No. Never. Most people don’t even ask the question in a blessed way. They normally ask, “Why does God allow evil?” This form of the question is objectionable because it presumes that God does allow evil. At the memorial services for the 9/11 victims, Billy Graham lamented that he had never received a satisfactory answer to the question, “Why does God allow evil?” The reason there’s no satisfactory answer is that it is not a satisfactory question. An unblessed and improper question will always yield an unblessed and improper answer.
The open-hearted and fair way of asking this question is, “DOES God allow evil?” In a court of law, the lawyer is not allowed to ask his witness a leading question which already presumes an answer. A lawyer can’t ask his own witness, “Why do you beat your wife?” The reason is that this question already presumes that the witness does beat his wife. Justice and fairness demand that an open inquiry must first establish whether or not a witness does in fact beat his wife. If we can be so fair with human conduct, how much more just and open-hearted should we be with God’s nature?
For instance, what if God doesn’t allow evil? In fact, what if God only and always disallows evil in all its various forms? In fact, what if God has already disallowed every evil that ever has or ever will occur? Do Scriptures support such a view? Yes! They not only support it, they demand it.
POINT ONE: GOD DOES NOT ALLOW EVIL
The term “theodicy” refers to a branch of theology which deals with the justification of God’s goodness in the presence of evil. All theodicy must begin and end with James 1:13-17. It is the most specific statement in the New Testament with regard to God’s relationship to evil.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Jas. 1:13-17.
The word “temptation” in the above passage is translated from the Greek “peirazo” and means, “to test, entice, discipline, prove, tempt or try.” God doesn’t test anybody with evil, entice anybody with evil, discipline anybody with evil, prove anything with evil, tempt anybody with evil or try anybody with evil. Thus, God has no relationship with evil. It is not in His nature. Evil cannot be traced back to God. Moreover, this passage clearly says that evil can be traced back to man. It is man who has an ongoing relationship with evil, not God. It is man’s “own lust” which draws his heart away from God to Satan’s spirit, which then “conceives” and gives birth to “sin” and “death.” Remember, Satan is the one Scriptures call “the Tempter” (Matt. 4:3), not God.
Jesus taught us that when evil “tares” are sown among good “wheat,” that it is not God who does it but rather, “An enemy hath done this.” (Matt. 13:24-28). The Apostle John commented very clearly that God’s purpose was not with evil but against it. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 Jn. 3:8. Jesus came to destroy the evil works of Satan by overcoming them with the Father’s goodness. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38. Satan comes to “steal, and to kill, and to destroy” but Jesus came that we “might have life” and “have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10).
Jesus’ major point to us was to show that His Heavenly Father was always and only good. No Old Testament saint knew God as “Abba,” an Aramaic term used by Jesus as a title for His Heavenly Father which essentially means “Daddy.” Jesus came to reflect the Father’s love which never gives His sons “serpents” or “stones” or “scorpions,” but instead freely gives His sons “bread” and “fishes” and “eggs” and most importantly “the Holy Spirit.” (Lk. 11:11-13). This passage says that if Earthly fathers “being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give . . .” (Verse 13). This is the same Father to whom James refers to in the following passage: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (Jas. 1:16-17).
James strongly warns us to, “LET NO ONE SAY . . .” God is related to evil in any way, and “DO NOT ERR, MY BELOVED BRETHREN . . .” by saying that anything other than good and perfection “ever” cometh down from the Father . . . (Jas. 1:13,16). This was the message of the Gospel – – God hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t allow evil. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”. 1 Jn 1:5.
In God’s eyes, evil has never been something to “allow,” but rather is a malignancy which must be “overcome.” “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”. Rom. 12:21. What’s radically different about God is that He always overcomes evil with the power of perfect goodness. God the Father is this way (Matt. 5:44-45,48), God the Son is this way (Acts 10:38), and so must we be this way as the body of Christ (Rom. 12:21). “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48.
