I will come out straight to say where I stand. Good cannot exist without evil. If you think it can, how can someone be said to be good without evil people around to use as a gauge to decide that?

What is evil but the concept of what we do not like. This is why something that is evil in one country is considered normal in another. Indians do not see the worship of multiple gods as evil, but Nigerians do. Are one billion Indians going to hell?

On the reverse side, what is good in one place can be evil in another. If a traditional man has ten wives and becomes a Pentecostal Christian, is it ok for him to marry extra wives? Will his pastor advice him then to divorce nine of them?

It is generally accepted that a good and perfect God created Lucifer (who then turned evil), and that same Lucifer became Satan who now lives to perpetuate evil in this world. Did God not know Lucifer would become evil and rebel?

If evil is what an individual or society does not like, and good is what is accepted, that means if the same individual or society has a change of view, the roles of evil and good can be interchangeable.

Which is why Jesus in the Bible said, "he who has no sin, cast the first stone." Also, "remove the log in your eyes before looking at the speck in another's." Basically saying that all have sinned, and still have sin in them. Is sin not evil? "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Evil exists naturally in everyone, how you combat your urge to act on it is the difference. Denying the existence or even usefulness is denying your right to view your progress in doing or being good. Good cannot exist without evil. The balance between them is the key to Truth.

Fleshrev:
Which is why Jesus in the Bible said, "he who has no sin, cast the first stone.

I am afraid you missed it where you mentioned Jesus Christ's statement there to the sinners who were attempting to condemn another sinner to death by the Laws of the Old Covenant.

John 8 vs 1 -11 (ERV)
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1. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2. Early in the morning he went back to the Temple area. The people all came to him, and he sat and taught them.
3. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in bed with a man who was not her husband. They forced her to stand in front of the people.
4. They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
5. The Law of Moses commands us to stone to death any such woman. What do you say we should do?”
6. They were saying this to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong so that they could have a charge against him. But Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger.
7. The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, “Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.”
8. Then Jesus stooped down again and wrote on the ground.
9. When they heard this, they began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there in front of him.
10. He looked up again and said to her, “Where did they all go? Did no one judge you guilty?”

11. She answered, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “I don’t judge you either. You can go now, but don’t sin again.”[a]

The same Jesus Christ told the woman to go and SIN NO MORE! Did you miss that part of what He said there?
If Jesus Christ was indeed encouraging the balance of good and evil as you claim, why did He give the woman this command?

Fleshrev:
Also, "remove the log in your eyes before looking at the speck in another's."

When Jesus Christ taught His followers to remove the log in their eyes, what was He saying? Please learn to READ!

Matthew 7 vs 1-5(ERV)
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1. “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you.
2. If you judge others, you will be judged the same way you judge them. God will treat you the same way you treat others.
3. “Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own?
4. Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye.
5. You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

Notice that Jesus Christ did not say be comfortable with the log in your own eyes. Instead, He commands that you remove the log in your own eye - the log should not be allowed to remain in your eye. Jesus Christ commands that you take the log out and then you will be able to see clearly to help another take out the dust in their own eye.

Fleshrev:
Basically saying that all have sinned, and still have sin in them. Is sin not evil? "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Paul said that.. Jesus Christ did not make the statement in question.

What is sin? Sin is simply disobedience of the Law. So, how then do you stop sinning? You do so by choosing instead to accept(trust) and obey the Law, Jesus Christ, the New Covenant that God sent to His people.

Jesus Christ instructed those who believe in Him to set themselves free from slavery to sin and instead become Sons of God by doing so. He taught that those who sin are in bondage and in need of being set free. And in order to be set free, they had to accept(trust) and obey the teachings/commandments/Truth that the Son of God had taught them.

John 8 vs 31-47
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31. So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you continue to accept and obey my teaching, you are really my followers.
32. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
33. They answered, “We are Abraham’s descendants. And we have never been slaves. So why do you say that we will be free?”
34. Jesus said, “The truth is, everyone who sins is a slave—a slave to sin.
35. A slave does not stay with a family forever. But a son belongs to the family forever.
36. So if the Son makes you free, you are really free.

It is by knowing the Truth of God and obeying it that you are set free from Sin. That is what Jesus Christ taught. So whether you have sinned in your past is of no meaning. What matters is what you choose to do after learning of the Truth of God.

