How To Distinguish Good From Evil
Monday, July 14
In this world, some things are clearly wicked. But the unrighteousness of other things is not so easily identified. Evil comes in attractive packages and desirable wrappings. Vice is mixed with virtues, and goodness is mingled with immorality.
In our reading of Romans 16:17-24, St. Paul concludes his letter with a warning about divisions caused by troublemakers. He charges that they use “smooth words and flattering speech to deceive the simple” (Romans 16:18). Thus, St. Paul cautions that his readers should be “wise in what is good of our desires and aims and so achieve purity of heart and action.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE “SIMPLE”
The Orthodox Study Bible (The New King James Version) uses the same word, “simple,” in both verses 18 and 19. That translation fails to convey the sense of what St. Paul is saying. In the first place, the Greek word for “simple” refers to what is “innocent” and “unsuspecting.” We might say that the troublemakers try to deceive the gullible or naïve.
In the second place, when St. Paul says we should be wise in what is good but “simple” concerning evil, he certainly does not mean that his readers should be naïve or gullible about wickedness. A footnote to The Orthodox Study Bible notes that the Greek word that Paul uses for “simple” here means “innocent” or “pure” (OSB footnote on Romans 16:19).
NOT MIXING GOOD AND EVIL
The Greek word here means literally “unmixed” (Strong’s #185). Thus, St. Paul is saying that regarding evil, we should not mix evil with good but be pure in our motives, attitudes, thoughts, and behavior. That is why St. Paul says that his readers should watch out for and avoid those who cause divisions among them (Romans 16:17). They should stay away from them lest they infect the goodness of his readers with evil. They pollute their obedience to Christ with a spirit of disobedience.
The Book of James says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). To keep oneself “unblemished” and “without spot” from the world is difficult in any age, but especially our own. For most of us, pure evil does not assault us directly like it did to St. Anthony and other saints. No, it usually comes mixed with some appeal, even benefit. It takes wisdom to discern that what attracts us is or is not the temptation to evil.
FOR REFLECTION
How then can we discern the good from the evil when it is often so cleverly disguised? A fundamental method of chemistry is distillation. Distillation is the process of separating the different components of a liquid mixture using their different boiling points. For example, in desalination, salt water is heated until steam can be collected. The steam is then cooled to become fresh water.
We can use this idea for separating the good from the evil. When temptation arises, we can ask ourselves what yielding to it will produce? (OSB 8:13). If we set aside the attraction of a temptation and ask what the outcome would be if we submit to it, we can distill its essence and determine whether it is good or evil.
QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN FACED WITH TEMPTATION
For example, the sage of Proverbs writes, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (OSB Proverbs 8:13). So then, we might ask ourselves whether having what we desire will make us more prideful and arrogant. Will it foster bad conduct and perverse speech? If so, it is evil, no matter how alluring it might be.
On the other hand, the psalmist says that the Lord “loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord” (OSB Psalm 33:5). Keeping this Word in mind, we might ask ourselves, Will what I want help me to fulfill God’s will? Will it be caring and just? And will it foster goodness?
To answer these questions, we should remember that what is good is known by the fruits of love, unity, and order. Evil produces hate, division, and disorder. In the end, simplicity should guide us. We should concentrate on what we know to be good and shun what we know to be evil.