POINT TWO: JESUS IS GOD’S TOTAL DISALLOWANCE OF EVIL
God’s only view toward evil is to disallow it through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. This is the power of the Cross – – to conquer and nullify evil in all its forms – – sin, death, wrath, violence, hatred, jealousy, strife, pride, lust and envy. John The Baptist was the first to recognize and declare Jesus’ mission as the cure for all the world’s evil. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Jn. 1:29. The term “taketh away” in the above passage really means “beareth away.” At the Cross, Jesus bore away all the power of evil in our lives – – past, present and future – – bar none – – no exceptions. There is no sin, or evil or demonic power that the Cross of Jesus did not overcome. Jesus said, “be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33).
Don’t lose this point. Sometimes, we can miss the most crucial point by neglecting to focus on it with our whole being. Jesus came to destroy evil, and He did destroy it. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 Jn. 3:8. Why evil still appears to exist and prosper is a question soon to be answered. But for now, know that the Scriptures declare that Jesus is God’s full provision to prevent, protect and purify us from evil. Jesus described His own purpose as follows:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Lk. 4:18-19.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted – – from evil, to preach deliverance to those held captive – – by evil, to restore the sight of those blinded – – by evil, and to set at liberty those that are bruised – – by evil. Jesus’ heart is always to bless and protect us. “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Lk. 10:19.
Jesus never tolerated, used or allowed evil in any form. He defeated what is called “natural evil” when He rebuked a storm which threatened to sink the boat in which He was traveling. He defeated “demonic evil” hundreds, if not thousands, of times by casting out spirits of infirmity, insanity and deformity. He protected an adulteress from “social evil” by keeping her from being murdered by other men. He battled “religious evil” constantly as He rebuked the false religion of His day which blocked people from entering the gate of truth. He overcame the “material evil” of lack by multiplying loaves, transforming water into wine and finding needed finances in the mouth of a fish. Lastly, Jesus defeated the “ultimate evil” by raising others and Himself from the dead. HE CONQUERED DEATH!
Whenever Jesus was not allowed to deliver others from evil, He marveled at their unbelief which kept them from receiving deliverance. When He instructed the disciples to pray “this way,” the heart of Jesus’ prayer was His statement in the Greek imperative that His Heavenly Father does and will “deliver us from evil.”
I hope these verses will help lift Jesus up in all our eyes as God’s ultimate gift to vanquish all evil. God gave His all to us. Never ask again, “Why does God allow evil?” He doesn’t. To believe He does ignores, dishonors and maligns the blood, work, sacrifice and wonderful name of Jesus.
Now, the question might be asked that if at this very moment I have an evil thought or commit an evil act, hasn’t God “allowed” me to think evil or do evil? Couldn’t He force me by controlling my thoughts or body to not commit evil? The answer is no. It is not in God’s nature to coerce, manipulate or force another. God does woo us, help us, convince us, and even rebuke us. But God never coerces and forces us. Just as it is impossible for God to lie, it is impossible for God to use coercion. I know this is a challenge to conventional thinking, but it is the only way God’s goodness as revealed in the previous Scriptures listed in this chapter can be true and consistent.
The prefix “omni” means “all.” God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), but God is not omni-causative. He doesn’t cause or even allow everything to happen 24/7. If He does, then He is responsible for evil. We seem to think that God in some sense allows murder since He doesn’t strike the murderer down with lightning right before the murder is committed. Does God have the power to strike down murderers before they act? I say no. God certainly has the power to hide, protect and deliver the righteous from harm, but He won’t and can’t use violence to stop violence.
God will not and cannot act outside of His good and true nature. For instance, if God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2), can God claim to be all-powerful if there is something he is unable to do? Well, this depends on how you define all-powerful. If all-powerful means God can do anything at anytime, then God is not all-powerful because He can’t and won’t lie – – ever. Yet, if all-powerful means that He has unlimited power within the context of His character and true nature, then God is certainly all-powerful in that regard. He only operates in all-powerful truth, never in all-powerful lies; in all-powerful love, never in all-powerful violence; in all-powerful tenderness, never in all-powerful cruelty; in all-powerful patience, never in all-powerful wrath.
