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Does God want us to see evil? Yes, He does.
Why? So we recognize it as evil. So we do not confuse evil with good.
What was the problem with Adam and Eve eating from The Tree of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil?
Prior to that, Life for them was simple. All Adam and Eve knew was good. After the fall, the lines between good and evil were forever blurred.
Satan could never deceive if he was shown as pure evil. He needs some good mixed in with his evil.
Good is often the bait. Good is what causes people to think “the end justifies the means.” Good is what causes people to think what they are doing is not all that bad. Satan can always show them people who are doing worse things than they are.
God does not let satan hide evil. God shines His Light into every corner of darkness.
Again why? To expose it. To allow us to identify it. To make the right choice to avoid it. And … very important … to rescue those who have been deceived and are still living in evil.
How do we do that? We begin by understanding what we should not do.
Do not condemn.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 3:17
Do not run the other way. No one is ever too evil for God to leave them. We should not give up on them either. We don’t have to be in their physical presence, but we can pray for them.
God said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5
Do not judge. We can recognize the behavior is wrong, but the ultimate judgement for the behavior is up to God.
Jesus said “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
Matthew 7:1
Forgive freely, even when you know they are wrong. Jesus did that from the cross.
He also said, “If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:15
Forget the sin. Remember the person. See them as the person God created them to be. God does not create people to be villains. God created people to be good.
If we truly forgave as God forgives, we would not count how many times a person has sinned. Each time would be the first time.
God said, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:12
There was no more dramatic presentation of the battle of Good and Evil than the crucifixion of Jesus. Why would God allow such a thing?
To expose the works of darkness. To let satan throw his best shot and then bring a wonderful, brilliant, dazzling Light that completely eliminated the darkness of that day.
Evil is here to stay for a little while. God said we would go through trials, but He would be with us.
Jesus said we would have trouble, but He is with us always and He has overcome the world.
We are all part of God’s Mission to save the world. That starts with our choice.
God said, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses that I have set before you Life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose Life, so that you and your children may live!”
Deuteronomy 30:19
