"Overcoming Evil"

Ellet J. Waggoner

The heathen way of overcoming evil is expressed in the well-known maxim, “Fight the devil with fire.” This is the method which the human heart seeks naturally to employ, and unfortunately the conditions are everywhere favorable for its practical application. . . . When fire can put out fire, when murder can put down murder, and self can cast out self,—then and not till then will it be either sensible or right to fight the devil, or the evil which he causes, with his own weapons. Satan does not cast out Satan; his kingdom is not divided against itself. And we have much better weapons for overcoming evil than any that Satan could give us. We have the word of God, which is “the sword of the Spirit.” We have Jesus Christ Himself. Only Christ can cast out self, which is the first step to be taken by each individual in the conflict with people. Only God and His power can put evil out of the heart. The only uplifting and reforming power in the world is the religion of Jesus Christ.
 

The Present Truth 10, 8 (February 22, 1894), p. 114.