Yes
Good can exist without evil, don't let the system of this world influence you into believing good needs evil to be valuable
At the end of everything,you'll see that Good can,and will exist without evil

Fleshrev:

I will come out straight to say where I stand. Good cannot exist without evil. If you think it can, how can someone be said to be good without evil people around to use as a gauge to decide that?

It is because you like all men are out of alignment such that you think your balance is good and evil.

If you have ever enjoyed good, you would known that you do not want good to end.

However, since you are both good and evil, you get both good and evil, balance for you.

But he who is Righteous enjoys Good all the days of his life!

Fleshrev:

What is evil but the concept of what we do not like. This is why something that is evil in one country is considered normal in another. Indians do not see the worship of multiple gods as evil, but Nigerians do. Are one billion Indians going to hell?

Then the next problem is that man thinks he knows "Good" but yet he wilfully throws himself into evil eg sleeping with the wife of another!

Never knowing that what is Good, is Good All The Way!

Fleshrev:

If evil is what an individual or society does not like, and good is what is accepted, that means if the same individual or society has a change of view, the roles of evil and good can be interchangeable.

That is why it is a Good Thing that "No Individual owns the Society therefore, they are not the True determinant of Good and Evil!

It is by knowing the Truth of God and obeying it that you are set free from Sin. That is what Jesus Christ taught. So whether you have sinned in your past is of no meaning. What matters is what you choose to do after learning of the Truth of God.

[color=#000000][/color]

Does this mean that once you become born again you're free from evil? Then why pray for the strength to resist temptation? I'll answer that. It's because you have the capacity to sin, and that possibility is a part of you. This is the battle Jesus had in the desert before he made his final choice. He was tempted. And he overcame, as a being that could understand good and evil. Are you able to do that? Are you sure you have lived the kind of life Jesus did to be able to talk with Satan and overcome? Jesus said he is the way. That is, he is the example of what you should be...to be able to act like him and find your way to salvation. Nothing is free my friend.

Fleshrev:
Does this mean that once you become born again you're free from evil? Then why pray for the strength to resist temptation?

Sin means disobedience. And disobedience of what? The commandments/teachings of Jesus Christ.
Asking God for strength to resist temptation is akin to asking God for the zeal to make the choice to obey His commandments even when there is the temptation to disobey. It is a matter of making a choice and not as strenuous a thing as many suggest it to be.

Fleshrev:
I'll answer that. It's because you have the capacity to sin, and that possibility is a part of you.

You have to capacity not to disobey. That possibility is inside of you too. So, it takes discipline to get to a point where you trust God fully, but it can be done.

Fleshrev:
This is the battle Jesus had in the desert before he made his final choice. He was tempted. And he overcame, as a being that could understand good and evil. Are you able to do that?

What Jesus Christ, many do today, simply by making a choice to accept(trust) and obey His commandments/teachings, instead of disobeying. It is that simple.

Fleshrev:
Are you sure you have lived the kind of life Jesus did to be able to talk with Satan and overcome? Jesus said he is the way. That is, he is the example of what you should be...to be able to act like him and find your way to salvation. Nothing is free my friend.

Salvation is not from sin but from the condemnation of Sin(Death)- it is free. Freedom from sin, however, results from making the choice to accept(trust) and obey the commandments of Jesus Christ, every opportunity you get to do so.

YES.

WHEN WE HAVE THE NEW JERUSALEMS.

YES.

WHEN WE HAVE THE NEW JERUSALEMS.

THEN ALL MACBAN WOULD HAVE PERISHED.

@Fleshrev good can exist without evil. Many people confuse sin with evil which is wrong. Every body sins but that doesn't make them evil. Now to understand evil, you need to know that it bears characteristics. Evil is associated with darkness, evil spirits and witchcraft.

As humans we have a choice to choose between good and evil. It is our choices that make determine which side we are on.

Why was the devil regarded as evil? We learnt that the devil and other angels rebelled. He became power hungry and wanted to overthrow God's authority.

We also learnt that he is a master deceiver that turns the hearts of men against God.

We also learnt that the devil and his agents brought upon the earth the secrets of the heavens which made people dabble into soccery and the mystical arts. The powers they possessed gave them opportunity to harm others.

From these few, my conclusion is evil is not just about sinning. It's possessing the characteristics that oppose goodness.

When you have the desire to harm another or inflict pain on others, that is not sin but evil. When you go out of your way to consult dark forces in a human fight that is evil. When you intentionally turn the hearts of men against God their creator by telling them they are God themselves, that is evil.

