Evil Does Not Prevail, God Does!

A while ago, someone said to me, “It seems like sin or evil is almost always a distortion of something good.”

I told the person, “That’s a very good observation.”

Philosopher William Dembski writes, “evil is always parasitic, never creative.  Indeed, all our words for evil presuppose a good that has been subverted.”

Then he gives some examples…

“Impurity presupposes purity.”  In other words purity must exist in order for there to be such a thing as impurity.  Does that make sense?  If there were no “purity” we would have no conception of “impurity”.  This is an example of “a good that has been subverted.”

Here’s another example Dembski provides: “deviation presupposes a way…from which we’ve departed.”  There has to be a proper way—a “right” way—in order for a deviation from the way to occur.  Again, we have something good that is subverted.  This is the nature of evil.  And it is part of how evil can be so deceptive.  Evil begins with something good—“it seems right” one might think—and distorts it.  My friend’s comment was insightful.

Fortunately, “good” is how God originally created the world.  And we know that goodness is God’s desire for you and me. His plan is to restore things—particularly people—to their good and proper condition and purpose; to make things right.

 In fact, righteousness is His desire for you and me.

“Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Rom.3:24

The distortions of evil do not prevail, God does!