During the course of an intense conversation in which it was clear that his life was being threatened, Christ Jesus made one of the boldest assertions of the ages: Evil is unreal. He said that no truth, not an ounce of truth, can be found in any manifestation of evil, and that the devil, a biblical term for evil, is “a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). In essence, Jesus taught that the appearance of evil should always be seen as a lie, a specious presentation of suggestions that contradict the truth about God’s exclusively good creation. Then, with remarkable precision, he proved it.
In fact, Jesus proved the unreality of evil throughout his healing mission and ministry. He instantaneously healed the sick. He stopped destructive weather patterns dead in their tracks. He redeemed and transformed the character of unscrupulous individuals right on the spot, when they were receptive to his prayers. Jesus proved the unreality of evil to such a degree that even when people in positions of power conspired to put him to death, even when the denial of his mission by all but a few friends could have crushed his spirit, and even when the so-called destructive forces of materiality should have ended his life, he still triumphed over death and the grave. Jesus said of himself, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
In his parting message to his disciples, and to all future generations of Christians, Jesus left clear instructions about the need we all have to continue the work of declaring and proving the unreality of evil, the impossibility of a power opposed to God, infinite good. He said: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17, 18).
