The definition of sin arises from the mixing of good and evil—two opposites sustained by their respective characteristics. When kept separate, these two conditions are free of conflict. They resemble positive and negative cords that generate electricity when skillfully used but become dangerous when wrongly applied. Similarly, when truth and falsehood are combined, it becomes impossible to blame either opposite when a problem results. Destruction becomes possible when truth and falsehood are erroneously mixed.
For the purpose of developing an individual’s character, good people live alongside evil people. Jesus taught His disciples to love their enemies rather than hate them. It is not possible to become God’s child if one cannot confront sources of enmity while aiming to correct what is wrong. In Deuteronomy 13:1–4, God allowed false prophets to operate in order to test the Israelites’ resolve to obey Him.
In James 1:2–18, we are told of the value of trials, which purify us; without them, we could not attain the perfection God desires. The term “conflict” describes the combination of two opposites, which produces a calamitous effect characterized by confusion. But when righteousness wins over evil, righteousness flourishes; the opposite is true when evil wins.
For Christians, the purpose of existing in physical form is to develop character toward becoming a child of God. Our purification is made possible in the presence of evil; without it, we cannot reach maturity. When the Pharisees resolved to murder Jesus, they assumed they were purging evil. They sincerely believed, without facts, that Jesus represented the devil—yet their behavior caused Jesus to be elevated.
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house” (Matthew 12:23–29 NIV).
The misrepresentation was that a demon-possessed man was not supposed to be healed. Truth would suggest that the observers should have celebrated, but Satan caused them to behave as though Jesus’ action was harmful to humanity. Instead, they attributed the miraculous performance to Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Those condemning Jesus for such an unprecedented miracle included respected religious leaders in Jerusalem. I suppose most ordinary observers found it convenient to agree with the Pharisaic viewpoint, assuming it to be the side of truth.
The conflict between good and evil can manifest when goodness is attacked and labeled evil. The miraculous healing was considered scandalous. The Pharisees assumed the demon-possessed man deserved his sickly condition as proof of his sinfulness, yet they needed Jesus more than the demon-possessed man did. As far as they were concerned, it was impossible to deliver demon-possessed people.
Between the two counteraccusations, one was based on truth and the other on falsehood. There was no harmony between Jesus and the Pharisees. They accused Jesus of being demonic, while Jesus truthfully described their condition as evil. Their accusation displayed a lack of certainty, even as they heaped insults on Jesus and described Him as evil. The counteraccusations inflamed the conflict, but Jesus’ statement was based on truth:
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a giant fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:38–42 NIV).
These were conflicting principles, representing truth on one hand and falsehood on the other. Jesus was a blessing in their midst that they ought to have celebrated, but they could not appreciate. Humanity’s challenges include the inability to distinguish truth from error. That inability is mainly caused by the assumption of knowing what one does not know, coupled with the unwillingness to confront what is unknown.
The Holy Spirit represents the truth. Only when one deliberately rejects the truth, possibly for egotistical reasons, does one risk condemnation. The Holy Spirit was represented in truth. The Pharisees opposed Jesus without knowing that He represented the truth. They carelessly assumed it was impossible for truth to come from Jesus.
However, although they heaped insults on Jesus, the Pharisees may have been safe. Their protection from blaspheming God’s Holy Spirit was their ignorance. Their value lay in helping Jesus fulfill what had been projected in prophecy. They did not know what they were doing. Jesus understood their condition of ignorance, although He warned them about the possibility of deliberately denying the truth and thereby blaspheming God’s Spirit.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:30–32 NIV).
Falsehood does not exist where truth exists. The mixture of dichotomies causes confusion, which is represented in evil. The Pharisees could not be comfortable in Jesus’ presence, yet they could not scripturally denounce His teachings. They were also unwilling to accept what He taught. An ignorant person is safe as long as they accept being ignorant, because of cowardice.
Those advancing truthful information may accuse those advancing falsehood. Yet those advancing falsehood also accuse people who advance truthful information. It takes an analytical person to recognize the truth in that confusion. Those advancing falsehood may be more persuasive in convincing the majority. But their existence is vital for the development of God’s children. Jesus confirmed this during His Sermon on the Mount.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:13–15 NIV).