This is easy to see in the context of lying, but what about other attributes which are not in His divine nature? What if killing is not in God’s nature? What if mental coercion is not in God’s nature? What if physical coercion is not in God’s nature? What if manipulation, revenge, pettiness, brutality, cruelty and frustration are all not in His nature? Then, it is just as “impossible” for Him to act out of these motives as it is for Him to lie. The point is that being all-powerful and all-good means that God’s power operates only within the context of His character. God never acts or operates “outside of” or “inconsistent with” His perfect goodness, which is His agape nature of love described in 1 Cor. 13.
Thus, God won’t lie to us, kill us, coerce us, manipulate us, brutalize us, abuse us, threaten us or terrorize us. God will protect us, bless us, correct us, teach us, convince us, strengthen us, encourage us and deliver us. Why would God use tactics He commands us not to use?
Why would He tell us not to kill, hate, hurt or avenge ourselves on our enemies, while He treats His own enemies with wrath, vengeance, brutality and destruction? Or, put another way, why would God tell us to overcome all evil with good, unless He Himself did the exact same thing? Isn’t this clear from reading the following verses?
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:38-48.
Since we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect in overcoming evil with good, then this brings the need for the great missing element in this discussion – – “patience.” God is able to overcome all evil by patiently enduring and bearing all our evil until we repent. If God weren’t patient, then we would all be dead or writhing in Hell right now. If God weren’t patient, He would use force, violence, coercion and wrath to work His will. If God weren’t patient, then the Cross would not exist to deliver us from all evil. God’s agape love “thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” 1 Cor. 13:5-7. This is God’s nature, always enabled by supernatural “patience,” -38- which in the original Greek literally means “joyful endurance.” God’s “mercy [joyfully] endureth forever.” (Ezra 3:11).
We are likewise called to patience:
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Jas. 1:2-4. To know this type of patience is to know God and to share in His sufferings. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings . . .” Phil. 3:10. We “joyfully endure” because we are walking in the resurrection power of God, but we also suffer as we mourn the world’s ongoing rejection of Jesus. Yet, we know that the world will one day be overcome with God’s goodness and reconciled to the love of God. Our faith and patience will help hasten the Day of the Lord while our sinful impatience and unrighteous wrath will delay it.
The point is that God does not allow evil. He disallows it through the “faith and patience” of Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 6:12-20). Understanding how God overcomes evil now gives us the wisdom to know in what sense He hasn’t, doesn’t and won’t allow evil. The next revelation is to understand that God has already disallowed all evil.
POINT THREE: GOD HAS ALREADY DISALLOWED ALL EVIL
Could this possibly be true? Evil has been ALREADY DIS-allowed. But, if Jesus has already disallowed all sinful evil, WHY do we still see evil appear to flourish? Evil, to the natural eye, does NOT APPEAR to be losing the battle NOW, much less appearing ALREADY defeated. Well, the next several sections will address this question. But let me first make a few introductory points as we start to investigate this topic.
First, we are not to be guided by appearances, for we walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. Jesus in fact said that “judging the righteous judgment means NOT judging according to appearance.” John 7:24. So, regardless of what evil APPEARS to be doing, this isn’t to guide our conclusions about God’s ironclad UNWILLINGNESS to allow evil in ANY way, shape or form.
Second, our problem is that we have pre-conceived notions about EXACTLY HOW God MUST disallow evil. We think He MUST be like Arnold Schwarzenegger in HOW He disallows evil, instantaneously mowing down evil-doers with bullets of wrath, force and coercion. But, WHAT IF God overcomes and disallows evil HIS WAY rather than ours? What if the way that God disallows evil is not in “a eye for an eye way,” but rather in a “turn the other cheek” way? What if the Cross was God’s ultimate way of disallowing evil by overcoming it with pure good— by Jesus freely absorbing all our evil wrath toward God and each other. Yet, Jesus did this WITHOUT ever striking back in an “eye for an eye” way, but rather in forgiving all those who crucified Him by not holding it to their charge. Rather, He declared them forgiven because “they now not what they do.” Seen from this light, the Cross becomes the GREATEST SINGLE ACT OF SUPERNATURAL GOODNESS EVER ACCOMPLISHED! By it, ALL sinful, Satanic and worldly evil has been DISALLOWED– now and forever!
