Good and Evil

[Lou Newton]

Glen B Smith
To:
lou newton

Feb 23 at 2:37 AM

Something all good people need to know about good and evil.

Good always wins. Yes, all believers know the ultimate, final victory belongs to the LORD.

However, there is something along the way to the LORD's final victory that all good people need to know about good and evil.

Evil is essential a destroyer bent on destroying. Using a building metaphor, evil destroys the building. When evil has reduced the building to ruble, it can destroy no more. Evil is left without any building to destroy.

Using the same building metaphor, good builds stone upon stone. When evil comes along and destroys a few stones, the builder starts placing stone upon stone on the stones left standing after the attack by evil. Even if evil knocks all the stones down, good may build again from the ruble. Good doesn't have to wait on evil to destroy, while evil must always wait on good to build.

There is always something for good to build upon and to build with. Evil must always wait on good to build. So, every good person can know that if good builds with two stones today and evil knocks down one of theses stones, tomorrow good has one stone left to build upon. If good just adds two more stones to the one stone left, there are now three stones in the building. When evil attacks knocking down one stone that leaves two stones to build upon. The results of this artificial example are that good gains one stone everyday over what evil destroys and over many years a great building arises.

Obviously, the growth curve is never such a straight line upward favoring good. There are many ups and downs and even restarts from the foundation, but the net effect will always be for good to make gains over evil. Good people should never stop believing that good will triumph because that is in the design of good and evil. There may be times when evil destroys more than what good builds, but over time good builds more than evil destroys. This is the story of the Bible and Christian history.



Just remember:

Evil is destructive.

Good is constructive.



23 February 2020 the old scribe

[Lou Newton]

Glen B Smith
To:
lou newton

Feb 23 at 2:37 AM

Something all good people need to know about good and evil.

Good always wins. Yes, all believers know the ultimate, final victory belongs to the LORD.

However, there is something along the way to the LORD's final victory that all good people need to know about good and evil.

Evil is essential a destroyer bent on destroying. Using a building metaphor, evil destroys the building. When evil has reduced the building to ruble, it can destroy no more. Evil is left without any building to destroy.

Using the same building metaphor, good builds stone upon stone. When evil comes along and destroys a few stones, the builder starts placing stone upon stone on the stones left standing after the attack by evil. Even if evil knocks all the stones down, good may build again from the ruble. Good doesn't have to wait on evil to destroy, while evil must always wait on good to build.

There is always something for good to build upon and to build with. Evil must always wait on good to build. So, every good person can know that if good builds with two stones today and evil knocks down one of theses stones, tomorrow good has one stone left to build upon. If good just adds two more stones to the one stone left, there are now three stones in the building. When evil attacks knocking down one stone that leaves two stones to build upon. The results of this artificial example are that good gains one stone everyday over what evil destroys and over many years a great building arises.

Obviously, the growth curve is never such a straight line upward favoring good. There are many ups and downs and even restarts from the foundation, but the net effect will always be for good to make gains over evil. Good people should never stop believing that good will triumph because that is in the design of good and evil. There may be times when evil destroys more than what good builds, but over time good builds more than evil destroys. This is the story of the Bible and Christian history.



Just remember:

Evil is destructive.

Good is constructive.



23 February 2020 the old scribe

Glen your article brought these scriptures to mind as I read it. I imagine you will agree:

Good people -

The Rich and the Kingdom of God


¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

And a witness to it:

Luke 18

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’

I know that I am never good even for a second. Every thought, every word, and every action of mine falls short of the glory of God, which is sin. Even if The Lord would speak through me, and His every word would be righteous, He speaks through a sinful vessel that is forgiven and covered by His blood, but it still sinful while in this flesh.

Only God can build anything good:

Psalm 127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.

¹Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.

Amen, good came before evil:

God is good and He has no beginning and no end. But Satan was created by God and has a beginning and will have an end. So good existed before evil and good will exist after evil has been destroyed.

While evil always tries to destroy or pervert what God builds, we are told to leave The Holy Spirit use us to destroy evil also.

Matthew 16:17-19
King James Version

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

AMPC
And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].

So Jesus stormed the gates of hell and we are to do the same.

[Lou Newton]

Glen B Smith
To:Lou Newton

Tue, Feb 25 at 2:44 AM

About Good

The title sent to you is "Something all good people need to know about good and evil."

Good people is used in a relative sense here. Relative speaking, all good people know what is meant by being a good person over an evil one.


You posted, "I know that I am never good even for a second. Every thought, every word, and every action of mine falls short of the glory of God, which is sin. Even if The Lord would speak through me, and His every word would be righteous, He speaks through a sinful vessel that is forgiven and covered by His blood, but it still sinful while in this flesh."


In an absolute or ultimate sense, you are right, but in a relative sense when compared to evil, doing good is our desire while being evil is our flesh. Under the spell of our better angle we make the effort to do good. Under the control of the Holy Spirit we do good. Under the flesh, it depends upon the temptation. So, the Apostle Paul told us how to walk.


When speaking about Good and Evil we usually are speaking about their meanings in absolute terms. We go so far as to identify Good with God and Evil with Satan. In an absolute sense, only the LORD is good.

Hi Glen,

Thank you for you reply. I had stated that I assumed you would agree with my statements.

I replied to your email because many do not seem to be aware of this truth, which is the gospel.

I use God's people instead of good people for this reason.

1 John 1

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

The last passage is present tense, not past tense as so many seem to believe. So many seem to read this as, If we claim we have never sinned. But it says if at any time we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. It is present tense.