THE EARTH A PLANET PLAGUED WITH EVIL


        There are many remarkable features on this marvelous planet which
    God created. Warm sunshine and refreshing showers cause the Earth to
    produce a magnificent garden of beauty. Our world abounds with an
    amazing array of curious and delightful animals. The love that humans
    are capable of sharing in their domestic and communal lives is
    thrilling indeed. The blessings that true Christianity has visited upon
    humankind are too numerous to catalog.  Yes, this is a wonderful world
    in many respects.

        Realistically, however, it must be acknowledged that there is much
    in our environment that can only be denominated properly as evil. When
    the term evil is employed, though, it should be recognized that it does
    not necessarily denote that which is MORALLY bad. It is possible to use
    the term, or some equivalent expression, to describe certain conditions
    which have resulted as a consequence of man's fall from his original
    state of innocence. Even though the concept of evil may be employed
    accommodatively, it must be conceded that all evil is traceable
    ultimately to humanity's rebellion against the Creator. In this study,
    we will discuss several forms of evil that are a part of our earthly
    domain.

        NATURAL EVIL---The environment of our planet, as such now is, is
    not that which was originally intended or designed by Jehovah.
    Initially, the abode of man was a paradise of happiness and beauty. The
    Greek version of the Old Testament Scriptures declares that God placed
    Adam in the garden of Delight [paradeiso] (Genesis 2:15).
    Archaeological data from ancient cultures speak of a golden age, a
    place where the sun rises (Genesis 2:8) where there was nothing but
    that which is good, clean, and bright. It was a place of no sickness or
    death (cf. Samuel Kramer, The Sumerians: Their History, Culture and
    Character, University of Chicago Press, 1963, pp 147-9; 277-86). When
    our original parents revolted against their Maker, however, a principle
    of evil invaded our world. Moses informs us that as a consequence of
    human sin the earth was cursed (Genesis 3:17). The inspired Paul
    declared that the creation was subjected to vanity and the bondage of
    corruption by the will of God (Romans 8:19,20). This indicates a change
    in our planet's features.
        There is also a strong case to be made for the idea that the great
    Flood of Noah's day (Genesis 6-8), wrought devastating consequences by
    the rearrangement of Earth's geophysical features. This has resulted in
    the violent storms, volcanic eruptions, and destructive earthquakes
    that are now commonplace in our world. For a discussion of this concept
    see A.M. Rehwinkel's scholarly book, The Flood (Concordia, St. Louis,
    Missouri, 1951, Chapter 1). These destructive forces, as a general
    rule, should not be designated acts of God (as in insurance policies);
    rather, they are forms of natural evil that are a penalty for man's
    apostasy.

        PROVIDENTIAL EVIL---In the 47th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet of
    God announces the impending doom of the pagan Babylonian empire. The
    Lord speaks: Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of
    Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne... (47:1). Jehovah declared
    that he would take vengeance upon the haughty nation which boasted, I
    shall be mistress for ever (3,7). The wickedness of this heathen power
    is graphically portrayed, and impending punishment is promised. God
    warned: Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know the
    dawning thereof; and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be
    able to put it away; and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly,
    which thou knowest not (11; emp. added). Note that the terms evil
     and desolation are used interchangeably. Evil, in this sense, is the
    opposite of peace (cf. Isaiah 45:7). Depending upon a nation's
    spiritual posture, the Lord is able to, and will, visit them with
    either peaceful and prosperous conditions, or He will bring upon them
    destruction. Righteousness does exalt a nation (Proverbs 14:34), and
    governments that ignore Jehovah's principles will be judged (Psalm
    9:17). The Old Testament is replete with examples of how the sovereign
    Creator dealt with national powers depending upon their moral and
    religious fiber. Are we wise enough to learn from those examples
    (Romans 15:4)?

        PHYSICAL EVIL---Job, the ancient sufferer of Uz, lamented that man,
    that is born of woman, is of few days and full of trouble (Job 14:1). A
    part of the patriarch's affliction was a loathsome disease that
    consumed his entire body (2:7). When some of Job'
    s friends heard of all this evil that descended upon him, they came to
    comfort him (2:11), though they turned out to be miserable comforters
    (16:2).

