The Bible Teaches How to Tell if Someone is Good or Evil

A popular American economist recently wrote that ‘woke’ liberal ideology has destroyed religion and ethics. And with the demise of morality, a person’s integrity and their word-of-honor disappeared too. Today, societies are overwhelmed with crime, and people’s sexual morality has all but vanished. Young women even compete for attention according to who can copulate with the most men in a twenty-four-hour time period.¹

The author went on to say that the news media have no regrets about lying to the public on behalf of an agenda or an advertiser. And governments supply weapons, money, and diplomatic cover to overthrow other countries and then refuse to be held accountable. He notes that such people are doing Satan’s work.² Most serious Christians know this is true.

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Everyone is chasing after something, probably their own idea of pleasure, happiness, or prosperity. But, in reality, none of these attributes contribute to a deep sense of well being or contentment. Chasing after wrong or hurtful things will only make us unhappy and lonely — or downright evil.³ Like Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, we humans can easily be swayed by what is pleasing to our eyes. Sometimes, navigating our complex road through life can lead us astray and we may find ourselves unknowingly following the wrong god.⁴ So we need guidance to obtain a truly happy life.

Love is a primary example to highlight this thought. In wrong circumstances, or outside of marriage, sexual intercourse can bring stress, pain, unhappiness, and eventual loneliness. That is a ‘taking’ love, not a ‘sharing’ love. But to have the same connection within the solid relationship of a mutually caring man and woman, it can bring true happiness on a spiritual level.⁵

But there are many other kinds of love, besides that of a sexual nature. One kind is the love of caring about humanity — that neighborly or brotherly or sisterly Christian love — which brings true happiness and meaning into our life. Jesus taught us to treat others as we would expect to be treated ourselves; you know, the golden rule (see Luke 6:31).

(NOTE: There were seven different words explaining various types of ‘love’ in the Greek language, used around the time Jesus walked the earth. See the interesting article titled “Love: First Mentioned Fruit of the Spirit” listed in References & Notes.)⁶

We should all renew ourselves in knowledge according to the image of our creator (see Colossians 3:9-10). Basically, we should put on a new ‘self’ and become new creatures, by growing more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ. That will bring us true happiness and pleasure by giving us a meaningful life, one of purpose.

 

How God Taught Humankind to Behave

Our Christian religion was introduced by Jesus and spread through the land by converted Jews. These Jews were originally brought up observing God’s laws, both the Ten Commandments as well as the more than six hundred commandments of the Mosaic Law.

In Old Testament times, God ordained the law because of peoples’ transgressions, but
teaching that adherence came through physical discipline which was only meant to be temporary,⁷ as it revealed sin was a violation of God’s rules. Of course, sin existed before the law, but people did not recognize it as wrongdoing until God’s rules called their attention to it. “For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation,” (Romans 4:15).⁸

This law, given to a nation of sinners, was to demonstrate that it was impossible for the people to fully obey it and that they were but hopeless, sinners. Being impossible to obey, the law demonstrated the unworthiness of man to receive any blessing, unless by the grace of God. Although humans continually failed, they could always depend upon God to find a way to fulfill his own promises.⁹

They did not know — at the time the law was given — that physical training and punishment was but a temporary measure until the later coming of a Messiah as an ambassador or mediator. In the beginning, when first receiving the law, it was Moses that played the part of a mediator between God and his people, and that is why Moses is sometimes referred to as a ‘type’ of Christ. As the apostle Paul stated, before Christ they had to obey through discipline, but with Christ, they could be exempted from eternal death through faith (see Galatians 3:23-29).

Paul also told us that obeying the law must be a spiritual endeavor, not just a physical one. Choosing a righteous or sinful life is accomplished by tapping into the spiritual world. To be good is to be inspired by God’s Holy Spirit; to be bad is to give in to the desires of the flesh and deceptions of Satan and his evil helpers. You choose, and depending upon your choice, you receive what you ask for.

In this world, all humans have sinful fleshly thoughts, but the New Testament has specific instructions on how to avoid them and stay on a narrow path of righteousness, rather than the wide path of immorality.¹⁰

You may ask, “How does one tell if someone is filled with sinful thoughts?” The answer, however, is fairly easy to discern. The Apostle Paul points out the obvious in Galatians, chapter 5. “Do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want,” (Galatians 5:16b-17).

