When Good is Evil and Evil is Good

When Good is Evil and Evil is Good

By Heidi Roberts

In a recent discussion on Facebook, over whether or not it was appropriate for a Christian woman to engage in certain practices, I said the following:

"If Eve had only picked and smelled the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, would that have been okay? What if she cut it open and examined the interior? Maybe poked out a couple of seeds and played with them on her palm? What if she had only licked the fruit and immediately spat it out? How about if she'd taken some of the peel and squeezed the oil out of it and used it as a perfume? What if she had taken just a tiny bit, swirled it around her mouth, and then spit it out, washed her mouth out with water and rinsed many, many times? Would that have been okay? Exactly at what point did she actually "eat" of the fruit? When was the disobedience committed? The problem with saying, ""...how can it be wrong?” is that is exactly the logic the serpent used to tempt Eve into sin; ie: how could the eating of a fruit that looked and smelled so good, possibly be wrong?"

Scripture tells us that we should, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thess 5:22 KJV) If we, indeed, are to do so, to not even have the appearance of evil, than how can we possibly say something like, "...but if it is done right and for the glory of HIM... then how can it be wrong?"

It so easily can be!!

In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul confronted a situation in Corinth where some members of the Christian community believed it was all right to eat meat that had been previously sacrificed to idols, and others did not.

Indeed, this passage of Scripture is one of the most misapplied texts in Christendom, right along with “judge not lest ye be judged” (Matt. 7:1). It's been used to browbeat and condemn many Christians who were engaged in activities, though not specifically prohibited by Scripture, but rather simply because it "seemed" sinful in the eyes of others.

So, where do we draw the line between proper application of this Biblical principle, and being overbearing, tyrannical and judgmental to our brethren?

Christians walk a fine line between being non-judgmental and judging every day. When we see a brother or sister doing something we know isn't good for them to do - (maybe it's even been a long-term problem for them) - what do we do? What if our friend is a recovering alcoholic and we see her coming out of a bar  and getting behind the wheel of her car, obviously inebriated? Do we just pray, or do we make a "judgment call" and run over, to try to stop her from harming herself or others?

Where do we draw the line? How can we know?

There are two cautions here:

1.       That we do not use this principle to become self-righteous.

2.       That we do not use this principle as an excuse to do what we know to be wrong for ourselves and/or others.

In addressing this question, first Paul had to clear up some misconceptions; he explained that, since the idols being sacrificed to were nothing but lifeless hunks of stone, while our God is alive - and the idols are unable to even know that something has been offered to them - the offering was meaningless.

That shut up the critics, who were saying to others who did eat idol-meat that they were somehow being blasphemous by doing so! There was nothing inherently wrong with the meat itself, because the idols to which it was being sacrificed were just hunks of stone. There are NO other gods besides God, so what does it matter? The sacrifice was meaningless, so the meat wasn’t tainted by sacrilege, heresy or blasphemy in any way.

Yet, there was still the issue of  those; maybe new to the faith, or those who, having lived amongst the many religions that abounded in ancient Corinth that it was hard to leave behind a lifetime of indoctrination; for whom the meat was somehow defiled by being offered to the false gods. To them, the eating of this meat meant a return to old pagan ways and practices – and it was confusion to them in their Christian life. What about them?

Here, Paul introduces a unique concept, that of “the weaker brother”; someone who maybe doesn’t have the knowledge or experience that perhaps a more mature believer might have.

“But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?” (1 Corinthians 8:8-10 – emphasis mine)

Whoa, that's a thought-stopper!Yes, we are, indeed, no longer bound by the strictures of the laws of the O.T., save those which Christ told us we are to follow. Eating a steak that had been grilled on an altar to Mars was of no more importance than eating one off of the bbq grill in the backyard. If it’s food, and edible – go ahead and eat it!

But... there are some, perhaps new to the faith or those whose walk hasn’t yet matured, that, seeing you eating that Mars-steak, would either be reminded of and even tempted back into honoring the god Mars, or that you were committing a horrible, horrible sin by doing so – that meat having been defiled by being offered to Mars!

A good modern analogy is the controversy over Christian rock music: If the Christian rock fan believes the music is a blessing that leads them into fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, into worship in Spirit and in Truth - and their walk gives testimony of this, they are, indeed, then free to listen. But they should not impose their musical taste on believers who are opposed to Christian rock music! Many of those who are opposed to Christian rock music believe is no different from secular rock music – and, to them, it’s honoring the devil or tempting them to go back to listening to the secular rock music once more. It’s rather like giving an alcoholic a beer, or somebody trying to quit smoking being around smokers: it could draw them back into the world of sin.

So, here we have it – the hinge upon which this “door” of this principle swings – and, indeed, it swings both ways. On the one hand, we are told that we have freedom in Christ. We are also told, however, that our freedom should not become the issue upon which a brother or sister’s faith might falter; ie: mMy freedom ends where another's need begins.

To this, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:13, “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

The cornerstone of our faith is sacrificial love – the same love Christ showed us by dying on the cross. That same love; that same spirit of sacrificing for the benefit of others - to “Love your neighbor before yourself”; is what is at work here. When we exercise our Christian freedom, therefore, we should do so with the wisdom to not do things that could harm those who could be led astray by it.

Another idea here is that, if it doesn’t honor God – why do it? All that we do is supposed to glorify God – why participate in something you know won’t do that?

So, how are we to act on this and what should this look like in our lives? Paul addresses this when he writes to the church at Phillipa:


“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:9-10) 


Paul concluded his words to the church at Corinth by saying: " "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." (1 Corinthians 8:23-24 – emphasis mine)

Discernment; that quality of testing that allows you to decide if something is or isn’t a good thing; is the key to dividing this scripture rightly; so how do we know what is correct in any given situation?

As Paul told us – when it becomes a stumbling block to our brother or sister.

I’m not particularly fond of honeydew melon; can’t stand the stuff; but I won’t insult my hostess by pointing that fact out, nor why I don’t like it. I simply refrain from eating it. On the other hand, I won’t subject my brothers and sisters to listening to the screaming guitars and pounding bass of the heavy-metal Christian rock music I like to listen to in my home (on headphones!) at our church services. (For the record, my husband and daughter don’t like that type of music either!)

Christians are supposed to put the well-being of others ahead of ourselves. If someone else needs your coat more than you do – you should give it to them. If you can stand to go without a meal and give that food to someone who hasn’t eaten in a couple of days – you’re to do so. Do without what you may want so that others may have what they need; it is thus that we do the work of God amongst our brethren, and in the world.

But, if you are furthering your own agenda, at the expense of someone else’s well-being, then you are not following the Way as Christ taught it to us. 

May the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you this day and always.

In His service,

Heidi Roberts

March 25, 2011