When Good Men Take Their Stand Against Evil

The Present Evil

Recent events have caused fear and anxiety to fill the hearts of many people. The assassination of a popular conservative activist and the cold-blooded murder of an innocent young Ukrainian woman in North Carolina which was caught on a video camera has brought shock and fear to the western world. The murder of the Christian conservative speaker was followed with cheers and celebrations by many people who also called for the death of his children because they were likely to grow up to also be Christian conservatives. Such deep hatred reveals a greater degree of evil that resides in the hearts of many people in these dark times. In Europe there has been a great escalation in violent attacks and stabbings of innocent victims. There are also large networks of “grooming gangs” that have targeted children for abuse and exploitation. This problem has been aggravated by the lack of effort by government officials and politicians to protect the weak and innocent. In all of these instances the young, old, and defenseless are left without protection against violent attacks.

But these issues are only the most recent in an increasing downward spiral into greater chaos and lawlessness as there has been an increase in mass shootings in churches, schools, and shopping centers where the young and defenseless have been targeted. This is a crisis that I have addressed many times in the past few years with my posts, “Chaos and Disorder,” “A Biblical Understanding of Evil and Suffering,” “A Depraved Mind: God’s Judgment on a Rebellious People,” “Fleeing Wickedness and Seeking Righteousness,” and “Chaos and Disorder Part II.” Hearing from many people and observing the reactions of many of the media personalities, I am of the opinion that a threshold has been crossed where evil has risen to a new height—Evil has achieved a level of Triumph. In other words, in the never-ending cosmic battle between good and evil, evil is taking a victory lap because many more have become wicked and several among the good have become fearful and timid. Evil and the dark spiritual forces that are directing it are advancing forward with greater and even darker schemes to expand their Kingdom of Darkness. All people, (believers and unbelievers), can feel these changes and are looking for leaders to give them hope and direction. I believe that this is the task of Christian leaders, who must step forward in these dark times to lead the battle to protect the helpless, especially the children, against the powers of darkness. There must be a rallying cry for all good men to put themselves between the violent criminal forces, and the women, children, and aged who are their targets. Good men and women, especially Christians, must take their stand against the present evil or let the wicked prevail as they go into hiding, (Prov. 28:12).

The Eternal Battle Between the Forces of Good and Evil

To better grasp the situation, a greater understanding of the battle between good and evil is needed. The conflict between good and evil reaches into both the spiritual and physical realms of existence. It is the cosmic battle between God’s forces of good versus the rebellious Satanic forces of evil. This conflict has existed within the biblical Drama of Redemption beginning with the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Most religious traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and the ancient beliefs of indigenous cultures hold to a view of a battle between good and evil, or order and chaos. The conflict between good and evil form the plot of many historical classics of literature such as Les Misérables, Lord of the Rings, The Count of Monte Cristo, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol, just to name a few. These traditions, beliefs, and literary forms all acknowledge the conflict between good and evil, and they highlight the virtues that define the good. The qualities that define the good, include humility, purity, truth, honor, respect, faithfulness, love, compassion, loyalty, and courage, etc. While evil is exemplified by opposing traits such as hatred, dishonesty, immorality, deceit, slander, corruption, selfishness, rudeness, impatience, greed, lawlessness, violence, cruelty, etc. With this background knowledge the current situation can be better understood as a struggle that has deeper roots than what is seen at a surface level. The current champion in the conflict can be determined by observing which traits are dominating the current culture. Unfortunately, it is through this filter that it can be declared that evil is triumphing. The evidence is seen by the growing selfish pursuit of pleasure, mindless entertainment, and blatant immorality by modern society. It is also seen in the degradation of many churches which have become lukewarm as they embrace the beliefs of the secular culture and reject many of the biblical teachings of the faith.

Evil triumphs when:

• Lies and deceit are favored over truth.
• Violence and hatred become commonplace, and compassion has become a rarity.
• The government authorities create policies that promote corruption, chaos, and lawlessness.
• Immorality and vile behavior are fully accepted and even celebrated.
• Children are no longer protected but are instead exploited.
• The offender becomes the victim, and the victim becomes the offender.
• The religious faithful are targeted as evil, while the evil are seen as honorable.
• The weak, the innocent, and the aged are targets of violence while the authorities have become feeble in their ability to protect them.

