Evil according to (some) Christians: (an exerpt) my comments italicsized...
EVIL DEFINED - Matthew 6:6-12
Webster defines "evil" as an adjective as anything "morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked <an impulse>; anything "arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct," or anything "causing discomfort or repulsion;" "anything causing harm. As a noun it is "something that brings sorrow, distress, or calamity; the fact of suffering, misfortune, and wrongdoing." The words in the languages of the Bible that are translated into the English "evil," mean about the same
(my comment - are we so sure?)What does "evil" look like? We saw how the dictionary defines evil, but how do we define it?
What do you say we let God define it for us. The word "evil" appears 612 times in the King James Version of the Bible, 132 times in the New Testament, so, God has a lot to say about evil. In Romans 1:18-28 He mentions a number of things He considers evil. For the sake of time, I'll not read the entire passage; I'll just quickly list the evils mentioned there.
He said of the Gentile people of that day that they were (1) given to worthless speculation,
(this is evil? really?)(2) they exchanged the splendor of the imperishable God for images like perishable man, birds, four-footed animals and reptiles.
(hm - yes quite evil...)(3) They lusted in their hearts to immorality.
(like believe in Jesus and you will live eternally - don't believe and you will die...that sort of thing?) (4) They degraded their bodies among themselves.
(Like by being too embarrased to show skin - I don't understand this one - what can i say?) (
(5) They exchanged the truth of God for falsehood.
(hm - evil if I've ever seen it fer sure...how depraved and damaging...)(6) They worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator.
(sounds like environmentalists are all damned...)(7) They abandoned natural sexual intercourse for what's unnatural, (lesbianism and homosexuality).
(missionary position only if you please!) (8) Because they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a worthless mind, to practice evil things. (so it is Gods fault after all? And obviously non-belief in God - both evil and showing a lack of intellect - of course...hey God just needs love people...)
(9) They filled themselves with all (10) wrongdoing, (11) wickedness (12) greed, (13) malice, (14) hate, (15) envy, (16) murder,(17) deceit, (18) Meanness, (19) gossip, 20) disloyalty, (21) Inhumanity and (22) they lived unmercifully. [/I]
That is one of the most inclusive lists of evil behavior found in the Scriptures.
(must be...I must say I am glad they got around to murder and malice etc - I was beginning to wonder if my idea of evil was just way off the mark...)(so in light of the former I guess i can better understand this conclusion....whew - a load off my mind...) CONCLUSION
God put the death sentence on evil. He said, "The day [you do it ML] you shall die." ("Death" means "separation.") And the day the first man and his wife disobeyed God, they committed the first act of evil and he and his wife died --that is, they were separated from God. But of course God knew Adam would commit evil
(aha!!), so He built into His plan, a way for reconciliation between man and Himself. When He announced punishment for the evil done by the man, the woman and the tempter, He also announced His eternal plan. It's recorded in Genesis 3:15 and it says, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The plan was to send His only begotten Son to be so abused and slain by sinners as described in that verse, and then His resurrection to a glorious victory of evil. The Scripture says, Romans 5:12 "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."
So, since we've all sinned (done evil), we all come under that sentence of death --separation from God. But by the grace of God we can all be reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, His Son.
Edited by THOTH, 26 August 2004 - 12:35 PM.