What is often most convincing to the majority is what leads to destruction. Careful observation is necessary when examining supplied information. Salesmanship is unnecessary under such circumstances. Truthful information is not what ordinarily attracts the majority but the minority—though the minority also needs to evaluate it. The work of evaluation has commonly been relegated to scholars. However, Jesus was unambiguous about the irrelevance of scholarly information in matters of faith.
“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:36–40 NIV).
The quarrel between truth and falsehood—or between good and evil—was settled at the cross, where goodness triumphed over evil. There is no need to engage in deep theology to understand God, except through the principle of humility, with a willingness to learn from anyone without prejudice. Things appear as though Jesus succumbed physically in a condition of apparent weakness; yet it was at that point that Jesus triumphed. This is what led to the triumph of goodness, where evil was defeated. At one stage, one of His disciples displayed a determination to physically defend what he considered right.
From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:21–24 NIV).
Through Simon Peter’s rebuke, Jesus showed us the principle of avoiding the inevitable spark that results from contact between two conflicting energies. Peter sought to do the obvious, which is the reason the planet Earth is hell. One wonders whether, by taking the stance projected by Simon Peter, the disciples would have prevailed to serve Jesus from the crucifixion onward. God’s will was for Jesus to go through the cross, dying for humanity. Therefore, Peter’s envisaged courage to stand up for Jesus could not have succeeded.
The disciples might possibly have been killed during the scuffle, although God’s will for Jesus’ crucifixion would still have been fulfilled. But the elimination of the disciples might have disturbed the program. Simon Peter’s idea—“This shall never happen to you!”—was an impulse driven by emotion, without reasoning. A person can be wrong even while being on the side of truth, which is established in God. Jesus was not an impulsive reactor. Everything had to be done according to God’s will, even when it went against the physical body.
When Jesus retorted, “Get behind me, Satan!” against Peter’s remark, He knew the danger Simon Peter was peddling. The crucifixion appears as if those on the side of falsehood won the day. They celebrated as they mocked and ridiculed Jesus in His painful anguish. However, they were unaware of God’s fulfilled plan, which made Jesus the winner.
The spark between good and evil was systematically avoided for the purpose of peacefully winning the battle of the ages. As the mockers thought they had won, the angelic hosts were celebrating Jesus’ victory for humanity. The determined holy war was over, and salvation is now attainable to humanity. Injustice continues unabated throughout the world, but it is only a matter of time before order is restored, for Satan was defeated in the Garden of Gethsemane. To His disciples, Jesus declared:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; also believe in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:1–4 NIV).
The assurance given to the disciples was as real as the certainty of tomorrow’s sunrise. It is only unbelief, causing doubt, that makes it impossible for one to be united with Christ. The holy war was won at the cross. It is now possible to be connected with God and Christ. The observable harmonious relationships of the world may not all carry God’s approval.
Scriptures do not show Jesus suggesting that there would be harmony, even among brethren. Jesus Himself was not in harmony with the Jews. Unity is of the Spirit, and the Scriptures clearly show that one hundred percent unity cannot be achieved among brethren existing physically. The apostle Paul documented this, helping believers to relate rightly and avoid petty quarrels.
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
“One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:1–9 NIV).
This helps Christian followers understand that conversion engages a person in spiritual battles. The apparent harmony in churches may signify disunity with Christ. In other words, Jesus advised His disciples that they would face troubles emanating from God’s enemies. The only way to test whether we are on the right track is to love those enemies and pray for them, rather than purge them from our midst. The worst thing is when brethren pretend to believe in Christ without faith, and the safest thing is the willingness to examine all things to prove what is good.
The comfort of unity often portrays being out of sync, where opposition and persecution are the only signs that we are on the right track with Christ. Each believer needs truth, without relying on pastors. Some church groupings remain under the guidance of spiritual leaders who lead them astray. This reveals an aspect of idolatry that brethren should avoid at all costs.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, which lays out standards for lifting Zimbabwe out of its current economic depression and into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, offering relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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