“All that is
necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” - Edmund
Burke
So much of the
history of the struggle between good and evil can be explained by Edmund
Burke's observation. Time and again those who profess to be good seem to
clearly outnumber those who are evil, yet those who are evil seem to prevail
far to often. Seldom is it the numbers that determine the outcome, but
whether those who claim to be good men are willing to stand up and fight for
what they know to be right. There are numerous examples of this sad and
awful scenario being played out over and over again in the scriptures.
When good men
do nothing, they get nothing good done. To be good, one must do good. The
Lord commands His people to do good (Lk.
6:35; Eph. 2:10). Christ
"gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from I all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Tit.
2:14).
They Get Nothing Good Done
In the parable
of the talents, Jesus described a man who did nothing. When he received his
Lord's money, he "went and digged in the earth, and hid his Lord's money" (Mt.
25:18). When
his Lord returned, he returned to the Lord just what he had been given (Mt.
25:25). Notice,
the servant did not do any outright evil, such as stealing the money, but
then neither did he do anything good. He did nothing and he got nothing good
accomplished. His Lord condemned him as a "wicked and slothful servant" (Mt.
25:26)
Jesus rebuked
the church at Laodicea for doing nothing. "I know thy works, that thou art
neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou
art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked" (Rev.
3:15 17).
Too many
Christians and too many churches are do nothing. They are standing idly by,
they are mere spectators. They sit on the sidelines in stead of actively
participating and working for the good. If good wins, they join in the
celebration though they did nothing to produce the victory. If evil wins,
they will complain long and loud though their own apathy helped produce the
undesirable result.
When Jesus
found a fig tree with "nothing thereon, but leaves only" he cursed the tree
and "presently the fig tree withered away" (Mt.
21:19). What
will he do with those, who claim to be good and yet who do nothing? John the
Baptist warned, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees:
therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire"
(Mt. 3:10; Jn. 15:2).
They Help Evil To Triumph
When good men
do nothing, evil triumphs. Evil, sin and sinful men must be opposed. God
commands those who are good, not just to avoid evil but actively oppose it.
Christians are
to not only to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but (also) . . . reprove them"
(Eph. 5:11). Those
who do nothing about sin and evil, help the sin and evil to prevail. One who
is silent when there are those around him in sin becomes a partaker with
them (Eph.
5:7).
In the days of
Elijah, the silence of many had allowed the evil of Ahab and Jezebel to
prevail throughout the land of Israel. "And Elijah came unto all the people,
and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow
him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word"
(1 Kgs 18:21). The
silence of the people spoke volumes of their indecisiveness and inaction.
Their failure to stand up, speak up and speak out and permitted evil men to
run rampant.
Jesus told of a
traveler who was robbed and beaten left him half dead. The men who did this
were wicked and did a very wicked thing. But the Levite and priest allowed
this evil to continue unanswered by doing nothing but they each "passed by
on the other side" (Lk.
10:31-32).
Fortunately for the traveler there was one man who was willing to stand up
for what was right (Lk.
10:33-36).
Jesus warned
"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me
scattereth abroad"
(Mt. 12:30). In
the fight against evil there is no middle ground, no gray area, no
neutrality Those who are not actively and vigorously working and fighting
against evil are helping evil to triumph.
They Are No Longer Good
When good men
do nothing, they are no longer good. Many have the mistaken notion that good
is merely the absence of doing that which is wrong. Not so! One is good not
merely because he does no evil, but because he is actively working for what
is good. "Let him eschew evil, and do good" (1
Pet. 3:11). James
explained, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
him it is sin" (Jas.
4:17).
The eldest of
Israel, Reuben, knew his brothers' murderous plot against their younger
brother Joseph was wrong. He started an attempt to deliver Joseph, but as he
hesitated and vacillated, the other brothers sold Joseph into slavery. When
Reuben heard what they had done, he realized his failure to act had helped
to bring about this evil result.
Instead of
correcting his error, Reuben sought to cover his guilt by agreeing with his
brothers to lie to their father about Joseph's disappearance (Gen.
37:18-35). Reuben
had "good intentions" and he was not even present when Joseph was sold into
slavery, but he knew his inaction and absence made him just as guilty as the
rest of his wicked brothers. This guilt continued to haunt him through the
years (Gen.
42:21-22).
The prophet
Obadiah severely condemned the Edomites for do nothing when evil was
befalling their brethren, the Jews. When Jerusalem was invaded by her
enemies, the Edomites "stood on the other side" doing nothing but watching
the slaughter as spectators. God said by their failure to act and to help
"even thou west as one of them"
(Obad. 11).
Today, there
are preachers and Christians who fail and refuse to meet the real foe,
refute error and fight the enemy. Instead, they have turned to viciously
savaging their own brethren. They are filled with bitterness and hatred and
they maliciously attack, slander and misrepresent other Christians and
gospel preachers.
Paul warned
about such men and behavior among those professing to be Christians, "But if
ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of
another" (Gal.
5:15). Those
who engage in such behavior are spiritual cannibals.
While the
conduct of these so called Christians is shameful, what about those
supposedly "good" men who do nothing? Those stand on the other side and do
nothing but watch as their brothers are being slandered, slaughtered and
devoured, they cease being innocent bystanders and idle spectators. Their
failure to act not only allows evil to triumph, but makes them just as
guilty as the spiritual cannibals they refuse to reprove and rebuke. In
God's words, "even thou west as one of them"
(Obad. 11).
Conclusion
"Be not
deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap" (Gal.
6:7). Those
who fail or refuse to do good in the face of evil are sowing some dangerous
seeds. They are do nothing good as Jesus commanded them to do; they are
helping evil to triumph and they have ceased being good themselves and they
have become partakers of the evil they did nothing to stop.
Do not allow
evil to triumph. Do not do nothing. Stand up and be counted, speak up
against evil and speak out against evil men and their sinful deeds.
Other Articles
An Inside Job
"As Long as It Does not Harm Anyone"
Pathetic Dust or a Living Hope
A
Godly Man in Wicked Surroundings
Aid or Addition - What is the Difference?
Passing Judgment on
Others
Present Day Church Problems (Part 1)
Standing Alone
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