When Evil Triumphs, It's Not Because Good People Did Nothing

 
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”(1)

I used to think this was a great quote. But it doesn't actually make sense.

If someone does nothing to stop evil, we can't really call them a  "good" person (Mark 8:38; 1 John 3:9).  People who do nothing may look good on the outside, but their goodness or lack of goodness is revealed when their faith is tested.

Good people (i.e. godly people) do what is right even when it's hard, seeking to please God, not man (Matthew 6:24; Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4). 

Evil triumphs because the good people are in the minority, not because they're doing nothing.

And that brings me to the second reason I disagree with this quote: bad people will always outnumber good people because the unsaved world is under Satan’s control, and the path to salvation is a narrow road (1 John 5:19; Matthew 7:14).

People on the narrow path take a stand against evil even when they're persecuted (Matthew 5:10-12). They're more interested in hearing their Lord say "Well done, good and faithful servant" than fitting in with their culture (Matthew 25:33).

So stand firm, those of you who know and love the God of Scripture. Stand firm! 

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I encourage you to read:

Don't Fear Speaking Up 

Will You Stand with Jesus?

Would You Have Justified Slavery?

(1) This quote has long been attributed to Edmond Burke, but there’s no proof he said it. And scholars doubt he said it because they think he was too wise to think that this was the only reason evil triumphed.

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