Third, the fact that evil continues to prosper is NOT because God has approved or allowed it, but rather because WE have neglected to ENFORCE GOD’S DISALLOWANCE OF ALL EVIL. We have been given the keys of the kingdom by Jesus, keys that give us full authority to vanquish and disallow all evil. The Cross, as the ultimate act of “evil-stomping goodness,” is God’s way of overcoming our evil. Simply put, we have “failed to escape all worldly evil” because we continue to “NEGLECT OUR SO GREAT A SALVATION.” Hebrews 2:3.
God has done His part in disallowing all evil. He awaits us to do ours. To USE the keys we have been given. To BIND the evil that has already been bound in Heaven. And to LOOSE the blessings which have already been loosed in Heaven. From God’s view it is a done deal and all evil stands doused, disarmed and disallowed right NOW! He is waiting for His Church to merely believe and enforce this greatest of truths:
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened ; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling , and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints , And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe , according to the working of his mighty power , Which he wrought in Christ , when he raised him from the dead , and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality , and power , and might , and dominion , and every name that is named , not only in this world , but also in that which is to come : And hath put all things under his feet , and gave him TO BE THE HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH , Which is his body , the fulness of him that filleth all in all .” Ephesians 1:18-23.
We need to remember that Hebrews 4:1-10 says that God has already rested from His works. God’s works are always complete and already accomplished. Always already! Compare it to a shining star at night. The star’s actual image shining through our darkness may be thousands or millions of years old (the star itself may in fact no longer exist), but the image is providing us current and active light to penetrate our darkness. The ancient image of the star has always already completed its work long ago, yet its brightness shines across time and space to illuminate all our “nows.”
So too, God’s light in Jesus Christ was complete ages ago at His Cross and Resurrection, yet His light shines on our darkness across all time and space. The light of His life is complete and fully accomplished. Yet it still shines currently on us as if it just happened.
To carry the analogy further, a star’s light shining on us offers us light that we can still refuse to receive. I can hide under a blanket, in a closet or just shut my eyes. When I do this, I am currently rejecting and blocking a fully completed and accomplished source of light. Here, the rejection of the light is not based on the inadequacy of the light, but rather is based on my unwillingness to receive it.
Think about the enormity of this truth. If God has always already disallowed every form of evil, then we are left with a stunning conclusion – – we are the ones who allow evil by our blocking God’s disallowance of it by our individual or corporate unbelief. Or, put another way, we have the freedom to accept or reject God’s disallowance of evil. God’s disallowance of evil is the Cross of Christ. The more we accept the completed work of the Cross, the more we allow God’s disallowance of the evil we face. The more we reject or ignore the completed work of the Cross, the more we disallow God’s disallowance of evil.
Let’s establish the Scriptural basis for the proposition that God has always already disallowed every form of evil. First, Jesus has already defeated every demonic power and disarmed every demonic weapon which has ever plagued mankind. Jesus “led [past tense] captivity captive” through His death, resurrection and ascension (Eph. 4:8). Theologians call this the “Harrowing of Hell,” whereby Jesus led a prison-break to set us free from all demonic oppression and captivity. “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he [Jesus] made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Col. 2:15. Greek scholars describe this verse as detailing a victory parade where Jesus displayed all the demonic armor and weaponry stripped off of the enemy through His Cross and Resurrection two thousand years ago. Jesus is not going to do this – – He already has done it. All demonic power has already been long ago defeated, long ago disarmed and long ago dispossessed of all evil influence.
It gets even better. Not only has the demonic been demolished, but we have also already been completely healed of all our sins, sorrows and sicknesses. Jesus again completed this healing long ago through His Cross and Resurrection: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Pet. 2:24. The Old Testament prophesied that Jesus would heal us in the future “with His stripes” (Is. 53:5). The Gospels declared that Jesus’ Earthly ministry was currently healing us then: “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Matt. 8:16-17. Lastly, the epistle of First Peter written decades later stresses that the work of Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection was final and complete, “by whose stripes ye WERE healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24).
If demons are defeated and all our sins and sicknesses healed, then why don’t we see this “always already” victory right now? “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; . . . Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Heb. 2:3, 8-9.
