The Origin of Evil
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To many minds the origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a
source of great perplexity. They see the work of evil, with its terrible
results of woe and desolation, and they question how all this can exist
under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in
love. Here is a mystery of which they find no explanation. And in their
uncertainty and doubt they are blinded to truths plainly revealed in God's
word and essential to salvation. There are those who, in their inquiries
concerning the existence of sin, endeavor to search into that which God
has
never revealed; hence they find no solution of their difficulties; and
such
as are actuated by a disposition to doubt and cavil seize upon this as an
excuse for rejecting the words of Holy Writ. Others, however, fail of a
satisfactory understanding of the great problem of evil, from the fact
that
tradition and misinterpretation have obscured the teaching of the Bible
concerning the character of God, the nature of His government, and the
principles of His dealing with sin.
It is impossible to explain the origin of sin so as to give a reason for
its
existence. Yet enough may be understood concerning both the origin and the
final disposition of sin to make fully manifest the justice and
benevolence
of God in all His dealings with evil. Nothing is more plainly taught in
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Scripture than that God was in no wise responsible for the entrance of
sin;
that there was no arbitrary withdrawal of divine grace, no deficiency in
the
divine government, that gave occasion for the uprising of rebellion. Sin
is
an intruder, for whose presence no reason can be given. It is mysterious,
unaccountable; to excuse it is to defend it. Could excuse for it be found,
or cause be shown for its existence, it would cease to be sin. Our only
definition of sin is that given in the word of God; it is "the
transgression
of the law;" it is the outworking of a principle at war with the great law
of love which is the foundation of the divine government.
Before the entrance of evil there was peace and joy throughout the
universe.
All was in perfect harmony with the Creator's will. Love for God was
supreme, love for one another impartial. Christ the Word, the Only
Begotten
of God, was one with the eternal Father,--one in nature, in character, and
in purpose,--the only being in all the universe that could enter into all
the counsels and purposes of God. By Christ the Father wrought in the
creation of all heavenly beings. "By Him were all things created, that are
in heaven, . . . whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers" (Colossians 1:16); and to Christ, equally with the Father, all
heaven gave allegiance.
The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the
happiness
of all created beings depended upon their perfect accord with its great
principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the
service
of love--homage that springs from an intelligent appreciation of His
character. He takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and to all He
grants
freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service.
But there was one that chose to pervert this freedom. Sin originated with
him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and who stood
highest
in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Before his fall,
Lucifer
was
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first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. "Thus saith the Lord
God;
Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast
been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. . .
..Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou
wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the
midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day
that
thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." Ezekiel 28:12-15.
Lucifer might have remained in favor with God, beloved and honored by all
the angelic host, exercising his noble powers to bless others and to
glorify
his Maker. But, says the prophet, "Thine heart was lifted up because of
thy
beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." Verse
17. Little by little, Lucifer came to indulge a desire for
self-exaltation.
"Thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God." "Thou hast said, . . . I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the
mount
of the congregation....I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I
will
be like the Most High." Verse 6; Isaiah 14:13, 14. Instead of seeking to
make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of His creatures, it was
Lucifer's endeavor to win their service and homage to himself. And
coveting
the honor which the infinite Father had bestowed upon His Son, this prince
of angels aspired to power which it was the prerogative of Christ alone to
wield.
All heaven had rejoiced to reflect the Creator's glory and to show forth
His
praise. And while God was thus honored, all had been peace and gladness.
But
a note of discord now marred the celestial harmonies. The service and
exaltation of self, contrary to the Creator's plan, awakened forebodings
of
evil in minds to whom God's glory was supreme. The heavenly councils
pleaded
with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the
goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging
nature
of His law. God Himself had established the order of heaven;
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and in departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Maker, and bring ruin
upon himself. But the warning, given in infinite love and mercy, only
aroused a spirit of resistance. Lucifer allowed jealousy of Christ to
prevail, and he became the more determined.
Pride in his own glory nourished the desire for supremacy. The high honors
conferred upon Lucifer were not appreciated as the gift of God and called
forth no gratitude to the Creator. He gloried in his brightness and
exaltation, and aspired to be equal with God. He was beloved and
reverenced
by the heavenly host. Angels delighted to execute his commands, and he was
clothed with wisdom and glory above them all. Yet the Son of God was the
acknowledged Sovereign of heaven, one in power and authority with the
Father. In all the councils of God, Christ was a participant, while
Lucifer
was not permitted thus to enter into the divine purposes. "Why,"
questioned
this mighty angel, "should Christ have the supremacy? Why is He thus
honored
above Lucifer?"
Leaving his place in the immediate presence of God, Lucifer went forth to
diffuse the spirit of discontent among the angels. Working with mysterious
secrecy, and for a time concealing his real purpose under an appearance of
reverence for God, he endeavored to excite dissatisfaction concerning the
laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that they imposed an
unnecessary restraint. Since their natures were holy, he urged that the
angels should obey the dictates of their own will. He sought to create
sympathy for himself by representing that God had dealt unjustly with him
in
bestowing supreme honor upon Christ. He claimed that in aspiring to
greater
power and honor he was not aiming at self-exaltation, but was seeking to
secure liberty for all the inhabitants of heaven, that by this means they
might attain to a higher state of existence.
God in His great mercy bore long with Lucifer. He was not immediately
degraded from his exalted station when he first indulged the spirit of
discontent, nor even when he
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began to present his false claims before the loyal angels. Long was he
retained in heaven. Again and again he was offered pardon on condition of
repentance and submission. Such efforts as only infinite love and wisdom
could devise were made to convince him of his error. The spirit of
discontent had never before been known in heaven. Lucifer himself did not
at
first see whither he was drifting; he did not understand the real nature
of
his feelings. But as his dissatisfaction was proved to be without cause,
Lucifer was convinced that he was in the wrong, that the divine claims
were
just, and that he ought to acknowledge them as such before all heaven. Had
he done this, he might have saved himself and many angels. He had not at
this time fully cast off his allegiance to God. Though he had forsaken his
position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God,
acknowledging the Creator's wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place
appointed him in God's great plan, he would have been reinstated in his
office. But pride forbade him to submit. He persistently defended his own
course, maintained that he had no need of repentance, and fully committed
himself, in the great controversy, against his Maker.
All the powers of his master mind were now bent to the work of deception,
to
secure the sympathy of the angels that had been under his command. Even
the
fact that Christ had warned and counseled him was perverted to serve his
traitorous designs. To those whose loving trust bound them most closely to
him, Satan had represented that he was wrongly judged, that his position
was
not respected, and that his liberty was to be abridged. From
misrepresentation of the words of Christ he passed to prevarication and
direct falsehood, accusing the Son of God of a design to humiliate him
before the inhabitants of heaven. He sought also to make a false issue
between himself and the loyal angels. All whom he could not subvert and
bring fully to his side he accused of indifference to the interests of
heavenly beings. The very work which he himself was doing he charged upon
those
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who remained true to God. And to sustain his charge of God's injustice
toward him, he resorted to misrepresentation of the words and acts of the
Creator. It was his policy to perplex the angels with subtle arguments
concerning the purposes of God. Everything that was simple he shrouded in
mystery, and by artful perversion cast doubt upon the plainest statements
of
Jehovah. His high position, in such close connection with the divine
administration, gave greater force to his representations, and many were
induced to unite with him in rebellion against Heaven's authority.
God in His wisdom permitted Satan to carry forward his work, until the
spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. It was necessary for
his
plans to be fully developed, that their true nature and tendency might be
seen by all. Lucifer, as the anointed cherub, had been highly exalted; he
was greatly loved by the heavenly beings, and his influence over them was
strong. God's government included not only the inhabitants of heaven, but
of
all the worlds that He had created; and Satan thought that if he could
carry
the angels of heaven with him in rebellion, he could carry also the other
worlds. He had artfully presented his side of the question, employing
sophistry and fraud to secure his objects. His power to deceive was very
great, and by disguising himself in a cloak of falsehood he had gained an
advantage. Even the loyal angels could not fully discern his character or
see to what his work was leading.
Satan had been so highly honored, and all his acts were so clothed with
mystery, that it was difficult to disclose to the angels the true nature
of
his work. Until fully developed, sin would not appear the evil thing it
was.
Heretofore it had had no place in the universe of God, and holy beings had
no conception of its nature and malignity. They could not discern the
terrible consequences that would result from setting aside the divine law.
Satan had, at first, concealed his work under a specious profession of
loyalty to God. He claimed to be seeking to promote the honor of God, the
stability of His government, and the good of all the inhabitants of
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heaven. While instilling discontent into the minds of the angels under
him,
he had artfully made it appear that he was seeking to remove
dissatisfaction. When he urged that changes be made in the order and laws
of
God's government, it was under the pretense that these were necessary in
order to preserve harmony in heaven.
In His dealing with sin, God could employ only righteousness and truth.
Satan could use what God could not-- flattery and deceit. He had sought to
falsify the word of God and had misrepresented His plan of government
before
the angels, claiming that God was not just in laying laws and rules upon
the
inhabitants of heaven; that in requiring submission and obedience from His
creatures, He was seeking merely the exaltation of Himself. Therefore it
must be demonstrated before the inhabitants of heaven, as well as of all
the
worlds, that God's government was just, His law perfect. Satan had made it
appear that he himself was seeking to promote the good of the universe.
