Evil can be defined as morally wrong, sinful or wicked behavior. Sin committed against other people or God. Essentially is a lack of goodness. God is love 1 John 4:8; the absence of love in a person is un-God-like and therefore evil.
Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person”Mark 7:20-23
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” Romans 12:21
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” Isaiah 5:20 - Evil is the corruption creational and relational goodness. - Evil consists of thoughts, actions, or forces that diminish life. Evil takes what God planned for the good of all his creation and distorts or defiles it.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your sould and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
The biblical concept of evil is identified as:
- Something deficient, negative, or worthless (Gen 41:3Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); 2 Kgs 2:19Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Matt 7:17Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Acts 17:5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available))
- Emotional or relational distress, insult, guilty conscience (Gen 6:6Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); 28:8Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Eccl 1:13Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Matt 5:11Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Heb 10:22Open in Logos Bible Software (if available))
- Harm or death to a person or property, disease (Gen 31:52Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); 2 Kgs 4:41Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Luke 7:21Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)) Moral failure, wickedness, malicious words or actions (Gen 6:5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); 13:13Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); 50:15–17Open in Logos Bible Software (if available); Rom 1:28–32Open in Logos Bible Software (if available))12
- Evil defiles what is good, bringing chaos, distress, cursing, and death. Evil is anything that departs from God’s good intentions in creation, breaks our relationship with God and our neighbor, or tries to take what does not belong to it.13