JC Blog

God never intended for us to know about evil. In the beginning He made the universe, the world, all living things and mankind. Then He called it good. Evil, sin and corruption never entered the picture until Eve was deceived by Satan. He used her curiosity about evil to trick her into thinking she would be better off if she knew what evil was. The result was disastrous for mankind. As Adam and Eve partook in the tree that God commanded them not to eat of, their eyes were open to the knowledge of good and evil. The rest is history, the result was the universe and everything within it had a working knowledge that both good and evil existed, and we were not the better for it.

In today's passage Paul is giving a wonderful key to living the Christian life. We are to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. He is saying the best defense against sin and corruption is a good offense. We are to be wise and knowledgeable about what is good. Meaning we should know good and live that way. In the same way we are to be innocent or guileless to evil. In other words, we should stay away from it, having nothing to do with it.

We live our lives out of the convictions of our heart. Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he (man) thinketh in his heart, so is he" meaning that what you do and say comes from the true thoughts and philosophies rooted and established in your heart and thought process. When it comes down to it, whatever you value and believe is how you will act. To benefit from this truth, we are to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. We cannot be tempted with things we don't think, dwell on or know about. Therefore, don't think about evil things, or go looking for them. Rather be innocent concerning them, and then you will not struggle with those things.

The counter to this is to think about good, plant it in your heart and it will become evident in your lives as your mind renews to those things. The question becomes, what is the good that we should be thinking on? Paul said in Colossians, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" ( Colossians 3:1-3 ). This is the key to amazing transformation in Christ. Merely think on the things of God and be consumed with them and they will overflow in the way you live your life.

Paul is giving great instruction for us today. So much evil exists in this world, but we can be confident in this truth that Jesus spoke over two thousand years ago, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ( John 16:33 ). Knowing the goodness of God brings us peace and crushes Satan and the evil that means to destroy us. Jesus has overcome and through faith in Him, we too have overcome. Being wise to what is good will expedite this victory in your daily live.

Writing the past few days about the condition of man apart from God, made writing this blog hard. Looking at the list of items that humankind became because of the fall brought many moments of reflection for me. The truth is, without God we are in a hopeless situation.

God must have felt the same way, looking around at everything that man was, must have broken his heart. He knew we were in a hopeless situation without him. Paul told us in this passage that among other vial things, we became God-haters. We were hateful and hating God, and yet He still came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Mulling over this, brought me to a wonderful passage of scripture in Isaiah 59. I was saddened by the condition that sin left humankind in. In the midst of this condition, God looked around for someone to intercede and stand the gap between us and Him. Finding no one, Isaiah 59:16 says, that 'His own arm worked salvation for him'. Jesus brought us justice and victory and righteousness because God knew that He was the only one who could redeem us, so He did.

Because of this victory He declared in verse 21, "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD." God saw the condition of man and made a permanent solution for the problem. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, then we are called out and separated unto Himself. No longer are we among those who are accountable to the items mentioned above. He gives us His Spirit to preserve and protect us.

From that time when Gods own arm worked salvation for us, sin was not a problem. The only problem that will keep you in the dark from knowing God, is not accepting his free gift of salvation through Jesus. If you can related to the things Paul mentions above, 'slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful...' then today, all you need to do is simply believe on the Lord Jesus. Paul says in Romans 10, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ( Romans 10:8-11 ).

I find it interesting that most of Paul's laundry list of transgressions isn't even in our top ten list of what we consider to be sin. By comparison much of the time we don't feel that participating in these things to be wrong. But notice that this lifestyle is what comes about by setting our face against the Lord.

Paul starts out by saying that 'they have become filled with every king of wickedness', the Amplified Bible says that they have been permeated and saturated with every kind of unrighteousness. The fruit of this life style is listed as well... envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and gossipers. The next few verses will also cover more of these outgrowth of hardness of heart. But when you boil it down, it all comes back to not recognizing God as God. Throughout this whole passage in Romans 1, this is the root of the issue.

When you recognize God for who He is and what He has done for you, then the lifestyle that follows comes directly from relationship. I find it very easy to get caught away with the office chatter but have to tell myself to walk away from it. Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" Not only do they go down inside you, but as words spoken with mal intent, they will proceed to rot from the inside out.

Do I walk away from gossip because I feel condemnation from God if I don't? No, I walk away from it because God has already instructed me to and has also warning me against it. Because I know God and know His love for me, I know, these instructions come about for my good.

When we stop to recognize God and glorify Him as God, this solves the problem of moving towards a base and condemned mind. We will live our lives out of His love and goodness and be less willing or susceptible to the desires of the flesh. Today, I challenge you to take inventory of your life and weed out those things mentioned above so you can really live life to the fullest and bring glory to God.

