What Does The Bible Say About Evil?

 The Bible has a lot to say about evil. Evil is defined as that which is morally wicked, wrong, and sinful. Apart from this, the Bible also refers to evil as something that can cause harm, even if there are no moral dimensions involved, such as calamities, tragedies, and even death (And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 1 Kings 17:20). Our God is holy, so there is no chance that He can be or can do evil. God is always right in His verdict. Evil entirely contradicts the nature and attributes of God. Evil behavior also includes not believing in the one true God and Jesus Christ. Blasphemy and idolatry are two of the most common behaviors that humans exhibit that are evil in the eyes of God. 

It is important that Christians understand that evil truly exists. From the book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, the Bible is clear that evil exists. Since God is holy, He punishes those who are evil. When we sin, we do evil things. And anyone who sins is subject to the judgment of God. There is a punishment for sin, which is death (Ezekiel 18:20).  The only good in this world is the Holy Trinity. The Bible is clear that no one is good: “None is righteous, no, not one… no one does good, not even one” (Romans: 10-12 (ESV)).  The only “good” in this world is Jesus Christ. That is why He refers to Himself as the “good shepherd” (John 10:11), and this good shepherd laid down His life for His sheep.

God vs. Evil  

The holiness of God defines evil, but it doesn’t mean that He is the author of evil. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, God wills our sanctification. He does not want or wish for us to commit sins or evil deeds (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). As Christians, we are called to repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ. Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, He forgave our sins. Christians are no longer called “evil” people, since we were bought by the blood of Jesus. The Blood of Christ atoned for our sins, and His righteousness was imputed to us. The reason why Christians are no longer evil creatures is that the righteousness of Jesus was granted to us.

The word evil first appears in the Holy Bible in the Book of Genesis 2:17 (NIV), which says, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Adam and Eve chose poorly. They chose Satan’s words instead of God. As this story shows, evil did not originate from God. It originated from human beings because we listened to Satan. Satan was one of God’s created beings, but he turned to evil and brought it to all of humanity. It is true that God created the cosmos, but there is no way that He created evil. We human beings were created to have the free will to choose good or evil. The die was cast when we picked evil over obedience to God.

Victory Over Sin and Evil

Always remember that God is good. There is no corruption in God. You will never see a dark side in Him, but human beings always fall short of the glory of God. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the earth was corrupted. Evilness is now found everywhere. Romans 5:12 says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” Remember that evil is the enemy of God, and one of the effects of evil is death. This is why the Bible referred to death as an enemy— “and the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). But Christians are no longer evil. It’s true that our bodies will experience physical death, but it is only temporary. Let us rejoice and count ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:11). Paul reminds us in the same book and chapter to “not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Ponder on 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (ESV):

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God, who grants us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ!