moral wickedness
This
is the basic characteristics for “evil” that we will be using throughout this
study.
Based
upon the above, we can also see that “evil” can be describing to different
types of events….
The Two Types Of “Evil”
1. Evil can describe sin and its DIRECT
results...
An
act of “sin” can be described as an act of “evil” because “sin” is harmful to
all mankind. When “sin” is equated with
“evil”, it presents to us two different truths about the same act:
1. “Sin” teaches us that it is an act that is
done in opposition to the revealed will of the Lord.
2. That same act, when described as “evil”, teaches
us that it is an act that brings harm upon mankind.
One
example of the harm that sin brings upon mankind is “death” (Roms 6:23). By “death” the Bible is teaching us that sin directly
results in physical, spiritual and eternal death, all of which are harmful and
ruinous to man. The existence of “death”
can be traced back to the specific sin of Adam that was committed in Eden…
(Roms 5:12)
Besides
“death”, there are many other direct results of sin upon man, all of which are
evil. When sin is committed, mankind is
directly harmed. Examples of this
principle include:
1.
murders which not only result in loss of life, but tremendous sorrow and
hardship to those acquainted with the victim
2.
lies which can result in individuals being slandered, unjustly punished, and
their testimony ruined
3.
adulteries which can result in broken families, and ruined testimonies
4.
covetousness/theft which can result in loss of property, and financial ruin
5.
drunkenness which can cause physical abuse, mental abuse, and broken families
5.
hatred which can result in the abuse of those who are hated
6.
sexual immorality which can result in STDs, broken homes, leading to abortions
(the murder of the unborn)
The
list of sins and their possible harmful results upon man are absolutely endless. This is why “sin” and “evil” are equated in
the Bible.
2. Evil can describe sin and its INDIRECT
results...
Normally,
when we think of the results of sin, we think of the direct results of sin (see
above). But there is also another set of
sin’s results that we must classify as “indirect” results of sin. What is an indirect result of sin? There are many results of sin that we cannot
directly link to any specific act of sin.
For
example a direct result of the sin of murder is the loss of life. The life that is lost can be directly linked
back to the act of murder that was committed.
If that specific act of murder had not taken place that specific life
would not have been lost. This is a
“DIRECT” result of sin.
But
if we stop and think about things, there are many harmful acts that take place
on the earth that cannot be linked back to a specific act of sin. Here are some examples: earthquakes, floods,
tornadoes, many diseases (colds, flu etc), many accidents (falling, tripping
down steps, etc.) Once again this list seems endless. But the principle still remains…. Think of
ANYTHING that causes pain, suffering, harm, or death that cannot be directly
linked to a specific act of sin… that is an INDIRECT result of sin.
By
now, you might be thinking, “but why are you calling these the result of
sin? There is no sin involved in any of
these.” We will answer this question
with a question… “Would any of these things happen if sin had never entered the
world?” The obvious answer is “No.” If sin had never entered the world mankind
would never suffer from sicknesses, tornados, falls, broken bones, etc. This is the principle revealed to us in
Romans 8:19-22, where we are told that all of creation is “groaning and
travailing” (ie suffering under the results of sin – earthquakes, tornados,
viruses, imperfections etc) and waiting for deliverance from sins affects at
the second coming.
It
is because of sin that the world has entered a fallen state and, due to this
fallen condition of the world, we have the existence of many evils that afflict
mankind but are not the result of any specific sin. This is the principle
behind saying that one type of “evil” is harm to man that is INDIRECTLY linked
to the presence of sin.
So
what is “evil” ? The easiest way that I
can define the Biblical concept of evil is “the condition/ act of sin, OR the
direct or indirect results of sin that are harmful, and potentially ruinous, to
any part of God’s creation.”
THE PRACTICAL
APPLICATION:
What we have seen in this study….
We have attempted to come to a very basic understanding of the
term “evil” as used in the Bible. We
have come to see that:
1. “Evil” describes something that
causes harm or injury
2. “Evil” can be referring to harm that is so
severe, that it causes total destruction or uselessness
3. “Evil” can, but not necessarily, involves
moral wickedness
4. “Evil” can describe sin or it can describe
the results of sin
5. “Evil” can describe the direct results of sin
6. “Evil” can describe the indirect results of
sin
7. “Evil” can describe an act that is morally
wicked
8. “Evil” can describe, not the act, but the
result of moral wickedness
So, in summary, “Evil” can describe an act or the results of that
act and, in every case that it is used in the Bible, it is describing something
that is harmful to man. In other words…
Evil is “the
condition/act of sin, OR the direct or indirect results of sin, that are
harmful, and potentially ruinous, to any part of God’s creation.”
In our next study, we will examine the source of evil in this
world.
May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek His truth.
Please visit…
Settled In Heaven
Ministries Home On The Web: http://www.settledinheaven.org
Settled In Heaven
Ministries Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com
Settled In Heaven
Ministries Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven
Email Us At:
settledinheaven@gmail.com
May the Lord bless
your study of His Word. Like God’s Word…
may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in
Heaven.”
No comments:
Post a Comment