See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

The Japanese "Three Wise Monkeys" are "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".  Although this quote comes from those far removed from Christianity, they are excellent principles! Evil is always bad, but what is evil?

Genesis 6:5-7 (ESV)  "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Evil then is wickedness, but we've gotten no closer. Evil and wickedness are only synonyms. Evil people do wicked things.  There was innocence, though, before mankind knew what evil is:

 Genesis 12:16b “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat..."

Before evil existed there was innocence for guilt is associated with wrong. There was no knowledge of what was good nor evil. We're gaining some ground. Evil is lack of innocence!  Innocence is lack of knowledge of evil. Adam, who knew no evil did no evil!  Perhaps Adam was a monkey after all (sic): He  ""saw no evil, heard no evil, spoke no evil and did no evil", (except one major time)! No, he was not a monkey, but at least monkey's were and always are innocent!

Adam wasn't entirely "innocent" before he fell into sin. He knew one thing for sure. "It's bad, Adam, if you eat of the fruit of that tree!" Before Adam could ever be accused of doing evil, he had to have a limited knowledge of what evil is. With that said, there were two trees in the garden: the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. Adam and Eve could freely eat of the latter, but not the former. However, they stood under the wrong tree and ate of the wrong fruit! Because they did wrong one time, they were guilty of all the evil known to mankind today. There was only one law and that law was broken!

What evil did Adam and Eve come to know they did? What was the action or behavior which condemned them? Was it because they ate a fruit good to eat, because they were deceived or because they had their priorities wrong? None of the above! The evil mankind did to earn death was "failure to love God"! Mankind sinned and what is sin? It's setting themselves apart from God. Evil is failure to love (and by that honoring God), and sin is doing and thinking things that are not God's will for us!

Let's compare now! Meriam-Webster Dictionary says that evil is "causing harm or injury to someone". While that certainly is evil  because it's God's will that we not harm, that definition falls far short of scriptural intent. Biblically speaking "Evil is failure to love God." Evil are intentional acts, but also things people fail to do, whether intentional or by accident. Yes, there are accidental sins!

Failing to love and revere God is what Adam and Eve did when they stood under the wrong tree. In standing there by the serpent, they chose sides: evil over good; Satan over God. They intentionally chose to disregard God, not because they disliked God, but they failed to show that they loved him by doing the one wrong thing God told them not to do! (They had another God before him). Our forebears chose evil over righteousness. They are antonyms. Evil is doing those things which are not "right" and "rightness" is whatever God deems. His command is that we love him and others!

The Three Wise Monkeys who were said to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" did things right! They "looked only on God, listened only to God and spoke only Godly things", according to the definition because God is love!

1 John 4:16b (ESV) "God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."

This complements what EVIL IS NOT and accentuates what LOVE IS!  It's not brotherly love nor erotic love, though. It's Godly love! We are not to be confused. Evil people can love and do, but evil people can't love the same way God does, and hence, abide not in love (of God and Godly things).

The Three Wise Monkeys "only saw love, only heard loving words and spoke only out of love"!  If we see only love, hear only loving things and speak only out of love, we then do only loving things! Our heart is the processor of the eyes, ears and tongue, but also controls the flesh. If our hearts are right, then we "do no evil"! That's how we demonstrate our love for God...

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments!" (John 14:15).

Evil is "not loving God" and that's done by "not keeping (his) commandments".  Are God's Commandments important then? They are standards we are to meet to demonstrate our love for God! Not doing those commandments IS evil because by failing to obey, we fail to love!