Paul closes Romans 12 by reminding us to overcome evil with good. The battle between good and evil has been in operation since the Garden of Eden. These entities are polar opposites and fight against each other. The stronger gaining ground in the world around us. To master evil we must overcome it with good. This does not mean that we should try to be good to ward off evil in our lives, but we should operate in biblical principles to overcome and conquer it once for all.

As Christians we are called to overcome in this world, but to overcome we must master evil. To do this, we must hate sin and cling to what is good. Throughout this entire chapter Paul gives us insight on overcoming evil. First we have to renew our minds to the word of God being transformed into his likeness ( Romans 12:2 ). Secondly, our gifts must be in operation in the body of Christ, to which we were called to belong ( Romans 12:5 ). Next we must love sincerely without hypocrisy, devoted to one another ( Romans 12:9, Romans 12:10 ). We are to keep ourselves zealous for the Lord, joyful, patient and faithful ( Romans 12:11, Romans 12:12 ). These things will keep our focus on God and off our circumstances. Looking to Him will allow His characteristics to daily flow out of our lives overcoming and mastering sin.

Next Paul instructs us that we are to remain blameless in the midst of hardship. This is key to overcoming evil with good. We are to bless when cursed, feed and care for our enemies even when we are wronged and live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:14, Romans 12:16, Romans 12:18, Romans 12:20). We should allow God to judge and settle all wrongs for us (Romans 12:19). As born again believers we should be above reproach as far as the world is concerned.

Fortunately, we have a perfect example in Jesus who overcame and conquered sin, death and Satan on the cross. I John tells us "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work: ( I John 3:8 ). Since those works of Satan have been destroyed with this victory, we are also called to overcome. John went on to say, "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. " ( I John 5:4-5 ). Through faith in Christ Jesus we have overcome the evil that previously held us in chains. And by operating in that same faith we can extinguish the fiery darts that are meant to cripple us ( Ephesians 6:16 ). Our faith enables us to overcome.

Jesus told Simon Peter immediately after his profession of the Christ that "on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ( Matthew 16:18 ). The rock was Jesus and anyone who believed in Him would likewise overcome the world. Sin, death and the gates of hell would not overshadow and overpower it. Because the revelation of Christ is the means to break free from the evil of this world.

Knowing these truths will enable you to stand firm as the days become more and more evil ( Ephesians 6:13 ). God did not leave us unprotected and unequipped in this world. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us ( Romans 8:37 ). Today I pray that you realize victory has already been won through Christ Jesus. Now we are instructed to hold our ground and overcome evil by the good that lives inside us. May your faith overcome any obstacles in your way as you master sin with the goodness found in Jesus, amen.

One of the differences between Christians and the world is our ability to love. This love comes solely from God and stems out of the fact that he first loved us. I John says, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God" ( I John 4:7 ). Our capacity to love is much more than a natural response to a feeling, our capacity is supernatural because we are children of God and God lives in us ( I John 4:7-21 ).

In today's passage Paul tells us that love must be sincere. It must be genuine - the real thing. It must be without hypocrisy. In our natural selves this is hard to do. It is not always easy to show love and compassion to one another, but this is the mark of a born again believer. Our love for one another should speak louder than any words we can express.

It is no mystery that love is the very first fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). This fruit is the characteristics of God that were deposited in our born again spirit. These things were given to us at salvation and prove that we are children of God when we allow them to operate in our lives. We have been given a supernatural ability to love one another. Love is the anchor to every fruit of the Spirit because God is love and his love is the driving force behind everything he has done. In the same way, since God loved us we should love one another and allow His love to flow through us ( I John 4:11 ).

Not only should our love be the real thing, but we should hate and abhor what is evil and cling to what is good. James tells us that keeping ourselves unpolluted from the world is true and faultless religion in the sight of God ( James 1:27 ). This is because God is good and perfect and everything that is good comes from him ( James 1:17 ). So it is natural that we should cling to what is good being born of God. I John tells us the reason Jesus appeared was to destroy the works of the devil ( I John 3:8 ). He destroyed evil on the cross and all the works of Satan. John then went on to say, "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" ( I John 3:10 ). This is why Paul reminds to love and cling to what is good, because through Christ Jesus these things are who we have been created to be.

It is important to understand that living and operating in love is not something that we must work at, it is a natural byproduct of being born again and walking by the Spirit of God. Paul told us in Romans 8, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires" ( Romans 8:5 ). By simply walking in fellowship with the Lord and renewing our minds to the truth of God's word we will see these things manifested in our lives supernaturally ( Romans 12:2 ). This is the beauty of living by the Spirit of God; the changes that occur are effortless because in the process God changes our hearts to align with His heart. His characteristics become our characteristics as evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit in operating in our lives. Walking by the Spirit of God we will love deeply and gravitate toward everything good because his Spirit leads us. This is the way he designs us to function, not by trying in our own efforts and failing, but His spirit living within us.

What an amazing thing to love in the same way we are loved by God. Today, may this revelation of God's love for you overflow into your love for one another. May your love show you to be a child of God today, amen.