History has shown that when evil people, rulers, nations, and empires rise to power–good people have responded with courage by opposing them, even at the cost of their own lives. Courage is defined as the overcoming of fear in the face of great danger. Evil times bring forth good men and women who challenge the ensuing evil. Evil can only be defeated by the sacrifice of good people who rise to the occasion. Christ is the model of ultimate sacrifice to defeat evil for the sake of others. Believers are called to battle evil in both the spiritual and physical worlds. All persons are able take a stand against injustice if they possess the courage and integrity to do so, and those that do, do so because they are driven by conscience to do that which is right. Unfortunately, in these times, courage is one of the virtues that has been replaced by apathy. This is verified by the great number of violent attacks where no one comes to the aid of those who are weak and defenseless, or even comes to provide care for their wounds. This has to change. Evil has to be confronted, and it is only by the courage of good people that evil can be overcome. This is a call for good men and women to find the courage to rise up against evil in whatever capacity they can because, “Evil will triumph when good people do nothing.”

What is Good?

In a world where the modern views of relativism, post-modernism, pluralism, and nihilism claim that there are no objective truths, then truth cannot be known, and without truth the concepts of good and evil become meaningless. Each person decides for themselves the meaning of these terms. This means that the meaning of good and evil is merely opinion based on a person’s political, moral, cultural, sexual, racial, or other worldview. The result is that there is no standard for truth concerning what is good or what is evil. The determination of what is good or evil is subject to change according to the times and the views of the current culture. Fortunately, there is a supreme standard of truth that is constant and never changes because these absolute truths come from a Holy God who is the standard of truth. His truth determines what is good, and His righteousness condemns all that is evil. So, what is good? The Scriptures taken in their sum total instruct humanity on discerning the difference between good and evil. The Scriptures further teach that the highest example of the good is exemplified by the life of Christ. So, how is it that we can we know to do that which is good? The following quotes from Scripture tell us what is good.

Apart from the Scriptures, mankind is created in the image of God where he is endowed with a conscience which gives him the ability to know good from evil. All persons who do not know the law, (God’s commandments), follow the law instinctively guided by their consciences, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right,” (Rom. 2:14-15). This why all persons know by their conscience that certain things are evil such as murder, hatred, theft, deceit, assault, etc. Humanity knows what is good by instinct, and therefore they have the ability to do good by opposing evil.

When the Righteous Triumph

The theme of this article is the quote of Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing!” Though the essence of this message is sufficient for it to be understood to mean that evil will triumph unless good men intervene to confront it. The quote must be considered through the context of Proverbs 28:12, (pictured above). Then it can be better understood as meaning that evil will triumph and the wicked will prevail if good men do not battle against them. Then there will be great joy because righteousness and justice are restored. This is the battle that is being waged now in these present times, and the battle is not going well for the good. The battle is waged in both the spiritual and the physical worlds. However, only believers have the weapons and are spiritually equipped to engage the demonic spiritual forces as explained in Ephesians 6:10-20. All others have the ability to engage evil in the physical world as it manifests itself in the wicked. Courage is required in either realm and there will be casualties, but this is the necessary cost for confronting evil for the sake of protecting the defenseless.

Commission to Preach, Protect, and Provide Care

Christ gave the Church the Great Commission to preach and teach the Gospel throughout the word. That is exactly what Charlie Kirk was doing when he was assassinated on a college campus. The Scriptures provide us with another commission, which is to seek justice, to rescue the oppressed, to protect the widows and orphans, and to care for the sick and the wounded. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a teaching of Jesus explaining that the righteous person is the one who cares for the injured stranger. Iryna Zarutska was murdered on a train in cold blood for no reason. Though there were many people on the train, but no one intervened to help her. As she lay bleeding and terrified, no one came to care and treat her wounds, or to provide comfort to her in her last minutes of life.

In the above verse, (Matt. 25:44-45), Jesus teaches the importance of providing care for the injured and helpless. He explains that caring for those in need is just as if they were caring for Him. How many Christians have lacked the courage to come to the aid of the vulnerable when attacked, or lacked the compassion to care for the injured? This apathy must end if we do not want the wicked to prevail. We have our commission from God, and the blood of innocent victims screams for good people to rise up to challenge evil! Scripture teaches that it is the duty of God’s people, as His agents of righteousness, to protect the innocent, to bring justice, and to comfort the injured.