Evil Hearts Produce Evil Deeds

John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

Let’s start by defining some symbolism and terms. The “light” referred to in John 3:19 is the Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Darkness is the absence of “light”. “Evil” is defined as (1) Natural evil is any thing which produces pain, distress, loss or calamity, or which in any way disturbs the peace, impairs the happiness, or destroys the perfection of natural beings. (2) Moral evil is any deviation of a moral agent from the rules of conduct prescribed to him by God, or by legitimate human authority; or it is any violation of the plain principles of justice and rectitude. All wickedness, all crimes, all violations of law and right are moral evils.

“Righteousness” is defined as purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion. Make no mistake—those who love evil hate righteousness and evil heart produces evil deeds and drives an evil person to commit atrocities.

John 3:20 “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

One article on evil points out that both the Apostles James and Paul made the same observation. The Apostle James noted in James 4:1 “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? In Romans 7:18-24, the Apostle Paul bemoaned the conflict of “laws” that he sensed in his own body and called himself a “wretched man” because he couldn’t seem to rid himself of the “law of sin” In Galatians 5:17, Paul repeats this observation saying: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

James 1:14-15 “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

The article also pointed out that the Apostle John in 1 John 2:15-16 insisted that the twice-born (born again, born from above, born of the Spirit) Christian should never love the world or “the things that are in the world” because “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. Once a decision is made to reject the overwhelming evidence of the eternal power and Godhead that the Creator has displayed for all to see, and once the personal conviction of the Holy Spirit has been spurned, nothing remains but social pressure to do “good”. “Good” is defined as conformable to the moral law; virtuous; applied to human actions. Godly “good” is having moral qualities best adapted to its design and use, or the qualities which God's law requires; virtuous; pious; religious; applied to persons, and opposed to bad, vicious, wicked, evil. And when that wanes (as lawlessness surely will), the individual cycles every more rapidly into a godless lifestyle, falling away “from the faith. Evil hearts produce evil deeds. 

The Lord Jesus proclaimed in John 14:23-24 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Blessings in Christ.