Evil: It isn't just a show

“The devil divides the world between atheism and superstition.”

                                                                                                George Herbert

This Halloween if you want to risk a friend rolling their eyes, tell them that you believe that Satan is real. About 50% of Americans don’t believe in the existence of the devil. The latest surveys indicate that born-again Christians are the most likely to believe in the devil (86%).

  Yet, nothing delights Satan more than when people do not believe in him or take him seriously. Years ago liberal theologian, Rudolf Bultmann dogmatically stated, “it is impossible to use electric light and the wireless, and to avail ourselves of modern medical and surgical discoveries, and at the same time believe in the New Testament world of demons and spirits.”

  Many believe the devil is a fable, just a bit of fiction, some cartoon character dressed in red with a pitchfork and tail. They contend that truly educated and thinking people don’t believe in a literal devil.

  If Satan is only a myth, how do you explain evil? One can’t turn on the evening news without being repeatedly confronted with the reality of evil. Evil is very real! No honest person can deny the problem of evil. Because of that any world-view, religion, or philosophy that acknowledges evil is real, and as a really evil thing, present in our world – is a thousand times more plausible and livable than a religion or world-view or philosophy that denies the reality, or the evilness, of evil. One of the most undeniable facts of our existence, is that evil is real, and evil is evil, too often very evil.

  To attempt to deny that evil exists is to live with your head in the sand and to attempt to deny reality. Yet, trying to deny reality – whether related to evil or any other aspect of reality, doesn’t work. Reality is like gravity – sooner or later, it catches up to you. The longer that you pretend it isn’t there or try to deny it, the harder and more forcefully it crashes in on you.

  For example, some religions tell us that suffering (a type of evil) is just an illusion and you can escape this illusion by achieving a certain frame of mind. This, though, denies the reality of evil. But when the evilness of suffering, sickness or death hits you, you find that any “truth” that tells you that suffering is merely a state of mind or a figment of your imagination and that you should be unbothered by it, is an offensive and unlivable lie.

  While atheism doesn’t fit with the unavoidably moral universe in which we undeniably find ourselves, it’s often accompanying “privation theory,” (that evil is only the lack of good,) doesn’t do justice to the fact that evil is an objective and often horrible real entity. Evil is not merely the “lack of good,” it’s positively vile.

  Even most atheists acknowledge the reality of evil. Yet, if you claim there is evil and injustice in the world, where does one find a moral standard of justice? Doesn’t it seem logical that if there are moral laws, there must also be a moral Law-Giver? For there to be a judgement of evil, it must be based on more than one’s own subjective and benign moral feelings.

  C. S. Lewis’s response to this idea is worth pondering: “My argument [as an atheist] was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust. A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line…Of course, I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too…” If there is “evil,” that argument presupposes “good” and some standard of what is good and what is evil. Otherwise neither exists or it is all subjective. The most logical argument is that both exist and God is the moral Law-Giver.

  In his book, The Death of Satan, noted scholar and professor at Columbia University, Dr. Andrew Delbanco, argues that “a gulf has opened up in our culture between the visibility of evil and the intellectual resources for coping with it.” He goes on to argue that many secularists attribute all human cruelty and evil to psychological deprivation or social conditioning, and, in so doing, trivialize the heinous evil that humans are capable of.

  He then recounts the story of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who along with many American elites during the Holocaust gave “no priority to the rescue” of the victims. Later on, after the evidence for the atrocities became too great to disbelieve, the President was given Kiergegaard to read and said that, for the first time, the Christian philosopher gave him, “an understanding of what it is in man that makes it possible…to be so evil.” Dr. Delbanco contends that secular liberals (a group of which he considers himself a member) had lost any concept of radical evil.

  It’s been often said that one of Satan’s greatest tricks is to make people believe that he doesn’t exist — and that’s true. When we deny his existence, we become blinded to the reality of evil, and we fall for his lies about God and about ourselves. Satan is real; the cruelty and vileness of our headlines scream it every day.

  Yet, the most important truth about the devil is this: He is a defeated enemy! By His death on the cross Jesus overcame Satan’s charges against us, and by His resurrection from the grave Jesus conquered Satan’s rule of sin and death. Someday, and I hope soon, Christ’s victory over Satan will be complete. Satan and his evil horde of demons will be banished forever.

  Jesus has won the victory! He died to set us free from Satan’s power. While we need to be wary of Satan, we do not need to fear him – he’s a defeated foe. He may tempt and attack us, but the grace of God in Christ will always make us victorious over him. As 1 John 4:4 promises, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (NLT). We must turn to and rely on the Lord Jesus, who defeated our great Enemy. As we build our lives on Him and His truth, He gives us hope and power, both now and forever.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

A job is NOT the best social program!

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.”  John F. Kennedy

  Did you know that if you swallow a piece of chewing gum, it remains in your body for seven years? Did you know that if you leave a tooth in a glass of Coke overnight by the next morning the tooth will be completely dissolved? Did you know that if enough people fill out “Jedi” as their religion on their census forms the government will have to make it an official religion? Did you know that Poinsettias are poisonous?

