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Evil

theological_term theological_term standard

Evil is whatever is morally wrong and opposed to God's holy character and will. In Scripture, it includes sinful acts, corrupt desires, destructive harm, and the rebellion that results from sin.

At a Glance

Evil is moral and spiritual opposition to God, expressed in sinful actions, corrupt motives, deceptive powers, and the destructive effects of the fall.

Key Points

Description

Evil is the biblical term for all that stands against the holy and good character of God. It includes moral evil in human thoughts, desires, words, and deeds, as well as the broader corruption and misery associated with life under sin's curse. Scripture presents evil as real and serious, not as an illusion, and it also recognizes personal spiritual evil in Satan and demonic powers. At the same time, the Bible carefully distinguishes God from evil: he is perfectly holy, never does wrong, and is not the author of sin, even though he sovereignly judges evil and overrules it for his righteous purposes. Christians therefore understand evil primarily in relation to God's moral will and to humanity's fall into sin, while looking to Christ for victory over sin, death, and the evil one.

Biblical Context

From Genesis 3 onward, the Bible links evil with humanity's rebellion against God and the disorder that follows the fall. The Old Testament often contrasts evil with wisdom, justice, and covenant faithfulness, while the prophets condemn both idolatry and oppression as evil. In the New Testament, Jesus exposes evil as flowing from the heart, and the apostles describe the Christian life as resistance to evil through holiness, truth, and faith in Christ.

Historical Context

Biblical writers spoke in a world that recognized moral wickedness, injustice, violence, and hostile spiritual powers, but Scripture gives the clearest account of evil by rooting it in creaturely rebellion against the Creator. Later Christian reflection has often wrestled with the origin of evil, but the Bible's main emphasis is practical and moral: evil is real, culpable, destructive, and ultimately judged by God.

Jewish and Ancient Context

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the common term for evil can refer to moral wrong or, in some contexts, to disaster or calamity. Jewish readers in the ancient world therefore relied on context to distinguish moral evil from misfortune. The biblical canon consistently frames evil in relation to covenant obedience, divine holiness, and the need for repentance and atonement.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

Hebrew commonly uses רע (raʿ) and related forms, which can mean moral evil, wickedness, harm, or in some contexts disaster/calamity. Greek commonly uses terms such as πονηρία (ponēria) and κακός/κακία (kakos/kakia) for evil, wickedness, or badness, depending on context.

Theological Significance

Evil clarifies the Bible's moral universe: God is holy, humanity is fallen, sin is culpable, and redemption is necessary. The doctrine of evil supports the reality of judgment, the seriousness of repentance, the need for atonement, and the hope of final defeat of Satan, sin, and death through Christ.

Philosophical Explanation

Biblically, evil is not a separate eternal force competing with God. It is a parasitic corruption of what God made good, arising from creaturely rebellion and expressed in immoral desire, falsehood, violence, and injustice. Scripture therefore treats evil as real, responsible, and judgeable, while denying that it belongs to God's nature.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not assume every use of 'evil' means moral wickedness; in some Old Testament passages it can mean calamity, distress, or disaster. Do not blur the biblical distinction between God's righteous judgment and moral evil. Also avoid treating evil as merely social dysfunction or as a mythic symbol; Scripture presents it as both moral guilt and spiritual reality.

Major Views

Christians agree that evil is contrary to God's holiness, though they differ in how they explain God's providence in relation to evil. A careful biblical summary should affirm both God's sovereign rule and his absolute moral purity without making him the author of sin.

Doctrinal Boundaries

God is not morally evil, does not tempt to evil, and is never unjust. Evil is ultimately condemned, not normalized. Scripture also teaches that Christ decisively confronts evil and that final judgment will remove it from God's renewed creation.

Practical Significance

The reality of evil calls for repentance, vigilance, prayer, discernment, justice, and compassion. It also gives believers realistic language for suffering and spiritual conflict while anchoring hope in Christ's victory and the coming end of all evil.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

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