 

How to Judge Others

Paul also gives us good advice on not only how we should conduct ourselves, but also on how we can judge others around us. When I begin teaching or preaching this fact, many times some Christians point out that the Bible says we should not judge others. And that is true, even Jesus said, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3).

But we are fully allowed to judge others, if we are making a comparison of someone’s activity based upon God’s very own standards. What would be wrong, is to illegitimately judge by using only our own standard of what is acceptable and measure everyone against it — that is being hypocritical.¹¹ So, ‘do not judge’ does not mean that believers must suspend all discernment, but that any strict standards by which we criticize others, must be the same benchmarks by which God would hold all of us accountable.¹²

Paul also plainly states the wrong desires or ‘works of the flesh’, so you will know how to recognize your own or your fellow humans’ wrongful thoughts and traits. The apostle’s encouragement is not all inclusive, but merely an overview.

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God,” (Galatians 5:19-21, NLT).¹³

It is here that Paul encourages Christians to give up their old life of being self-absorbed, filled with greed, superstition, and jealousy — that misguided life with constant strife and destructive habits. Those kinds of traits are so alien to Jesus that he will bar us from his kingdom.¹⁴

Look around you. How many news reporters, politicians, corporate professionals, celebrities, and even church leaders, have one or more of those traits? Even some co-workers, friends, and family members demonstrate works of greed and self-centeredness, rather than works of God’s spirit of love.

After calling out those who produce ‘works of the flesh’, Paul continues as he explains about a new life available to all that want it, one inspired by the Holy Spirit and is assured to get us into Christ’s approaching kingdom. He states the following.

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another,” (Galatians 5:22-26, NLT).¹⁵

So, there it is — observe how someone relates to you, to others, and to the world, and you will know if they are on God’s side, or the other side. Desires describe the type of person we are — and the type others are too. Hopefully, as Christians, we are all allowing ourselves to be guided by the Spirit, or at least making a real effort to do so, for the fruit of the Spirit reflects the character of God. Remember, in the beginning of creation, before sin entered into the world, we were made in God’s image. We now have an opportunity to regain those attributes which were lost in the garden of Eden.

When Paul says that those who belong to Jesus Christ have “crucified the flesh,” he means that we participate in Christ’s death and resurrection, leaving behind the old lifestyle of selfish desires. We must continually follow after the spirit while resisting the flesh.¹⁶ This is a new life which is available for anyone who wants it; it is the life that the Holy Spirit inspires. Paul summed it up this way, “For the whole law [of the Old Testament] is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’” (Galatians 5:14, brackets added for clarity).

 

On which side do you want to stand?

There is currently much division in the world. There is God’s side of light and Satan’s side of darkness. Since we have free will, it is by our own choices that decide to which side we will settle. Both sides have an attraction, but it seems the dark side is more magnetic to many people.

Those people are comfortable with the current evil world; they find it more fun, more attractive, more gratifying. God’s new world seems so far away, maybe even unattainable, maybe not even real. They think, “Why wait for happiness when I can get it now?” The problem is, as the Mosaic Law was temporary for teaching, so is this evil world, today. Those aligned with evil will not occupy the coming Kingdom of Christ.

God gave his guarantee that evil will end and be completely destroyed. So, it is our decision whether to shed evil ways now and eventually enter the promised paradise, or just continue on our current path until we are destroyed along with Satan and his immorality.¹⁷

Jesus said, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man,” (Matthew 24:37-39).

 

Afterthoughts

We should view people not only by what they say, but also by their actions and results. When someone smiles and says things we want to hear, we tend to believe them, but the evil ones know it isn’t true and will lie just to draw us into their schemes. They don’t really care about us — they only want to influence us and control us — or physically possess us, as demons do. And it is probably not very hard for them to convince otherwise good people to turn to evil, for they are expert in providing what people want in exchange: riches, power, fame, sex, drugs, etc.