The
true character of the usurper, and his real object, must be understood by
all. He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works.
The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged upon
the law and government of God. All evil he declared to be the result of
the
divine administration. He claimed that it was his own object to improve
upon
the statutes of Jehovah. Therefore it was necessary that he should
demonstrate the nature of his claims, and show the working out of his
proposed changes in the divine law. His own work must condemn him. Satan
had
claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion. The whole universe
must
see the deceiver unmasked.
Even when it was decided that he could no longer remain in heaven,
Infinite
Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since the service of love can alone be
acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a
conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and
of
other worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of
sin, could not then have seen the justice and
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mercy of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted
from existence, they would have served God from fear rather than from
love.
The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor
would
the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. Evil must be
permitted
to come to maturity. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless
ages Satan must more fully develop his principles, that his charges
against
the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created
beings, that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law
might forever be placed beyond all question.
Satan's rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming
ages, a perpetual testimony to the nature and terrible results of sin. The
working out of Satan's rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would
show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. It
would
testify that with the existence of God's government and His law is bound
up
the well-being of all the creatures He has made. Thus the history of this
terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all
holy
intelligences, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of
transgression, to save them from committing sin and suffering its
punishments.
To the very close of the controversy in heaven the great usurper continued
to justify himself. When it was announced that with all his sympathizers
he
must be expelled from the abodes of bliss, then the rebel leader boldly
avowed his contempt for the Creator's law. He reiterated his claim that
angels needed no control, but should be left to follow their own will,
which
would ever guide them right. He denounced the divine statutes as a
restriction of their liberty and declared that it was his purpose to
secure
the abolition of law; that, freed from this restraint, the hosts of heaven
might enter upon a more exalted, more glorious state of existence.
With one accord, Satan and his host threw the blame of their rebellion
wholly upon Christ, declaring that if they
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had not been reproved, they would never have rebelled. Thus stubborn and
defiant in their disloyalty, seeking vainly to overthrow the government of
God, yet blasphemously claiming to be themselves the innocent victims of
oppressive power, the archrebel and all his sympathizers were at last
banished from heaven.
The same spirit that prompted rebellion in heaven still inspires rebellion
on earth. Satan has continued with men the same policy which he pursued
with
the angels. His spirit now reigns in the children of disobedience. Like
him
they seek to break down the restraints of the law of God and promise men
liberty through transgression of its precepts. Reproof of sin still
arouses
the spirit of hatred and resistance. When God's messages of warning are
brought home to the conscience, Satan leads men to justify themselves and
to
seek the sympathy of others in their course of sin. Instead of correcting
their errors, they excite indignation against the reprover, as if he were
the sole cause of difficulty. From the days of righteous Abel to our own
time such is the spirit which has been displayed toward those who dare to
condemn sin.
By the same misrepresentation of the character of God as he had practiced
in
heaven, causing Him to be regarded as severe and tyrannical, Satan induced
man to sin. And having succeeded thus far, he declared that God's unjust
restrictions had led to man's fall, as they had led to his own rebellion.
But the Eternal One Himself proclaims His character: "The Lord God,
merciful
and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
that
will by no means clear the guilty." Exodus 34:6, 7.
In the banishment of Satan from heaven, God declared His justice and
maintained the honor of His throne. But when man had sinned through
yielding
to the deceptions of this apostate spirit, God gave an evidence of His
love
by yielding up His only-begotten Son to die for the fallen race.
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In the atonement the character of God is revealed. The mighty argument of
the cross demonstrates to the whole universe that the course of sin which
Lucifer had chosen was in no wise chargeable upon the government of God.
In the contest between Christ and Satan, during the Saviour's earthly
ministry, the character of the great deceiver was unmasked. Nothing could
so
effectually have uprooted Satan from the affections of the heavenly angels
and the whole loyal universe as did his cruel warfare upon the world's
Redeemer. The daring blasphemy of his demand that Christ should pay him
homage, his presumptuous boldness in bearing Him to the mountain summit
and
the pinnacle of the temple, the malicious intent betrayed in urging Him to
cast Himself down from the dizzy height, the unsleeping malice that hunted
Him from place to place, inspiring the hearts of priests and people to
reject His love, and at the last to cry, "Crucify Him! crucify Him!"--all
this excited the amazement and indignation of the universe.
It was Satan that prompted the world's rejection of Christ. The prince of
evil exerted all his power and cunning to destroy Jesus; for he saw that
the
Saviour's mercy and love, His compassion and pitying tenderness, were
representing to the world the character of God. Satan contested every
claim
put forth by the Son of God and employed men as his agents to fill the
Saviour's life with suffering and sorrow. The sophistry and falsehood by
which he had sought to hinder the work of Jesus, the hatred manifested
through the children of disobedience, his cruel accusations against Him
whose life was one of unexampled goodness, all sprang from deep-seated
revenge. The pent-up fires of envy and malice, hatred and revenge, burst
forth on Calvary against the Son of God, while all heaven gazed upon the
scene in silent horror.