When you deceive others and manipulate them into sin intentionally to draw them away from God that is evil.

Worshipping lesser gods is evil why? Because they are falsely represented to take the position of the supreme God. They turn the hearts of men from their creator and the devil deceives them further with a sense of false power to inflict harm on others?

Anyway this is my opinion. Can good exist without evil? Yes. Most movies tell you that balance is brought to the earth when there is good and evil but that is a lie the devil tells us.

If there is a lot of good within the earth, imagine the possibilities. Where life coexists in peace, love and understanding. When there is good there are no wars, corruption, murder, genocide, diseases, human rights abuses, etc.

The world will be a better place. Evil does not bring about balance but interrupts the good things. Evil seeks to destroy not build ,it takes and doesn't give back. The result of evil is what we see today power, greed, covetousness, gluttony, pride, slot and death. Not literal death but death of the soul and conscience.

Fleshrev:
I will come out straight to say where I stand. Good cannot exist without evil. If you think it can, how can someone be said to be good without evil people around to use as a gauge to decide that?

What is evil but the concept of what we do not like. This is why something that is evil in one country is considered normal in another. Indians do not see the worship of multiple gods as evil, but Nigerians do. Are one billion Indians going to hell?

On the reverse side, what is good in one place can be evil in another. If a traditional man has ten wives and becomes a Pentecostal Christian, is it ok for him to marry extra wives? Will his pastor advice him then to divorce nine of them?

It is generally accepted that a good and perfect God created Lucifer (who then turned evil), and that same Lucifer became Satan who now lives to perpetuate evil in this world. Did God not know Lucifer would become evil and rebel?

If evil is what an individual or society does not like, and good is what is accepted, that means if the same individual or society has a change of view, the roles of evil and good can be interchangeable.

Which is why Jesus in the Bible said, "he who has no sin, cast the first stone." Also, "remove the log in your eyes before looking at the speck in another's." Basically saying that all have sinned, and still have sin in them. Is sin not evil? "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Evil exists naturally in everyone, how you combat your urge to act on it is the difference. Denying the existence or even usefulness is denying your right to view your progress in doing or being good. Good cannot exist without evil. The balance between them is the key to Truth.

It is impossible for something created good to turn against its nature. We know that by observing natural phenomena. Darkness in all its depth has not been able to corrupt sunlight. In fact, darkness is simply the absence of light. So, where there is no good, evil springs up.
The Bible has not been able to explain with conviction the origin of evil. Both stories of the fall of man and the devil can only appeal to kids and the religious, as they are too afraid to question what they believe.

Fleshrev:
I will come out straight to say where I stand. Good cannot exist without evil. If you think it can, how can someone be said to be good without evil people around to use as a gauge to decide that?

What is evil but the concept of what we do not like. This is why something that is evil in one country is considered normal in another. Indians do not see the worship of multiple gods as evil, but Nigerians do. Are one billion Indians going to hell?

On the reverse side, what is good in one place can be evil in another. If a traditional man has ten wives and becomes a Pentecostal Christian, is it ok for him to marry extra wives? Will his pastor advice him then to divorce nine of them?

It is generally accepted that a good and perfect God created Lucifer (who then turned evil), and that same Lucifer became Satan who now lives to perpetuate evil in this world. Did God not know Lucifer would become evil and rebel?

If evil is what an individual or society does not like, and good is what is accepted, that means if the same individual or society has a change of view, the roles of evil and good can be interchangeable.

Which is why Jesus in the Bible said, "he who has no sin, cast the first stone." Also, "remove the log in your eyes before looking at the speck in another's." Basically saying that all have sinned, and still have sin in them. Is sin not evil? "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Evil exists naturally in everyone, how you combat your urge to act on it is the difference. Denying the existence or even usefulness is denying your right to view your progress in doing or being good. Good cannot exist without evil. The balance between them is the key to Truth.

Hi there.

I am responding because you invoked the Bible as a help for your arguments.

I don't believe that the Bible teaches any such thing. If good cannot exist without evil, then God could not exist without evil before creating the universe.

We know from the Bible (and from the evidence of the universe around us and within our own selves) that God is good and not evil. Where then would that evil that existed and will exist eternally with Him come from?