This passage is clear that all things have already been put under Jesus, but we don’t yet see them put under Jesus. The reason? Because of our individual and corporate “neglect” of “so great a salvation.” Both Satan and Evil have no gasoline left in their tank because Jesus drained it all away at the Cross. They are functioning today solely off of the fumes of our neglect of Jesus’ great salvation. What makes this salvation so great is its “always already” aspect. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convince us of the accomplished benefits of this great salvation. “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” 1 Cor. 2:12.
Consider the following passage which likewise confirms that all things have already been put under Jesus’ feet:
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Eph. 1:17-23.
Beloved, do you see why we must never accuse God of allowing evil? He has given His own blood, sweat and tears to disallow evil in every form. The only reason evil appears to be alive and well is due to our own neglect of God’s great salvation which has always already provided us deliverance from all evil. God, through His foreknowledge and unsurpassable power, has already pre-responded to every encounter with evil appearances which we will ever have, and He has predestined and pre-fixed a way of escape from every apparent threat of evil.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Rom. 8:28-29.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor. 10:13.
Again, always already. Jesus tells us that whatever we bind on Earth has “already” been bound in Heaven. The original Greek of Matthew 18:18 and 16:19 both clearly say that we have the authority to bind on Earth that which is already bound in Heaven. Interlinear translations agree that these verses convey the idea that, “whatever you might bind on the Earth will be, having been bound in the Heavens already.”
This is why Jesus used the Greek imperative mood when teaching us “how to pray” in Luke 11:1-4. The imperative mood doesn’t ask, beg or cajole God. The imperative mood orders reality to conform to God’s already established will. Jesus isn’t asking God the Father to deliver us from evil in this passage. Jesus is ordering all reality to be conformed to His Father’s always already complete deliverance from evil. Consider John 15:7 which states, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The Greek word translated as “ask” in this passage is defined in Strong’s Concordance at 154 and 4441 as “strictly a demand of something due.”
In other words, the imperative mood merely orders our immediate sphere of influence to conform to the already completed work of the Cross. We don’t pray toward God to complete His promises. Rather we pray from God’s already established and completed work. Our prayer is a form of worship and release where we say yes and amen to all the promises of God which have already been fully performed by our magnificent Savior. Beloved, God has already rested from all of His works of deliverance, and so must we.
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Heb. 4:9-11.
Do you see this magnificent reality of God’s salvation? Always already. Always already. God’s salvation is always already. This view of God changes everything. No longer is prayer seen as a laborious effort to get God to act or “change His mind.” Prayer is now seen not as a way to change God’s will, but rather as a way of implementing God’s will – – His “always already” will to all goodness. Worship is not based on what God might do someday, but rather true worship rejoices in what God has already fully accomplished. All we need do is to rest in the completed work of the Cross. Sure, there will be suffering. Sure, there will be temptation. Sure, there will be persecution. Sure, there will be occasional stumbles and a few set-backs. But in all these things, we are more than conquerors because Jesus has always already pre-conquered all these problems. Blaming God for allowing these problems is like blaming the fireman who pulls you out of a fire for starting the fire itself. God didn’t start the fire – – we did. God gave His own blood to rescue us from the fire of sin with which we have burned ourselves.
The blood of Jesus is much mentioned and much preached. But, one crucial aspect of the blood is neglected – – it was shed two thousand years ago. It is a past accomplished fact that Jesus’ blood once and forever disallows and cleanses all evil within us and outside us. Like the shining star at night mentioned previously, Jesus’ blood shines from two thousand years ago to “now.” While many today still close their eyes to this light, thus blocking God’s disallowance of evil, the body of Christ must learn to keep its eyes open to the “always already” kingdom of light. The major way we keep the eyes of our hearts open is to not err as a beloved brother-in-Christ by letting ourselves or anyone else say that God allows evil and that anything other than good and perfection ever comes from Him (Jas. 1:13,16). Those who continue to err by believing that God does allow evil are infected with wrong thinking. This Infection is the leading cause of unbelief today. I call this illness the Isaiah 5:20 Infection, which is basically calling good things evil and evil things good.
At Rest In Him 