The presence of evil has been in the world ever since sin was introduced into it.  David once said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).  This is not saying, as some suppose, that David was born a sinner.  In the previous verse, he had just confessed to sinning against God.  To turn around and say that he was born a sinner would have been equivalent to saying it was God’s fault that he sinned since God created him.  David was simply acknowledging that he was born into a world dominated by sin, and such has never ceased to be the case.

How are we to deal with the evil that is ever present in our world today?  The answer to this question depends on whether we are talking about evil in general or evil that is committed against us.  Let’s look at both of these situations.

In general, we are to abhor evil.  We must hate sin and its consequences as much as God does. Listen to what David says about God.

Psalm 5:5 (ESV)
⁵  The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.

We know from the overall teachings of God’s Word that He does not literally hate anyone.  He, in fact, so loved the world that He sacrificed His Son to save it (John 3:16).  David is using a Hebraism that simply denotes acceptance and rejection.  God rejects all sin and, therefore, rejects the sinner.  God can have no fellowship with darkness (1 John 1:5-6), and we should not either.

Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV)
¹¹  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

When it comes to evil in general, we must always oppose it, speak out against it, and never personally indulge in it, regardless of the form it takes.  Paul exhorts us to not only cling to what is good but to “abhor what is evil” (Romans 12:9).  We ought to heed his apostolic exhortation.

Now, let’s see what the Bible says about how to handle evil when it is committed against us personally.  I do not have the space to deal with this extensively.  How we deal with evil committed against us obviously depends on the type of evil that takes place.  If it involves a violation of law, especially that which results in bodily harm, that will play a part in what specific action we take.  Aside from that, regarding evil in the form of some kind of basic mistreatment from the world, how should react?  The Bible gives us very specific instructions along these lines.

Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹  Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰  Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” ²¹  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jesus tells us how, at least in part, we can apply the teaching of Paul here.

Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)
⁴⁴  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

The prevailing characteristic of all Christians must be love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).  We do not love in word and thought alone, but in deed.  Never does love shine brighter than when it leads us to do good for someone who has done evil to us.  That’s the way of Christ.  When he was reviled, He did not return it to the evildoers.  Instead, He died for them on the cross.  Let’s walk in the steps of Jesus.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.