        What is the origin of disease and death? Why does God permit such
    things? How can these evils be reconciled with a benevolent Creator?
    From the biblical vantage point, physical corruption is viewed as an
    evil which plagues mankind as a result of Adam's original sin, which,
    of course, was instigated by Satan. Notice the New Testament emphasis
    on the devil's relationship to human physical malady.

        On a certain occasion when Christ was teaching in a Jewish
    synagogue, He encountered a woman who had been deformed by a physical
    ailment for eighteen years. Jesus healed the lady, and yet His act
    incurred the wrath of the synagogue's ruler, who contended that the
    Master's miracle was a violation of the Sabbath law. The Lord, by use
    of an ad hominem argument (which reveals the inconsistency of an
    opponent), pointed out if the Jews had no objection to loosing a
    tethered animal on the Sabbath, surely they ought not to object to the
    unloosing of this unfortunate woman, who had, these many years, been
    bound of Satan (Luke 13:16). Christ attributes the woman's infirmity
    ultimately to the devil. In his sermon at the home of Cornelius the
    Roman centurion, Peter, in discussing the ministry of Jesus, affirmed
    that our Lord went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of
    the devil (Acts 10:38). Think of the variety of healings which Jesus
    effected, in light of this passage. In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy
    7:15 speaks of evil diseases, and in the New Testament, the hardships
    (sickness, etc.) that had plagued Lazarus' life were called evil things
    (Luke 16:25).

        Christ, in a heated discussion with certain Jewish leaders,
    indicated that Satan had murdered the human family at the very
    beginning of time (John 8:44). This would surely be an allusion to
    man's corrupted condition which eventually leads to the grave. Paul
    approaches the matter from the standpoint of human responsibility:
    Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death
    through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned...
    (Romans 5:12). Again, we need not be reminded that the New Testament
    views death as our enemy, finally to be abolished by the Son of God (I
    Corinthians 15:26).

        Dr. Leon J. Wood has summarized why God permits natural and
    physical evil in the world.
        Because the world was rendered imperfect by the entrance of
        moral evil into this realm by the Fall of man, the powers of
        nature are allowed by God to work to the detriment of human
        beings.  God tolerates this kind of evil in His universe in
        view of the final victory. And although He sometimes uses it
        to punish individuals and nations (Lamentations 3:38; Amos
        3:6), He also uses it to further His glory and purposes among
        men (James 1:2-4; I Peter 1:7).  Suffering resulting from
        physical evil may chasten, but it can never separate from the
        love of God (Romans 8:38,39), and in fact it may well prepare
        the individual for a greater glory (Romans 8:18; II Corinthians
        4:16-18; Ephesians 3:13). It must also be recognized, however,
        that many human calamities under the providence and sovereignty
        of God are created by human stupidity. With this in mind, man
        has a responsibility to study God's creation, to control it
        and subdue it according to His command (Gen.  1:28) (The
        Encyclopedia of Christianity, National Foundation for Christian
        Education, 1972, Vol. IV, p. 131).

        ACTS OF MORAL EVIL---There is a concerted effort in modern society
    to deny the reality of actual moral evil. Some atheists allege that
    since there is no God, nothing can be classified as evil; thus, every
    exercise of human determination is either neutral or right.
    Evolutionists contend that moral consciousness has been naturally
    developed as a societal mechanism for the preservation of our species;
    hence, evil is flexible and definable only by the individual.
    SOCIOBIOLOGY is the recently developed notion that man cannot be
    charged with evil since human conduct is merely the programmed response
    of one's genetic background.

        Even some religionists have distorted the picture. Mary Baker Eddy,
    founder of the Christian Science movement, argued that: Evil has no
    reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a
    belief, an illusion of material sense (Science and Health, Christian
    Science Society, 1895, p 237).

        The fact is, however, the Bible clearly recognizes the existence of
    moral evil. Moral evil has to do with man's relationship to man; it is
    perverted human behavior. The New Testament employs three Greek
    adjectives (and a variety of cognate forms) which are rendered as evil
    in the English Bible. Although a distinction in the different terms is
    sometimes difficult to recognize, kakos (50 times) denotes that which
    is evil in character, whereas the synonym poneros (78 times) appears to
    emphasize the malignant influence or evil that results from certain
    acts. Phaulos (6 times) suggests that which is bad in the sense of
    being worthless (W.E.  Vine, Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words,
    Revell, Old Tappan, New Jersey 1962, Vol. II, pp 50,51).

