Knowing the Good

Knowing the Good and Knowing the Evil

From the desert to the garden: from judgment to life in the Spirit

In the previous article, we reflected on the passage "From John the Baptist to Christ," showing the path that goes from the baptism of repentance to the baptism of the Spirit, from the arid desert to the fertile garden. This transition is more than historical; it represents a change of perspective. John the Baptist pointed to sin ("Brood of vipers… repent"), while Jesus brought the Good News of the Kingdom ("The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…").

Today, we live something similar. The polarization that dominates our culture, whether political, religious or social, teaches us, without our realizing it, to know the evil of the other. We stay alert to the mistakes, the failures, the ideologies and the sins of others. But we forget to apply the heart to know the good, to discern what builds up.

Solomon, the man who had the most wisdom, describes this precisely: "I applied my heart to know the good and to know the evil" (cf. Ecclesiastes). This is not a neutral movement. It is a conscious effort to go beyond criticism and judgment and, at the same time, not to be naive about the reality of evil.

Examine everything and hold on to what is good

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Examine everything. Hold on to what is good." This shows that the Christian life is neither one of naivety nor of direct confrontation. It is not simply "accepting everything" or "rejecting everything," but evaluating. In debates or on social media, for example, instead of reacting with hatred or fear, we can filter what is said, keep what is true and discard what is manipulation or lies.

Only God is good

Jesus says in Mark 10:18: "No one is good except one, that is, God." This is a powerful reminder not to idolize people or systems. Every human being, however virtuous, has limits. When a leader disappoints, we should not lose faith, true goodness comes from God, not from institutions.

Seek the Lord while he may be found

Isaiah 55:6: "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." This is a call to place our focus on our relationship with God, not on a war against the world. Setting aside daily time for prayer, meditation or Bible reading before entering the whirlwind of news and debates strengthens our spiritual vision.

Submit to God, resist the devil

James 4:7: "Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Notice the order: first submission to God, then resistance to evil. When facing temptations, criticism or injustice, the focus is not on the "enemy," but on staying anchored in God.

This attitude of humbling ourselves before God may look like cowardice to the eyes of the world, which is used to competition, self-promotion and direct confrontation. But in reality, it takes great courage and bravery. Submitting first to God is not giving up the fight, it is choosing the right battlefield, where the victory has already been won. Resisting the devil without pride, with a humble heart, is an act of inner strength that is born of the Spirit and not of the ego.

God fights for us

The very history of Israel shows this vividly. In taking possession of the Promised Land, and in several battles in the desert, God repeated to the people: "You will not have to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give" (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:17; Exodus 14:14). The Lord is called a "warrior" (Exodus 15:3), because the war, in the end, belongs to Him. The people's part was only to face the enemy, to take the place of obedience and trust. This was not passivity, but courage: standing on the front line without human weapons, trusting that God would act.

This biblical pattern reveals a spiritual principle for today: we do not need to fight evil with the strength of the human arm. We need to take our position in God, remain in the truth, not retreat, not negotiate principles, and let Him do what only He can do. This disarms the strategies of evil and protects us from the temptation to use the same weapons as the enemy.

Eternal gates: King of Glory

This truth becomes even clearer in Psalm 24:7-10:

"Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted up, O eternal doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates; be lifted up, O eternal doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts: He is the King of Glory!"

This poetic image shows that we ourselves are these "eternal gates." When we open the heart, the King of Glory enters and fights our battles. It is not an external war, but an inner government. And it is through this presence that evil is overcome, not by force, not by violence, but by the Spirit (cf. Zechariah 4:6).

Loss of inner vision and the fight against the visible

From the beginning, we see this dynamic. When Adam fell, his eyes "were opened" to the visible world (Genesis 3:7), but in truth he lost the vision of the inner light, the one that "shines brighter and brighter until the full day" (Proverbs 4:18). Since then, humanity has walked only by what it sees, in a dark world, fighting the evil that appears before its eyes. But Scripture reminds us that the real fight is not against flesh and blood, nor against what we see, but against invisible forces (Ephesians 6:12), in the heavenly realms, in Christ Jesus. As long as we fight visible evil with human weapons, we keep losing the battles; but when we return to the inner light, Christ in us, we find again the ground where victory is already guaranteed.

Restoring vision and the inner light

The final revelation confirms the need to recover spiritual vision: "buy eye salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see" (Rev 3:18). The risen Christ says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens…" (Rev 3:20). We do not win by the human arm, but "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Rev 12:11).

In the end, the very Light of the Lamb governs from within: "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp… Its gates will never be shut by day, for there will be no night there" (Rev 21:23-25). "There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign for ever and ever" (Rev 22:5).

Gratitude and trust

1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 (NTLH): "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not hinder the work of the Holy Spirit."

This gratitude is not alienation, but active trust that God is leading and that the King of Glory has already entered us. When we try to fight in our own strength, trusting in our own arms, we hinder the work of the Holy Spirit. But when we choose to give thanks, to submit and to open the gates of the heart, the Spirit works freely and the power of God is manifested.

This is the essence of what Solomon discovered, of what the prophets announced and of what Jesus fulfilled: it is not by human effort, but by the Spirit. The greatest courage is not to raise the sword, but to open the heart; not to win debates, but to let the King of Glory govern. In this way evil is not only discerned, but overcome by good, and polarization loses its power over us.