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Deliver Us from the Evil One
(Mt6:13)
God is good (Ps107:1).
He judges the wicked with His righteousness and
He saves us "from the hands of the wicked (Jer15:21).
Faith is acknowledging Him and
The life according to this faith is about putting effort to be saved from the hands of the evil one.
While the world rewards those who do "good
According to the Bible, good deeds are those that do not tolerate but punish the wicked.
It also highlights "the evil one rather that "evil,
Since the latter tends to be more abstract.
As such, the devil, demons, the wicked, the sinful, unbelieving hearts etc all indicate
The object of God's wrath and punishment.
Adam, the living being, took the forbidden fruit and sinned (Ge3:24),
Denying God and attempting to be like Him (Ge3:4-6), because
He was deceived by the devil, that is, Satan, who wanted to be like God in heaven and was
Brought down to Sheol and bound in it until judgment on the great day (Is14:12-15; Jude1:6),
This was according to God's plan to allow self-destruction of the seed of evil, the devil (1Jn3:8),
Since God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone (Jas1:13).
Nevertheless, in the history of the Bible, there were those saved from judgment:
In spite of being deceived by evil and killing his brother,
Cain pleaded to God to be saved (Ge4:13-14);
While people were going about their lives,
Noah and his family built an ark according to God's word and were saved (Ge7:5; Mt24:37-38);
For Lot was distressed in his righteous heart because of the lawless deeds of the ungodly people,
He was rescued from the destruction (Ge18:23; 2Pe2:6);
Despite of hundreds of years of living as ungodly people,
When the Israelites became God's "holy people through Moses,
They were miraculously delivered (Ex3:13, 19:6).
However, all but two who left Egypt died in the desert for
God wanted them to "purge the evil among them (Dt22:21-24), as
They had sinful, unbelieving hearts and had turned away from the living God (He3:12-19).
Yet the sanctuary where the name of Jehovah was
Reminded them of how He delivered them from their slavery, from their enemies.
But Yeshua said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would destroy the evil one and do good by rescuing souls for
The incarnate Word came (Jn1:1, 14)
To judge the prince of this world and save men in it (Jn12:31, 47).
As He died, He said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Laid down His life according to the Father's command and revealed that the Father alone is good
(Jn10:18; Rm 5:18-19);
2) Judged the origin of evil, the devil (1Jn 3:8); and
3) Tore His flesh and delivered the souls of men from the hands of the wicked, the evil one
(Jer15:21; He2:15) and with His blood redeemed them (Mt20:28, 21:38).
After He resurrected and ascended to the heavenly throne
Yeshua received the authority to judge good and evil (2Co5:10)
The Holy Spirit whom He sent came to
Those who believe in His name and became justified (Rm10:10), and
Helps them to be delivered from the hand of the wicked world and the evil one.
The man of the Spirit is he who
Turns away from atheists (Ps53:1), the sinful, unbelieving heart (He3:12),
Those who belong to their earthly nature (Col3:5), and
Those who do not have the hope of resurrection (1Co15:32-33).
Therefore, he puts every effort to be separated in the last day
With the good and the righteous,
Rather than with the wicked who will be thrown into the fiery furnace (Mt13:49).
O Lord,
Help us not envy the prosperity of the wicked (Ps73:12),
Not walk in the counsel of the wicked (Ps1:1), and
Not love the world (1Jn2:15-17).
Even if they are our beloved family,
If they are unbelieving, lacking the hope of resurrection,
Help us turn away from them.
Deliver all of us from this wicked world! Amen.