God defines good and evil

Fiction in a novel depicts truth in real life. The one I’m reading tells of a well-off man who is discontent and thinks more money will make him happy. His pursuit of more money feeds the greed in his heart. When something happens to threaten the gains he hopes to make, he resorts to fear, hatred and then murder. His discontent became a slippery slope.

This is where fiction meets reality. For many, sin seems rather harmless in the beginning. Who will it hurt if I . . . but in the end, it turns on you, bites you, enslaves you, makes you do things that in the beginning you never thought you would do.

Paul describes his real battle with sin. He became a Christian as an adult and while theologians differ on whether he was talking about his life before Christ or after he was saved, every Christian knows this struggle at least at some point in our lives.

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. (Romans 7:14–23)

In another place, he wrote, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16–17)

Paul came to the conclusion that winning this battle never involves “trying harder.” He learned, and so have I, that the efforts of the flesh are no match for sin. This is because those efforts are also corrupted and sinful. As Isaiah wrote, sin is “everyone has turned to his own way.” This includes our own efforts to be good people.

In the mind of God, evil includes all the bad stuff like murder, idolatry, jealousy, and so on, but it also includes the innocent looking “I can do this myself” attitude that leaves God out of the picture. That is why the Bible says that God’s thoughts are “higher” than our thoughts. We grade sin on a scale; He does not. If someone does anything out of His will, they have gone over the line. It doesn’t matter how harmless their actions seem or how small. We tend to compare ourselves to the worst, like Hitler and Clifford Olsen, but He compares us to a high standard.

Not only that, God’s black and white view of sin makes the white side much whiter than most can imagine. The righteousness of God is far holier than most of us can envision. When He talks about good, we tend to think comfort, no hardships, ease. However, He thinks, “Does this match up to My Son, Jesus Christ?” and “Will this develop the image of Jesus in My people?”

Jesus is God’s standard for humanity. He never sinned. His motives were pure, as were His words and actions. All that He did was in obedience to His heavenly Father. Beside Him, I am a foul and ugly mess. Without Him, I have no hope of righteousness, no possibility of gaining favor or honor from God.

The good news of the gospel is that God accepts and forgives sinners, not because we do anything to deserve it, but because Jesus Christ died for our sin. The price is paid. He also lives to give us Himself, and by accepting Him into our lives, we have His righteousness. Because of Jesus, God gives me favor and glory. He puts me into His family, into His kingdom, and lets me enjoy His protection.

Yet I still battle sin. If I give in to that battle, I will suffer loss, including the loss of fellowship with the Lord. Yet this is temporary, not forever. As soon as I confess my sin, He puts His arms around me and again pours out His blessings. His goal is that I be like Jesus.

Being a Christian makes this battle with sin far different from the one facing those who do not know Christ. We can win it, not because our “try harder” is more effective, but because our Savior has conquered sin and continues to fight it in us and for us. For that reason, I can say along with the psalmist these words,

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:10–11)

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Lord, I’m aware of my own battles with sin and sometimes wish this was not the reality for Your people. However, when I compare the struggles I face with the same struggle in the lives of those who do not know You, I rejoice. Truly, a day with You is better than a lifetime without You. A tiny role in Your kingdom is better than any glory outside of it. You are my light and my protection. You do not hold anything good from me, and that includes the realization that what You call “good” is far better than any “good” that this wicked world could offer me. Thank You.