In short, such a thing completely violates biblical theology. Evil cannot exist together with God (Psalm 5:4). God is tolerating the evil in His creatures today in order to give all of the ones that possess free will fair opportunity to make a choice about Him. After they have, evil will be destroyed.

However, you do have a point when you say that evil exists naturally in human beings. It does, although I would say that its natural existence in human beings is actually unnatural, at least according to the Bible.

The Bible's position is that human beings born of male seed have a body that is twisted in its desires. So we all sin as a matter of course. But this is not how the human body was originally designed. It only became that way after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That is, the Lord God designed that fruit to change the body's constitution once it was eaten. That change was then passed down through Adam and all males so that every human being born of male seed acquires its effects in their bodies.

To be clear, its effects would have been perfectly good too if the very act of eating the fruit was not contrary to God's command. But when they ate the fruit, Adam and Eve acquired an expanded conscience, that is, an expanded library of good and evil actions. Prior to that act, there was only one evil act that they knew of: eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After eating it, murder became another way to express an evil desire. And other evil actions proceeded after that.

This knowledge that we acquired gave man a sense of independence from God as though we no longer need Him to tell us right from wrong. Even today, we see that independence claimed by atheists among others who presume to dictate morality to God. That sense of independence from authority is what drives all the sins we commit. We call it the sin nature in the flesh. The Bible sometimes just calls it sin.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Rom 7:18 — Rom 7:20 (NKJV)

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8 (NKJV)

As for the definition of evil, yours is certainly not in agreement with the Bible. What the Bible calls evil is anything that violates God's commands.

Bgene:

It is impossible for something created good to turn against its nature. We know that by observing natural phenomena. Darkness in all its depth has not been able to corrupt sunlight. In fact, darkness is simply the absence of light. So, where there is no good, evil springs up.
The Bible has not been able to explain with conviction the origin of evil. Both stories of the fall of man and the devil can only appeal to kids and the religious, as they are too afraid to question what they believe.

God created All things, hence God created Evil(Isaiah 45)!

I want to thank you all for your well thought of replies. It's time we begin to address issues in ways that add to our development. It may be religion and spirituality, but it so happens this is an integral part of the way Nigerians think. Let's make this a habit and help ourselves to learn even more. Thanks again.

Ihedinobi3:


Hi there.

I am responding because you invoked the Bible as a help for your arguments.

I don't believe that the Bible teaches any such thing. If good cannot exist without evil, then God could not exist without evil before creating the universe.

We know from the Bible (and from the evidence of the universe around us and within our own selves) that God is good and not evil. Where then would that evil that existed and will exist eternally with Him come from?

In short, such a thing completely violates biblical theology. Evil cannot exist together with God (Psalm 5:4). God is tolerating the evil in His creatures today in order to give all of the ones that possess free will fair opportunity to make a choice about Him. After they have, evil will be destroyed.

However, you do have a point when you say that evil exists naturally in human beings. It does, although I would say that its natural existence in human beings is actually unnatural, at least according to the Bible.

The Bible's position is that human beings born of male seed have a body that is twisted in its desires. So we all sin as a matter of course. But this is not how the human body was originally designed. It only became that way after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That is, the Lord God designed that fruit to change the body's constitution once it was eaten. That change was then passed down through Adam and all males so that every human being born of male seed acquires its effects in their bodies.

To be clear, its effects would have been perfectly good too if the very act of eating the fruit was not contrary to God's command. But when they ate the fruit, Adam and Eve acquired an expanded conscience, that is, an expanded library of good and evil actions. Prior to that act, there was only one evil act that they knew of: eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After eating it, murder became another way to express an evil desire. And other evil actions proceeded after that.

This knowledge that we acquired gave man a sense of independence from God as though we no longer need Him to tell us right from wrong. Even today, we see that independence claimed by atheists among others who presume to dictate morality to God. That sense of independence from authority is what drives all the sins we commit. We call it the sin nature in the flesh. The Bible sometimes just calls it sin.

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Rom 7:18 — Rom 7:20 (NKJV)

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8 (NKJV)

As for the definition of evil, yours is certainly not in agreement with the Bible. What the Bible calls evil is anything that violates God's commands.

I am afraid the doctrine of a sin nature is a lie and this because Abel. and Enoch, both near direct descendants of the condemned Son of God, Adam, where declared righteous by God through their trust and obedience of His commands, rules, statutes to them, but like men like Noah, and Abraham after them.

Did this claimed "sin nature" skip over Abel and Enoch?