The Origin of Evil
A Sermon on Evil from Ephesians 6:10-13
Originally preached Oct. 30, 1960
Scripture
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against …
Sermon Description
The presence of evil in the world is undeniable. While many philosophies and religions try to make sense of the world by denying its existence, the human experience quickly refutes their ideas. The Christian may not be challenged by the specious claim that evil does not exist. However, the Christian worldview is challenged with the question of the origin of evil. Does the Bible give an account for the origin of evil? In this sermon on evil from Ephesians 6:10–13 titled “The Origin of Evil,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares that this is an important question for Christians to consider. He says that an understanding of the origins of evil will reflect an understanding of God. Since the apostle Paul has been teaching on these evil spiritual forces, Christians need to consider where these evil principalities and powers originate. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides extended teaching on the topic by looking at various Old Testament passages, including Genesis. Dr. Lloyd-Jones combines this teaching with clues given in the New Testament about the personality of the chief strongman, Satan, and argues for a pre-cosmic fall. Dr. Lloyd-Jones maintains that in order to make sense of the world today, the Christian must look back to eternity past. Listen in as he instructs on this perplexing but all important topic on the origin of evil.
Sermon Breakdown
- The passage under consideration is Ephesians 6:10-13.
- The sermon introduces the topic of spiritual warfare and the forces of evil according to the Bible.
- Before creation, there were angelic beings called principalities and powers. God created them perfect and with free will.
- Lucifer, the devil, was originally one of these perfect angelic beings. He rebelled against God in pride and ambition, desiring to be like God.
- As a result of his rebellion, Lucifer fell under God's condemnation and punishment. He also persuaded other angelic beings to join his rebellion.
- Together, the devil and the fallen angels formed a kingdom of evil opposed to God. They are determined to produce chaos and destroy God's works.
- God then created the world and universe as described in Genesis 1. He created the world perfect, and man was created in God's image.
- The devil then tempted man, who fell as a result. Man came under the dominion of sin and the devil. The whole world now lies under the power of the evil one.
- Man lost his freedom and mastery over creation. He became a slave to sin and the devil. The problem in the world stems from this great spiritual conflict between God and the devil.
- The devil is an immensely powerful being, and man is helpless against him. No one has been able to stand against the devil's power and defeat him, except for Jesus Christ.
- Understanding this spiritual conflict encourages us, because we know that God reigns over all. We can put on the whole armor of God and stand against the devil.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.