        The New Testament acknowledges the presence of the evil one, i.e.,
    Satan (Matthew 5:37), who, in the first century was able to afflict
    certain people through evil spirits (Matthew 12:45). There are evil
    workers who speak evil words (Matthew 5:11) and/or do evil deeds (John
    3:19; Colossians 1:21), thus producing evil fruit (Matthew 7:17).
    Murder, lying, adultery, stealing, etc., are all forms of evil and are
    never right under any circumstances (contrary to the assertions of
    situation ethicists).

        MENTAL EVIL---Jesus taught that moral evil commences in the mind of
    man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed;
    fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetings, wickednesses,
    deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: all
    these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man (Mark 7:21-
    23). In addition to actions which are initially formed in the mind,
    there are forms of mental evil that may never overtly express
    themselves, yet, are condemning nonetheless. The Lord declared that
    lust is the equivalent of mental adultery (Matthew 5:28), and the
    apostle John argued that hate is murder in the mind (I John 3:15).
    Jealousy and envy are twin mental dispositions which are characterized
    as works of the flesh (Galatians 5:20,21). The former term denotes the
    desire to own that which others have, whereas the latter word is more
    intense.  It describes the person who possesses a feeling of
    displeasure at the blessings of others and would deprive one's fellows
    of these things. It represents a mean-spirited person.  Euripides
    called envy the greatest of all diseases among men.

        In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus condemned what is called the evil
    eye. Note this interesting text: The lamp of the body is the eye: if
    therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
    But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness
    (Matthew 6:22,23). What is the evil eye? Evil in this context stands in
    contrast to single (Greek, haplous) which signifies singleness of
    purpose, liberality, generosity. An adverbial form of the word is
    rendered liberally (James 1:5; cf. Romans 12:8). If the single eye is
    the generous eye, it follows that the evil eye suggests the stingy,
    niggardly disposition.  The Book of Proverbs warns: Eat not the bread
    of him that hath an evil eye (23:6), the meaning being, do not di
    ne with the stingy host who counts every bite you take! The Lord thus
    taught that the person enslaved to greed is the individual whose life
    is enveloped in darkness. It is interesting that Christ's comment comes
    in a section which cautions against laying up treasures on earth
    (Matthew 6:19,20), and being torn between God and mammon (Matthew
    6:24). Mental evil is a real problem in this world, thus Paul's
    admonition to think upon right things (Philippians 4:8).

        SOCIAL EVIL---To make a special class of social evil may be rather
    arbitrary; nevertheless, we make the distinction for the purpose of
    this study. Slavery is an example of societal evil. It was never the
    ideal will of God that one human being should own another. Regardless,
    slavery was a part of the fabric of the antique world, and the Old
    Testament sought to regulate it and minimize its harshness.

        The Hebrews acquired slaves in two ways. First, they frequently
    made war-captives their slaves. Second, since property was a family
    inheritance and could not be sold, a poor Hebrew needing finances would
    sometimes sell himself into servitude. It must be observed, however,
    that the treatment of servants, as regulated by the Old Testament, was
    far superior to the antebellum slavery of southern America. Slaves,
    under the Mosaic law, had civil, domestic, and religious rights. If a
    man killed his slave, he could lose his life; if he maimed a servant,
    the bonded one was to be set free. Slaves were frequently treated as
    family members and shared in the religious life of the Jewish
    community. A Hebrew slave who had indentured himself was to be rele
    ased after six years of service (Zondervan Pictorial Bible
    Encyclopedia, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1975, Vol. V, pp
    453ff).

        The slavery of the first century Roman world was quite a different
    matter. It was extremely barbarous. It has been estimated that there
    were some 60 million slaves in the Roman empire; they were considered a
    constant threat to governmental authorities. A slave was not a person,
    in Rome's view, but a thing. He could be beaten, branded or crucified.
    Many have wondered why the New Testament writers did not boldly condemn
    this horrible institution. In the first place, it was not the essence
    of the Christian religion to precipitate a VIOLENT REVOLUTION---and
    that is what would have happened if the cry, "EMANCIPATION!" had gone
    forth.  Rather, it was in the nature of the teaching of Jesus to
    provide a leavening influence which would enter the hearts of men and
    initiate a disposition of equality respecting human rights, which, in
    time, would reveal the evil of human bondage. The Golden Rule (Matthew
    7:12) strikes at the very heart of this matter. William Barclay's
    discussion of slavery, in the introduction to his commentary on the
    book of Philemon, is a masterpiece in addressing this theme.