These evil people attempt to overthrow our governments, provoke wars, corrupt our elections, invade our privacy, and remove our rights. Such wicked people enjoy introducing money laundering schemes, vaccination scams, and depopulation programs. They even want to manipulate us into a one-world religion, by indoctrination within the churches. And they continue pushing homosexuality, transgendering, and race baiting, along with saturating our schools with division, fear, and hateful attitudes.

By influence — or even through demonic possession — they lie, cheat, twist, manipulate, and sometimes force compliance through blackmail, all in an attempt to reorganize and enslave our modern society under Satanic control. I really don’t have to explain this any further, because there is an abundance of evidence available for anyone who wants to investigate. Most don’t want to know such things, or they are afraid to do the research, or they just don’t care, but to God there is no excuse not to express our disgust at what is going on in our world today. At the very least, we should educate our families about the corruption — or at least peacefully try to do so.

God has a plan to end the evil ways of our current world and Jesus will soon take back control of this planet. He has proven his point that humans cannot survive and thrive without divine guidance and law. Satan knows his time is short, so he is increasing his attacks upon humanity, in an effort to turn as many humans against God as he can, before the end of this age. So, let us all get on the correct side now, before it is too late.

The music for this sermon is the hymn ‘Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God’ presented by Phil Webb of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California (USA). Selected lyrics are below. Music video information and a YouTube link are listed in References & Notes.¹⁸

Holy Spirit, come abide within;
May Your joy be seen in all I do.
Love enough to cover ev’ry sin,
In each thought and deed and attitude.

Kindness to the greatest and the least;
Gentleness that sows the path of peace.
Turn my striving into works of grace;
Breath of God, show Christ in all I do.

Copyright © 2025, Ray Hermann
OutlawBibleStudent.org

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Reference & Notes

1. Roberts, Paul Craig, “Without Religion There Is No Morality”, (The Burning Platform, 9 May 2025), https://www.theburningplatform.com/2025/05/09/without-religion-there-is-no-morality/
2. Ibid.
3. Schrader, Jessica, “Are You Confusing Comfort With Happiness?” (Psychology Today Magazine, 16 October 2017), https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-we-work/201710/are-you-confusing-comfort-with-happiness
4. Norman, Kyle, “ What Does the Bible Say about Worldly Happiness?” (Christianity, 18 June 2021), https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/what-does-the-bible-say-about-worldly-happiness.html
5. Hermann, Ray, “Positive Thinking in a World Going Crazy”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 16 February 2023), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/positive-thinking-in-a-world-going-crazy/
6. Greek words that define the seven different types of ‘love’ are discussed in the following study.
   Hermann, Ray, “Love — First Mentioned Fruit of the Spirit”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 24 February 2021), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/love-first-mentioned-fruit-of-the-spirit/
7. Mays, James Luther, (Ed.), Harper’s Bible Commentary, (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988), p. 1208.
8. Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotes are from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989). Used with permission.
9. MacDonald, William, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, (Ed.) Arthur Farstad, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), p. 1884.
10. Hermann, Ray, “The Narrow & Wide Gates in Matthew 7″, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 4 September 2024), https://outlawbiblestudent.org/the-narrow-wide-gates-in-matthew-7/
11. Evans, Tony, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019), p. 876.
12. Rydelnick, Michael, & Vanlaningham, Michael, The Moody Bible Commentary, (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), p. 1464.
13. Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Foundation, 2015).
14. Knowles, Andrew, The Bible Guide: An all-in-one Introduction to the Book of Books, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Publisher, 2001), p. 611.
15. Holy Bible, New Living Translation (see above).
16. Barry, John D., et al., Faithlife Study Bible, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016).
17. Hermann, Ray, “Fruit of the Spirit — Works of the Flesh”, (The Outlaw Bible Student, OBS, 11 June 2021, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/fruit-of-the-spirit-works-of-the-flesh/
18. “Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God”, (Hymn words and music: Keith Getty and Stuart Townend; Music director: Phil Webb; recorded live during services at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA; uploaded to YouTube on 15 November 2024; no copyright or licensing information listed). Used under ‘fair use copyright’ for comment, teaching, scholarship, and research under Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act of 1976 — MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/d3gUa916Cgk