Modern man is haunted by a deep fear of evil because, having lost confidence in God’s sovereignty, he feels that nothing is secure or lasting, and that life itself is destined to collapse into chaos and dread; for him, evil feels more real than goodness, and hell more believable than heaven, because the only active power he knows is the power of sin within his own life. When evil is the only force a man experiences inwardly, it becomes the only force he can imagine governing the world, and so fear becomes his constant companion. This fear is overcome only when a man comes to know the power of God unto salvation, for then he knows that God not only destroys sin and death within him, but also reigns sovereignly over all creation. Every fact in the universe is a created fact, and therefore evil itself has no independent meaning or final authority apart from the will and purpose of God. In this knowledge the ground beneath us becomes firm again, and life is no longer a waiting for disaster but a confident resting in God’s rule, so that even in the valley of deepest darkness we can say with assurance, “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” (Ps. 23:4).

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related