The Role of Evil in Creation

When we take a look at the biblical story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert, we can conclude, that evil cannot touch purity. What implication this could have for all of us?

Living in and identifying with nature, we are tempted by being attracted to sense gratification and the choices we make in our daily lives as a result of it.

But who is the choice maker?

We know that we are born of man. We have a physical nature, but what if we also have, as the scriptures state, a spiritual nature?

Matter is matter and its modifications and spirit is spirit. Are we then born of matter and spirit, of man and God?

In the bible it states, that Jesus said:” Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

                                                                              John 3 (KJV)

In other words, our nature is dual. Through choice, we can either follow our human or spiritual nature.

When we see ourselves as being born of man only, we tend to identify with nature, with body and mind, and take on its limitations.

What did Jesus teach to overcome limitations?

The consciousness of Jesus, the man who had become Jesus the Christ was permeated with the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit and thus was one with the vibratory essence that upholds all manifestation. To understand what is meant by being filled with the Holy Spirit, we need to look at what Jesus said about the Christ omnipresence.”Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing (penny), and not one of them shall fall on the ground without the ground without (the sight of) your father.”

Yoga teaches that the entire vibratory creation is an externalization of Spirit. Wherever we are, spirit is. When one realizes that his soul is an individualized unit of spirit, he knows that to live in fullness, he must see himself one with spirit. “Be ye therefore perfect as thy Father in heaven is perfect”.

                                                                Matthew 5:48

But does everyone know or accept that he has a soul and if so realize that his soul is part of spirit? The key word is realize, for if he does, he will be identifying fully with his spiritual nature and as a result experience omnipresence as well as omniscience, for spirit is omnipresent and omniscient.

The task is to overcome or rise above nature.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

                                                                  Revelation 21:7

 The first stage in overcoming nature is to rise above bodily attachment by feeling intuitively the vibratory presence of spirit within the body, in the meditative state of inner communion. In this state of spiritual attunement the divine perception of spirit and the power of attraction of God’s love and intelligence in the Christ Consciousness are experienced.

In the second state, one becomes immersed in the Holy Spirit vibration with its inherent Christ Intelligence and experiences the cosmos floating within one‘s own consciousness. One becomes Christ like and loves all beings and feels oneness with all of creation. This is what is meant by, “being filled with the Holy Spirit.”

We have looked at how to transcend the attachment to mature, now let’s look at Nature and Evil, but first we need to ask ourselves.

Why would a perfect Christ acknowledge the existence of Satan and the power to tempt him?

We may be of the opinion that since God is the Source and Essence of all things, therefore evil does not exist. Or, God does not know evil, for if he did, he would put an end to it.

To see God in everything and to deny the power of evil to influence one’s life has its good points; for even if one concedes that an evil force exists, it cannot influence human minds unless they mentally accept it.

However, can one deny the existence and temptation of evil when suffering, or succumbing to desires that are unbefitting the God image within? We inhabit a body that is situated in the realm of duality, a realm of opposites. When living on earth it must be acknowledged, that what we call evil is relative. What is evil to one may be seen as good fortune to another.

It is certainly terrible, that millions of people are killed through violence, accidents and diseases. But death itself is necessary to renewal and progress of life.

Earth is not meant to be heaven, if it were, no one would want to leave the comfortable physical body and pleasurable world to return to God.

To God nothing is evil, for nothing can diminish His immortal, eternally perfect Bliss.

When analyzing evil, it would appear that its cause is more subjective than objective that much of evil behavior is due to the ignorance and wrong judgment of man, and not some malicious force in the universe.

The power of habit presents a good example. The consequent evils of physical overindulgence or indiscretion do not arise until man by an act of wrong judgment forgets himself and by repeated transgression allows bad habits to form in his consciousness.

All habits, good or bad, control and enslave the mind only, after the will has allowed itself to be overcome by repeated good or evil action born of good or evil judgment.

However there are still other questions to be answered for which there are no answers. For example:

What about the millions of bacteria and invisible armies of germs in the environment that causes devastating damage?

What about death caused by floods or earth quakes?

What about famine?

Why do men kill one another in wars or otherwise?

Why do thoughts of wrong judgment and emotions of jealousy, revenge, greed and selfishness arise at all in the human mind? If man is made in the image of God, and God is good, then the logical deduction is that man should be nothing but good.

But what does the voice within whisper to us? The soul is whispering perfection, even while the ego in us is gambling with the enticement of a distorted earthly duality.

Is an ideal existence for a different time and realm for all who have graduated from the assignments of earthly life?

For the ordinary person in the present stage of spiritual evolution, a life without difficulties would be of little value. No lesson of growth would be learned, no transformation of one’s inflexible nature into godly consciousness would occur, nor would there be any compelling incentive to seek and know one’s maker.

Yet still, the unsolved question persists. Did evil have its origin in the plan of a good and perfect God?

I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee (invested thee with thy powers and attributes), though thou hast not known me: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

                                                                           

                                                                          Isaiah 45:5, 7,     

Spirit alone is perfect. Everything in creation is imperfect. The very beginning of creation gave rise to duality, in which there exist light and darkness, good and evil through the law of relativity that divides the one into the many by his divine play.

All duality belongs to the domain of ignorance. Fear of sickness and a desire for mortal health, fear of poverty and a desire of wealth, a feeling of inferiority from a lack of knowledge as well as a desire for a great intellect, all belong to the domain of duality.

This does not imply that if one is stricken by ill health, failure or ignorance that he should continue in that state. No, he should arouse the perfection within him and express health and wisdom, without acknowledging failure.

Man should know that his struggle for completeness is of delusion, for he has all that he needs within his inner powerful soul (Self). It is only because he mistakenly imagines, while identifying himself with spiritual ignorance (body and mind) that he is lacking in divine endowments.

Evil cannot touch spirit.