        Racial bigotry is also a societal evil that has plagued many
    cultures, including our own. In the first century, the Jews hated the
    Gentiles and despised the Samaritans, and the disposition was mutual.
    Peter's proclamation at the house of Corneliusthat God is not a
    respector of persons (Acts 10:34f)and the Lord's parable of the good
    Samaritan (Luke 10:25f), struck a death-blow at ethnic prejudice. In
    Christ, racial barriers are forever dissolved (Galatians 3:28).

        RELIGIOUS EVIL---Religion is GODWARD-directed attitude and action.
    It is the divine system whereby estranged humanity may be reconciled to
    God.  It is tragic that so many people labor under the delusion that
    merely being relatively moral represents the totality of human
    responsibility.  It does not. Man must be correctly religious as well;
    morality is included in religion, but it does not exhaust it. There are
    numerous forms of religious evil.

        First, dismissing God from one's life is an evil common to infidels
    and apostates alike. In a passage particularly addressed to those on
    the verge of abandoning Christianity, an inspired writer warned: Take
    heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an EVIL
    heart of UNBELIEF in FALLING AWAY from the living God (Hebrews 3:12).
    Observe the connection between the words we have emphasized.

        Second, a refusal to accept the evidence regarding the nature of
    Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice reflects a mentality that is
    evil. In the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, we are informed of the work of
    the Baptizer, whose mission was to prepare the way for the coming
    Christ (John 1:6-8). Our Lord, in this context, is symbolically
    portrayed as the light Who purposed to provide illumination for this
    world of darkness. Later, however, the apostle declares that most men
    have rejected that light and loved darkness instead, the reason being,
    for their works were evil.  Again, Every one that practices evil hates
    the light, and comes not to the light, lest his works should be
    reproved (John 3:19,20).

        Third, perversion of God's truth concerning the divine plan of
    redemption is a form of religious evil. In the first century there were
    certain Judaizers who contended that the Gospel system alone was
    insufficient to save. They argued that the Mosaic regime (circumcision
    in particular) was a requisite to forgiveness of sins (Acts 15:1ff).
    Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians, alluded to such false teachers
    when he warned: Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware
    of the concision [a word-play on `circumcision']... (Philippians 3:2).

        Here is the principle which may be deduced---any alteration
    (whether by addition, subtraction, or modification)  of Heaven's
    requirements for the reception of salvation is evil in God's sight. In
    view of such passages as Acts 2:38; 22:16; etc., those who advocate the
    dogma of salvation by faith alone should seriously reconsider their
    position.

        Fourth, a corruption of Jehovah's ordered pattern of worship is a
    manifestation of evil. When Jeroboam assumed the role of Northern
    Israel's new king, he proceeded to revise the Hebrew system of worship.
    Golden calves were set up at Bethel and Dan, an unauthorized feast-day
    was instituted, and a new, non-levitical priesthood was appointed (I
    Kings 12:25ff). This novel program of worship was that which the king
    had devised of his own heart (vs. 33).  More than twenty times, the
    inspired narrative of the Old Testament record speaks of the sins of
    Jeroboam which he hath sinned, and wherewith he caused Israel to sin (I
    Kings 14:16).  Even though Jeroboam was rebuked by a prophet of the
    Lord (whose message was confirmed by a divine signI Kings 13:
    1-6), his penitence was short-lived, for, as the sacred narrative
    reveals, after this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way...
    (13:33). Any attempt to worship God apart from divine authority,
    regardless of one's sincerity, is a form of evil.

                                   CONCLUSION

        In conclusion we would reemphasize that the term evil is used in a
    number of different ways in the Scriptures. The context must determine
    the meaning in any given instance. Every sincere Bible student should
    try to understand (as much as is revealed in the divine record) the
    reasons for the existence of natural and physical evil in this world,
    and, correspondingly, attempt to avoid the presence of moral and
    religious evil in his personal life.


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