Come to the Dark Side, Luke—Gabriel Molina

My answer to the first question is yes, I do believe in absolute good and evil. I am a Christian, and I believe God is absolutely and completely good. Yet, although He created the universe and everything in it and said it was all good (Genesis 1:31a), this world clearly does not represent total good. I don’t think anyone would describe the ISIS beheadings, for example, as good. So obviously and undeniably, there is a battle between good and evil. The bible says that God is absolutely good, and satan (also referred to as the evil one, the accuser, the thief, among others) is absolutely evil.

As for humans, we were originally created in God’s image: good (Genesis 1:27). Though that was our original design, we chose sin. We choose evil, not because we are forced to, but because the evil one convinces us to doubt the goodness of God. The battle between good versus evil is seen in this world mainly in how the evil one tempts us to choose sin, and therefore be separated from God.

The bad news is, we have all sinned. We’ve all given into this temptation and chosen evil. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” I don’t think a single person can say that they have never done wrong. The best news is that through receiving Jesus, we can be made right with God, and be pure in His sight. If you receive Jesus, all your past, present, and future sins no longer define you. You instead become defined by Christ and His good. Romans 3:22 says, “We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.”

Now can good or evil eliminate the other once and for all? The answer is this: Jesus Christ defeated sin, death, and all evil when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. All we have to do is receive His victory and through His grace we take part in it.

I am more than willing to talk to anyone who might want to ask anything about what I have said here!