Erin had a situation erupt in class where a student stole some mints. While the cost of mints is negligible, Erin is quite concerned about the character of the students who would take other people's property without asking. What stressed her out even more is that one student who has the potential to be a fabulous leader, told her that he knew who had stolen the mints, but would not "rat out" his friend.
One of the lies of Satan is that it is virtuous to protect others from the retribution of sin. On the surface this seems to makes sense. We have all struggled with the ethical response to a similar situation. The question is do we have an ethical, moral, or spiritual responsibility to bring the sin of other's to the attention of those in authority? What is our responsibility to the moral fiber of those around us?
Now, obviously since I said that it is a "lie of Satan that it is virtuous to protect others from the retribution of sin," then I believe that Scripture clearly teaches that we have a responsibility not only to our own character, but also to assist others with their characters. God commands those who are good to not just avoid sin, but to actively oppose it. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit and letting God speak through him wrote that the Ephesians were to "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." (Eph. 5:11)
In other words, those who do nothing about sin and evil, help the sin and evil to prevail. This may be clearly seen in the days of Elijah, when the silence of many had allowed the evil of Ahab and Jezebel to prevail throughout the land of Israel. "Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.' But the people said nothing." (1 Kings 18:21). The silence of the people spoke volumes of their indecisiveness and inaction. Their failure to stand up, speak up and speak out permitted wicked and evil men to run rampant.
How soon we forget the Sunday School stories we learned as children. Did not Jesus tell us a story of a traveler who was robbed, beaten and left half-dead? We all clearly understand that the robbers were wicked and did a very wicked thing. We all can remember our feelings of disgust toward the Levite and priest who, even though they were supposedly men of God, allowed this evil to continue unanswered by doing nothing as they each "passed by on the other side" (Luke 10:31-32). Fortunately for the traveler there was one man, a Samaritan, who was willing to stand up for what was right (Luke 10:33-36).
Jesus made it clear that there is no middle ground when it comes to the fight against evil. He said, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters" (Matt. 12:30). There is no gray area. Those who are not actively and vigorously fighting against evil are helping evil to triumph.
Jesus himself did not stand on the line while evil went on around him. He infuriated the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day as he cleared the temple, not once (John 2:13-16, early in ministry) but twice (Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18, Luke 19:45-46, last week of ministry). I won't waste your time referring to every instance that Jesus boldly called out the Pharisees for their wickedness (Matthew 23).
One could even begin to make an argument that when "good' men do nothing to stop evil they see going on in front of them, then they are no longer good. There is a faulty idea that good is merely the absence of doing that which is wrong. This just is not so! One is good not merely because he does no evil, but because he is actively working for what is good. "He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it" (1 Pet. 3:11). James explained, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (James 4:17).
How does God view those who sit by idly while sin goes around them? The prophet Obadiah severely condemned the Edomites for doing nothing when evil was befalling their brethren, the Jews. When Jerusalem was invaded by her enemies, the Edomites "stood on the other side" doing nothing but watching the slaughter as spectators. God said by their failure to act and to help their brethren "you were like one of them" (Obadiah 11).
Those who fail or refuse to do good in the face of evil are sowing some dangerous seeds. They are doing nothing good as Jesus commanded them to do; they are helping evil to win and have ceased being good and have become partakers of the evil they did nothing to stop.
Edmund Burke is quoted as saying that "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Do not allow evil to triumph. Do not do sit by and do nothing. Stand up and be counted, speak up against evil and speak out against evil men and their sinful deeds.
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