“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.