Defining Good and Evil

Posted by tom | Mar 9, 2009

Threads of conversation with Sergey at Addressing the skeptic deserve their own space.  More thoughts on defining good and evil.

It's great to have this conversation Sergey.  Let's dig into it a little bit deeper. How would you clarify the relationship of the knowledge of 'good' and 'love?'  Did Adam and Eve know God's love before the Fall

Wayne Grudem (Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1994) defines good when addressing the moral attribute of goodness, i.e., God is the final standard of good, and that all that God is and does is worthy of approval.  Texts which declare that God is good include:

  1. "No one is good but God alone" (Luke 18:19)
  2. "The LORD is good" (Ps. 100:5)
  3. "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good" (Pss. 106:1, 107:1)
  4. "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (Ps. 34:8)
  5. "You are good and you do good; teach me your statutes (Ps 119:68)
As such, Grudem writes,

Good is what God approves. ... there is no higher standard of goodness than God's own character and his approval of whatever is consistent with that character.  Nonetheless, God has given us some reflection of his own sense of goodness, so that when we evaluate things in the way God created us to evaluate them, we will also approve what God approves and delight in things in which he delights. ... all that God does is worthy of approval [e.g., Gen 1:31]. ...

"Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom their is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17; cf. Ps. 145:9; Acts 14:17). -- Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1994, pp.197-198.

In addition, Grudem highlights

  1. Some of the good things which God attentively and sacrificially bestows on his children, the greatest of which is the life of His Son. 
  2. How we come to know Him as the definition and source of all good ... God himself is the ultimate good that we seek.
  3. The complex relationship of other characteristics of His nature, e.g., love, mercy, patience, and grace.

In another Systematic Theology, we find:

Good is to be defined in relationship to the will and being of God.  Good is that which glorifies him, fulfils his will, conforms to his nature.  -- Millard Erickson, Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker, 1985, p.426.

With regard to love, Grudem states

God's love means that God eternally gives of himself to others (Grudem, p. 198).

I acknowledge the close relationship of "good" and love which you draw out in your comments.  The eternal self-giving nature of God's love through which he blesses others, even with salvation, gives testimony to God's goodness and inspires praise.  To God be the glory!  Furthermore, one encounters the love of God extended not only to those created in His image (Romans 5:8, John 3:16ff), but also with mutuality within in the Trinity (e.g., John 17:24, 3:35, 14:31).  Amazing!  And followers of God are to embrace, live, and extend the love of God.  As you note such love fulfills the law.  

Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature (Grudem, p.490).  Where does evil come from, we do not know except that God has allowed there to be the opportunity to choose a path away from the love of God and we find the knowledge of it through sin.  Evil involves a willful choice leading to the deformation and brokenness of created beings (and the creation itself).  So there is not only a loss of the love of God (on our part) in the act of sin, but also the rejection of the Good defined as the plans, purposes, truth, and very Word of God.  Such an act not only rejects the love of God, for love of self but also redefines our desires/intentions as the good in such a manner that we elevate ourselves to the status of gods (i.e., pride but not necessarily hate of all others/creation). 

All that to say that it seems to me that at the time of temptation, there was an understanding of the purposes of God (the good) and the love of God, but they were not embraced/known in such a manner as to journey in the way of goodness/love/life.  But God ... [More to say, but have to turn to other tasks.  Don't let my slowness in response prevent you from commenting at your own pace].

1 Comments & 0 Trackbacks of "Defining Good and Evil"

    Love is a rather interesting matter because the essence of God is love which is where God pours down his goodness from.

    Romans 8 talks about how Love encompasses all. Nothing we do is good in human standards because it is of desire or lust not love.

    Good is only the actions that we present to others. God gives us the ability to do "good", however, one must understand God's love to fulfill God's goodness. No man can do anything, prophesy, serve, give, do "godly" things if love is not in the picture.

    Love is crucial because it completely gives everything of itself to undeserving people. Jesus gave us Salvation for nothing. Love always thinks of others rather then oneself.

    Love shows devotion. One can do good things which benefit the community or family but love demonstrates complete commitment to ideas of God or people not of obligation.

    Love has no real "requirement". A person like Jesus served people and freed "ALL" from destitution not just "some". There is no law of love,.

    Love is natural. God serves us for nothing and it's second nature. He goes about his way serving and blessing people for no reason. One can live freely and still be loved.

    Love is pure. Love does everything focusing on God. Good can be veered away to selfishness. We have "good people" who don't follow God. However, Love reveals the true conditions of God. We serve God out of love not of goodness.

    Love starts everything and finishes everything. Good is the inner-workings of love. Love is the platform from birth to death. good is the molding of our true God-given character but through Love.

    We must love in order for good to come out. If love did not exist then good could not be released.

    Love is self-less where as only "good" is selfish. That is why good does not earn your way to heaven because it can be perverted whereas love is like a diamond. Nothing can break it.

    Adam and Eve knew love because they knew God. God's purpose for man was to have a relationship and work together like a family. God taught Adam and Eve to love each other and everything around them because it was by God.

    Sin perverts and disillusions that true love so man has difficulty loving because they do not know God.

    Posted by Sergey, Mar 17 2009, 17:02