  None of those are true. They’re all myths. Did you know that, (and you’re going to hear this a lot during the upcoming election year), that “jobs are the best social program out there…that there is no social program as effective as a job.” One of my heroes, the late Ronald Reagan, appears to be the first one to say that “I believe the best social program is a job.” But President Reagan was wrong. Like most myths, this one has been repeated so often that it’s accepted as fact. Since it’s the Labor Day weekend, let’s consider a biblical worldview of the place of a job in our life.

  Statistics show that most voters, even the majority of Christians, vote based on economic values more than any other one issue. In other words, the vast majority of those who are part of the Kingdom of God vote based on kingdom of man values. It may take different avenues. For some it’s job security or the creation of jobs. For others, it’s lowered taxes, a growing economy or the stock market. The bottom line is it is economic and the majority of the time that’s translated into money and – my job.

  Please understand, it’s good to have a job. If you read last week’s Pastor’s Pen or are familiar with 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, you know the Bible teaches that part of our God-given responsibility from Creation is work. It’s a continual theme of Scripture – God’s plan for human beings is to find fulfillment in work and responsibility, not just leisure and the weekend (that’s another myth we’ll work through at another time).

  Yet, politicians are indiscriminate, after all if “the best social program is a job,” it doesn’t matter what the job is – as long as it’s a job. That’s not what Scripture teaches. It’s discriminatory on what is “good work.” Scripture is permeated with ethical principles on what jobs are appropriate, as well as how employers and employees are to treat each other.  

  Not every job is a moral job. Personally, I’m disgusted at how many “conservative” officials have no issue with increasing gambling. They’re dilatory in their God-given responsibility to their constituents. It’s the responsibility of government to protect its citizens, particularly the disenfranchised who have difficulty protecting themselves. Every study shows that gambling is bad for society, that it takes advantage of the poor, elderly and uneducated. Nearly every school child knows that the nickname for Las Vegas is “Sin City.” Why? Because gambling rarely creeps in alone. The gambling disease is a carrier of adult bookstores, strip clubs, illicit drugs and prostitution. Often the Mob gets its fingers in a community via gambling. Even politicians realize the limitations of this naïve premise, “the best social program is a job” in that so far they’ve not legalized prostitution, lowered the drinking age, or legalized the sale of illicit drugs.

  Not every job is a good for your family. It’s increasingly rare to find those who are highly successful in their career in their original marriage. Often, if they’re still married to the same person later in life, the marriage is little more than a shell. It may be a matter of social convention or perhaps they kept it together for their children. Sadly, a thriving, healthy marriage is not the norm for highly successful individuals. In Scripture, we find those who were successful in their careers yet were often failures in their marriage. King David and his son, Solomon, are tragic examples.

  There are several factors that contribute to this. First, a healthy marriage demands time and cultivation. It’s hard to burn the midnight oil at work and have time for candlelit romantic dinners at home. Then, if you’re successful at work, you usually come home so weary your spouse often gets leftovers. Sometimes a successful person becomes addicted to success. It’s like they have a mistress and their spouse can’t compete. Plus, if you’re successful at work, your need for emotional and social support is usually filled there. Add to that, if you work a lot, when you finally come home, rather than being warmly welcomed, your spouse may grouse that you’re always working which motivates you to want to be away and work more.

  Sometimes to climb the corporate ladder, you must make frequent moves and your children are uprooted again and again. Not only do they resent leaving their friends, Dad is often unavailable because he has to put in inordinate amounts of time and attention on the new position. Success and child-raising rarely mix. And parents who are obsessed with their work, wealth or social standing usually devalue the task of bringing up children.

  Recently, the former CEO of Pimco, Mohamed El-Erian, explained why he’d resigned from his $100 million a year job. His 10-year-old daughter gave him a written list of 22 milestones he’d missed because of work – including the first day of school, a parent-teacher meeting and a Halloween parade. Even though he had legitimate excuses for every absence, he realized that none of the pressing meetings, travelling and so forth really mattered in the long run.

  Not every job is good for you spiritually. American evangelicals have deeply identified themselves with the culture’s unflinching belief that success is the point of human existence. It’s the defining value of American life. Please understand, idolatry is not a small, stone Buddha. Too many of us worship our work, which is why we have so little time for worshipping God. We spend little or no time with Him. Prayer is reserved for moments of desperation. We look for a worship experience that keeps a close eye on the clock because we “have so many things to do.” As G.K. Beale, wisely said, “We resemble what we revere, either for ruin or restoration.” Meaning, whatever we worship, we’ll seek to become like that object. It will either save or ruin our lives. Our walk with God in sanctification is meant to be a steady, faithful climb. That takes time, lots of it. You can’t be a human doing and a Christ-follower. 

  Is a job, is work important? Yes. But the best social program isn’t a job. It’s a relationship. It’s the Gospel. It’s knowing Jesus Christ and living for Him. Amazingly, when our relationship with God is as it should, so is everything else. So don’t believe the myth, believe God’s eternal truth! 

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