When the great sacrifice had been consummated, Christ ascended on high,
refusing the adoration of angels until He had presented the request: "I
will
that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." John
17:24.
Then
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with inexpressible love and power came forth the answer from the Father's
throne: "Let all the angels of God worship Him." Hebrews 1:6. Not a stain
rested upon Jesus. His humiliation ended, His sacrifice completed, there
was
given unto Him a name that is above every name.
Now the guilt of Satan stood forth without excuse. He had revealed his
true
character as a liar and a murderer. It was seen that the very same spirit
with which he ruled the children of men, who were under his power, he
would
have manifested had he been permitted to control the inhabitants of
heaven.
He had claimed that the transgression of God's law would bring liberty and
exaltation; but it was seen to result in bondage and degradation.
Satan's lying charges against the divine character and government appeared
in their true light. He had accused God of seeking merely the exaltation
of
Himself in requiring submission and obedience from His creatures, and had
declared that, while the Creator exacted self-denial from all others, He
Himself practiced no self-denial and made no sacrifice. Now it was seen
that
for the salvation of a fallen and sinful race, the Ruler of the universe
had
made the greatest sacrifice which love could make; for "God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. It was seen,
also,
that while Lucifer had opened the door for the entrance of sin by his
desire
for honor and supremacy, Christ had, in order to destroy sin, humbled
Himself and become obedient unto death.
God had manifested His abhorrence of the principles of rebellion. All
heaven
saw His justice revealed, both in the condemnation of Satan and in the
redemption of man. Lucifer had declared that if the law of God was
changeless, and its penalty could not be remitted, every transgressor must
be forever debarred from the Creator's favor. He had claimed that the
sinful
race were placed beyond redemption and were therefore his rightful prey.
But
the death of Christ was an argument in man's behalf that could not be
overthrown. The
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penalty of the law fell upon Him who was equal with God, and man was free
to
accept the righteousness of Christ and by a life of penitence and
humiliation to triumph, as the Son of God had triumphed, over the power of
Satan. Thus God is just and yet the justifier of all who believe in Jesus.
But it was not merely to accomplish the redemption of man that Christ came
to the earth to suffer and to die. He came to "magnify the law" and to
"make
it honorable." Not alone that the inhabitants of this world might regard
the
law as it should be regarded; but it was to demonstrate to all the worlds
of
the universe that God's law is unchangeable. Could its claims have been
set
aside, then the Son of God need not have yielded up His life to atone for
its transgression. The death of Christ proves it immutable. And the
sacrifice to which infinite love impelled the Father and the Son, that
sinners might be redeemed, demonstrates to all the universe--what nothing
less than this plan of atonement could have sufficed to do--that justice
and
mercy are the foundation of the law and government of God.
In the final execution of the judgment it will be seen that no cause for
sin
exists. When the Judge of all the earth shall demand of Satan, "Why hast
thou rebelled against Me, and robbed Me of the subjects of My kingdom?"
the
originator of evil can render no excuse. Every mouth will be stopped, and
all the hosts of rebellion will be speechless.
The cross of Calvary, while it declares the law immutable, proclaims to
the
universe that the wages of sin is death. In the Saviour's expiring cry,
"It
is finished," the death knell of Satan was rung. The great controversy
which
had been so long in progress was then decided, and the final eradication
of
evil was made certain. The Son of God passed through the portals of the
tomb, that "through death He might destroy him that had the power of
death,
that is, the devil." Hebrews 2:14. Lucifer's desire for self-exaltation
had
led him to say: "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: . . . I
will
be like the Most High." God declares: "I will bring
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thee to ashes upon the earth, . . . and never shalt thou be any more."
Isaiah 14:13, 14; Ezekiel 28:18, 19. When "the day cometh, that shall burn
as an oven;. . . .all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Malachi 4:1.
The whole universe will have become witnesses to the nature and results of
sin. And its utter extermination, which in the beginning would have
brought
fear to angels and dishonor to God, will now vindicate His love and
establish His honor before the universe of beings who delight to do His
will, and in whose heart is His law. Never will evil again be manifest.
Says
the word of God: "Affliction shall not rise up the second time." Nahum
1:9.
The law of God, which Satan has reproached as the yoke of bondage, will be
honored as the law of liberty. A tested and proved creation will never
again
be turned from allegiance to Him whose character has been fully manifested
before them as fathomless love and infinite wisdom.
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