Good and Evil: As Simple as Light and Darkness

"Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous." -- Psalm 1:4-5

Did you know darkness cannot be created? If you light a candle or flip on a light switch you create light but there is no switch to flip or item to use by which you can create darkness. Darkness is simply the absence of something; the absence of light.

Wickedness and evil are like darkness in that they cannot be created. Wickedness and evil are simply the absence of something; the absence of God. All of the terrible things that have ever been perpetrated in our world find their ultimate motivation and cause in the absence of God. God never intended for evil to be a part of our existence but when man kicked God out of his life in the Garden of Eden the mere absence of God's presence created a void where God's goodness once resided in the heart of man. This void, created by man's rebellion against God, was filled by evil just as darkness fills a room absent of light.

Jesus fills this void in our heart with Himself when we place our faith in His Cross for the forgiveness of our sins and give our life to Him. The moment we place faith in Jesus we begin to enjoy relationship with and the presence of God. At the moment of salvation we begin to experience God's goodness in our life! Our thoughts, words and actions become more and more affected by God's goodness as our relationship with Him grows stronger. One way in which we relate to God and grow in our relationship with Him is through the reading, study and meditation upon His Word. Thus, we have David's encouragement for the believer in Psalm 1.

A wicked man does not have a relationship with God and pays no attention to His Word. The wicked man has no hope of a truly prosperous life (as we defined it yesterday) nor any hope of eternal life. His life might look good today but there is no real nourishment in his soul, no real life, no genuine goodness. What a sad existence to live a life apart from the goodness of God and all of the prosperity a union with Him can bring. What a sad existence to never know your creator nor give Him the praise and worship which is due His name.

No matter how moral a man may be, only a relationship with God can make him good!

James