Will Good Finally Conquer Evil?

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Many persons consider this world a contest between good and evil to see which one will finally win out. Persons usually call robbery, rape, murder and war human evils and fear man will one day destroy himself. Another evil is natural calamities such as volcanoes, floods and earthquakes that kill millions of people and devastate lands. And yet another evil is that everything deteriorates called the physical law of entropy. That is metals rust, wood rots, animals and persons die.

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But we can see these as unavoidable evils. Consider bad human choices are better than no choice that would make us robots without freedom, dignity and true humanity. Calamities destroy untold lives and property, yet are earth’s necessary healing adjustments to keep its forces in balance. For example, movement of tectonic plates causes earthquakes but raise continents and mountains otherwise covered with water. Floods and volcanoes enrich lands making crops more productive. And if metals didn’t rust, wood rot, animals and people die what enormous population and problems would develop?

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I want first to briefly discuss three worldviews that are disqualified in the contest of good versus evil. Then, to show how the biblical Christian worldview alone assures us that good will finally conquer evil. Finally, to show how Jesus Christ, the incarnate God-man, has given us visible proof of conquering evil and will one day rid its presence from the earth.

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Three Disqualified Contenders.

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Pantheism. This worldview says god is universal energy that makes personality, pain, death, and evil illusion. It must deny sense knowledge to claim world illusion but pantheists wear clothes, look in the mirror, eat, feel pain, die, and avoid oncoming vehicles that prove the world’s no illusion. It claims karma (reap what you sew) and reincarnation demonstrate justice. Pantheists base these claims upon nature’s cycles and human defects that can be better explained by heredity and environment. And its justice is an impersonal principle without rational standards, knowledge and judgment. Further, pantheists (or monists) make distinctions between things and can’t explain how the world illusion began. Pantheism doesn’t qualify for ethical consideration—it’s the illusion including Hinduism and all its kindred religious and secular philosophies.

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Evolutionary humanism. This worldview is disqualified because it denies absolutes. It’s based upon the universe popping into existence by chance and evolving into what we see today. All our thinking is absurd if everything mysteriously came by accident from nothing. Evolutionary natural science knows but ignores that matter, life, personality, truth, logic, and ethics must be effects of a personal ethical cause we can rightfully call God. Things didn’t simply appear mysteriously from a void. This begun dependent universe must have an independent, infinite self-existent cause that can explain all these things. Otherwise, ethics and all else are only conflicting human guesses and preferences without the final authority of an infinite God. Limited, conflicting, human opinions are without authority and can only result in warfare. 

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Finite godism. A limited god gives us no assurance of defeating evil. Whether limited power, knowledge, or compassion, any one of these defects can mean evils or universal forces can defeat him. That makes him unworthy of our worship, devotion and service. Furthermore, a finite dependent god himself requires an infinite Creator and Sustainer who would be the real God, the standard or measure of good and which makes a finite god either human imagination or an unnecessary creation that may cease to exist.

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Only the Bible’s God Can Conquer Evil.

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The Bible’s God is the universe’s Creator, Sustainer and man’s Life-giver and Judge. Numerous Bible passages teach these things. The point here is that God’s having these powers means all evils are under His control. God does, however allow evils to test whether we will choose a love-trust relationship with Him that issues in our obedience and His glory. God created a good world mentioned seven times in the creation account (Genesis 1). And God and man were in right relationship until man chose to distrust and disobey God and corrupt the world with sin and death (Gen. 3). So, our Creator God gave us free will, but our bad choices cause evil and corruption. Yes, evils abound today, but God’s power, wisdom and goodness assure us He’ll conquer them in His time, according to His wise plan. And we are deceived and foolish to blame the evil we choose to do on God, who gave us the freedom to do them. That's accusing God without cause as we are accountable to Him for the evils.

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Evil and sin is a corruption of the good. It’s not a substance in itself, but the privation of a good substance or relationship. It’s like rust to a car, rot in a tree, moth-holes in a garment, blindness in a person. It’s the absence of something real and good that ought to be there. So man brought sin or evil into the world. Our sin destroys our relationships with others and with our Creator, Life-giver and Judge.

