Why Does Evil Happen? Part 2

The question of why evil happens, whether or not you know Christ, is a timeless universal question. As I discussed in Part 1 of this series, I feel there are 2 underlying issues that help us when we grapple with this question. The first is that people do not have a revelation of their authority to stand up against evil and stop/truncate it. The second is that people do not have a revelation of their righteousness, so that sin has sway over them. I will address the second issue in this blog. Be sure to check out Part 1 if you have not already.

The 2nd underlying issue of why evil happens, I believe, is that there is a HUGE lack of revelation about our righteousness. The Bible actually says that, because of the cross, we NO longer have a sinful nature (Rom. 6, Gal. 2:20, 5:24). It says we died with Christ and arose a new creature/creation made in righteousness and true holiness (2 Cor. 16:21, Eph. 4:23-24). Putting off the old man and putting on the new man means that we “sink into” (Greek: endyō) the reality of our recreated nature.

We are not dying daily. The context of that verse is discussing the deadly perils Paul experienced daily with constant death threats (1 Cor. 15:30-31). It does not even refer to the old man that has to be beaten back daily. For a brilliant expose on our crucified old man and our new nature, I highly recommend John Crowder’s masterpiece, Mystical Union. I also talk about this in my book, Marked by Love.

We have been made the righteousness of Christ and He is our Sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30, 2 Cor. 5:21). The problem is that our mindsets are fallen and need to be renewed (Rom. 12:2, 1 Cor. 15:34, Eph. 4:22-24). Those fallen mindsets, habit patterns, and false identities are known as the deeds of the flesh (Rom. 8:13, Col. 3:9). Your old man is dead and totally dead (no zombie invasion here). The reason it is empowered is because you don’t know or believe it is really dead. The only flesh you have now is your physical body, that is holy and good – God’s holy temple, that Christ died to purchase back (1 Cor. 6:19-21). It is a heresy called Gnosticism to say that the physical realm is fallen. Christ CAME in the flesh and has a human body and will have it for eternity! To deny that is falling sway to an anti-Christ spirit (1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7). For more on this I refer you to John Crowder’s book Mystical Union and Jonanthan Welton’s book, Understanding the Whole Bible. Just beware, your assumptions and sacred cows will be challenged and that, my friend, is really good to grapple with, whether or not you agree with every conclusion!

The enemy confuses us as to what is actually sin. But God is very clear, He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Galatians 5:19-25 says:

The acts of the flesh (note: here it refers to our old man that we are empowering by believing it still exists and acting from that place) are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So if there is confusion, look at the fruit. If it is not authentically fruit of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 25 gentleness and self-control, it is not God. It is sin.

When we think we constantly have to beat back a fallen nature, we are disempowered to simply walk in the newness of who we have been made to be. We are righteous, holy, without spot or blemish because of our union with Christ, whether our conduct is stellar or stinks. It is about His performance, not ours. The principle of sin has sway only when we believe it does. When we believe sin is so powerful, it is because we are disconnected with who we really are and our union with Christ. The enemy can beat us up and make us feel powerless to overcome sin. When we feel powerless to overcome sin, we yield to it. BUT as we wake up to who we truly are, we are empowered to walk in the newness of life – life more abundantly, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10, 1 Cor. 15:34, Eph. 4:22-24).

So, in a nutshell, evil prevails with believers and those who do not/not yet believe because we have a lack of revelation of our union with Christ. As a consequence, we have a lack of revelation of our righteousness and our authority.

The beautiful thing is that we can totally grow in ALL that revelation and manifest our sonship/daughtership and take back God’s creation. It is that very creation that is groaning for us to manifest and for heaven to manifest on earth (Rom. 8:19-22, 29; Matt. 6:10)! THAT is our mandate and our destiny!