Resisting Evil Empowers It

There it is sitting in a context of the seriousness of sin – “Resist not Evil.” (Matt. 5:39) What? In an age of genocides, beheadings, sex trafficking, and violence, aren’t we supposed to fight this stuff? For a long time, this was a very confusing mystery to me.

It was Norman Grubb who gave me the key to unlock the secret.
He said, “When we resist evil, we empower it.”

In looking back over my life, I realized this was true. When I fought sin, it got worse! For example, I saw it in trivial matters like dieting. When I said, “The one thing I won’t do today is eat vanilla ice cream,” I looked for a Dairy Queen all day, and if I found one, I got a vanilla cone (large of course).
If I promised God, “I’ll never do that again,” I did it again and again.
Whatever I fought, I strengthened, and whatever I resisted, persisted.
I saw this principle in larger matters…

When schools came against bullying, it multiplied.

When the country voted for Prohibition, bootleg liquor increased, the mob was born, speakeasies flourished on every block, and illegal profits and violence increased.

When Christians came against “The Devinci Code,” Dan Brown sold millions more books, and smiled all the way to the bank.

Scripture is clear that saying NO! makes it worse.
Paul says, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. (Rom 5:20 NKJV)
The law increased the sin! “The strength of sin is the law.” (I Cor. 15:56)

Yes, evil is serious and needs to be conquered, but the “How?”

BY GOOD! Evil is not conquered by opposing it, but by doing good! “Overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:21)

If we do good we automatically turn from evil.
If we turn to God, our attention is inevitably turned from self-centeredness.
If we seek truth, lies are silenced.
Love abolishes hate.

“The mere presence of goodness destroys its opposite as light destroys darkness. Nothing needs to be said, or even done. In the presence of goodness anger is consumed.” (Malcolm Muggeridge)

My wife volunteers at an Alternative Pregnancy Center helping young girls through difficult circumstances. The group was formed when pro-life advocates realized that standing across the street from Planned Parenthood yelling “Baby Killers!” was not helping these girls. So they decided to “overcome with the good” of offering alternatives to abortion, rather than resisting the evil, and hundreds of babies have been allowed to live.

There seems to be something in us that rebels at being told “NO!” Maybe it is the “mystery of lawlessness.” When my wife says, “You shouldn’t have seconds,” I get more. When she asks, “Would you like some seconds,” I say, “No thanks.” Freedom conquers bondage.

We are destroyed by what we seek to destroy. “The only way for the bird to break the spell is to take its eyes away from the fearsome thing upon which it is gazing, and the only way for man to break the spell of hate, fear, sins, and lack is to take his attention away from appearances… But few people do… They want to attack the evil and destroy it and so they are destroyed by the very thing they desire to destroy. The appearance you are attempting to destroy is the out-picturing of your own belief. You are attempting to destroy it while you are constantly creating it by gazing at the handling of it, and examining the nature of it.” (Walter Lanyon)
So…
Conquer lies with truth.
Conquer evil with good.
Conquer self with God.
Conquer sin with freedom.