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Now, our rebellious, prideful, self-centered attitude is part of the evil. We humans think and act as though it’s all about us.We thing 10,000 thoughts a day but seldom give God a thought. We focus on our happiness, our success, our security, our glory. If things don’t go our way, if we don’t get the things we want, we feel it’s an evil world and God’s the cause--if He even exists. What we fail to understand is that it’s not about us--it’s all about God and His will—without our Creator and His purpose, there would be nothing. Our every breath depends upon Him. And what we think evil can actually teach us humility, faith, and human compassion. God’s plan allows for evils He can work for His glory and our good (Rom. 8:28). Our salvation is in Jesus who came to seek and save what was lost (Luck 19:10).

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Jesus Christ, the Incarnate God-man, Has Already Conquered Every Evil.

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Without all knowledge, we’ve no basis to say man’s Creator can’t take on a human nature and body. And any so-called god unwilling to walk with us, get his hands dirty with our problems, doesn’t care much about us. The Lord Jesus, the God-man, experienced our worst troubles and evils first-hand. He was tempted in all points like us, yet without sin. He shed blood, sweat and tears in our behalf—that’s love. But how did Jesus defeat every kind of evil?

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Jesus defeated the devil and his demons. Unbelief claims “evil spirit beings” either are just the principle of evil in the world or simply human imagination. But alternative explanations don’t disprove they exist and can put concepts in our minds. Today they’re called spirit guides and chandlers. Being vulnerable after fasting forty days, Satan tempted Jesus in the same ways that caused Adam’s fall: the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But Jesus, the last Adam, defeated Satan by believing and obeying God’s Word, as we should do (Matt. 4:1-11).

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When Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee, naked, shouting, unbound violent men living among tombs, and cutting themselves with stones, fell before Jesus’ feet. These men knew things then unknown even to Jesus’ disciples—that Jesus was the Son of God with power to cast the demons into the pit of torment. But at their request, Jesus sent the demons into a herd of pigs that drowned in the Sea. Town’s people found the men calm, clothed, and in their right minds. Neither Jesus nor the demoniacs were playacting. It was visible and verbal proof that Jesus’ power defeated the devil (Matt. 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39). See also Job 1:12; Rev. 20:2-3, 10).

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Jesus conquered sin. Twelve men followed Jesus for over three years and found no sin in him. Jesus’ dared to challenge his critics to find sin in him. Because they could not, they desperately plotted his death. At his trials, his only crime was admitting his deity (Matt. 26:59-66). His perfect purity shows His power ovr sin and why He alone qualifies to be the Savior of us sinners (1 Peter 3:18).

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Jesus controlled nature. What nature’s laws won’t allow and man cannot do, Jesus did showing He’s nature’s Lord. He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11), walked on the Sea (6:19), multiplied food to feed thousands (Luke 9:10-17), and ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:50-51). People talked with and observed Him in every case. There can be no mistake or trickery.

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Jesus cured diseases. He healed a man’s withered hand (Luck 6:6-10), a man born blind (John 9), a deaf mute (Mark 7:31-37), cleansed ten lepers (Luke 17:12-14), and restored Malchus cut off ear (Luke 22:51). There’s no way to explain away these miracles by hypnotism or fraud. They were immediate, spontaneous, certain cures before many eyewitnesses.

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Jesus defeated death. He raised three persons from the dead whose bodies were stiff and cold and in Lazarus’ case was already in decay. They were the widow of Nain’s son, Jairus’ daughter, and Lazarus whose body was already in decay. He predicted his death and resurrection on numerous occasions giving details of people involved and how it would take place. And many infallible proofs confirmed his resurrection. See my articles on Jesus’ resurrection.

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Jesus is coming again to claim his bride. Jesus visibly demonstrated his divine power, goodness, and love. He defeated every enemy of man. But that’s not the end. Jesus will return to claim his Bride, the Church. He will judge all those who reject him. Those who refused to submit in this life will bow before the King of kings to acknowledge He is Lord. Dear friend, I invite you to enter a love-trust relationship with Jesus that issues in obedience now and not suffer eternal loss. Then you can do great good by linking my blog to your computer and sharing these articles with others who can know the Savior and eternal life. God bless you and thanks.

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