Long before I came to an educational program dedicated to theology and the study of Christianity, my worldview was based on the duality paradigm. For me, this meant that the whole world could be divided into good and bad people, believers and atheists, men and women. I believed that this system of Hegelian opposites fully satisfied the world order, and any deviations could be seen as a side of the philosophical struggle. In this system of views, I regarded Evil only as a response to Good. In other words, a good person with pure intentions truly represents the Good, whereas a person full of anger and aggression is their opposite. I have always believed that Evil is transcendent in nature and is initiated by the individual’s sinfulness. Thus, in my former view, there was the idea that each of us is initially empty, but over time we accumulate experiences that can be positive or harmful. Negative ones cause a person to become embittered and get bogged down in sins.
I am genuinely convinced that my previous point of view has the right to exist, but soon after studying various theological models this semester, I realized that I was no longer prepared to adhere to it. More specifically, with a study of Erickson’s writings and a more in-depth and thoughtful reading of biblical texts, I realized that God is the Creator of all that has been designed and is being built in the world at all times [2]. This is the critical knowledge that led me to believe that Evil itself is not the opposite of the Divine Good. It follows that Evil is a Divine outcome, which means that evil intentions and actions have a purpose for the world.
For me, the world still remains differentiated into Good and Evil’s moral categories, but the driving forces and motives for these phenomena have been transformed. Good and Evil are no longer extraneous, unrelated entities but are instead divine tools for human development. When I think of Evil, I like to refer to the New Testament, which speaks of the Christian’s desire to rely on God, who can reward justice instead of sinful human vengeance [3]. Another biblical message that I previously misinterpreted is Timothy 4:18, which affirms the Creator’s ability to deliver us from Evil [4]. Now with my new system of theological thinking, I acknowledge that God’s ability accurately defines His authority over the whole world, and therefore Evil, as well as Good, is His will.
References
“Hegel’s Dialectics,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology 3rd edition by Erickson. Ada: Baker Academic, 2013, p. 394.
Bible Gateway. “Romans 12:19.”
Bible Gateway. “2 Timothy 4:18.”
Footnotes
- “Hegel’s Dialectics,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology 3rd edition by Erickson. Ada: Baker Academic, 2013, p. 394.
- Bible Gateway. “Romans 12:19.”
- Bible Gateway. “2 Timothy 4:18.”