--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Evil may mar the divine image and cloud…" description: "\"Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.\" — R. C. Sproul" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/r-c-sproul-1006_brilliance_evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud_6767.png" --- # Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance… ![“Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.” quote by R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/r-c-sproul-1006_brilliance_evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud_6767.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/r-c-sproul-1006_brilliance_evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud_6767.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/r-c-sproul-1006_brilliance_evil-may-mar-the-divine-image-and-cloud_6767.png) > “Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.” [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when corrupted, the core essence of a higher ideal persists despite external blemishes. **In simple terms:** Corruption cannot erase the fundamental nature of the divine. Key Takeaway Essence endures beyond flaws. Themes Resilience Transcendence Purity Duality Hope Mood Reflective Hopeful Serene Type aphilosophical Spiritual Inspirational When to use this quote - Theological debate - Personal crisis - Moral injury - Artistic critique - Social injustice Key Concepts Divine nature Evil Image Brilliance Destruction Practical Applications - Ethical counseling - Philosophical writing Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of a concept remain unchanged when its form is tarnished? - How does recognizing an indestructible core affect coping with adversity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brilliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliance/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mars/) ## Related quotes > [“…man's place in the universe is somewhere between the beasts and the angels, but, because of the divine image planted in him, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-della-mirandola/man-s-place-in-the-universe-is-somewhere-between-the-beasts-and-the/) Pico Della Mirandola > [He who remains unmarried impairs the divine image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabbi-akiva/he-who-remains-unmarried-impairs-the-divine-image/) [Rabbi Akiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabbi-akiva/) > [“The Incarnation, then, is not simply a way of undoing the effects of original sin, but it is an essential stage upon man's journey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-incarnation-then-is-not-simply-a-way-of-undoing-the-effects-of/) [Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/) > [“But God does not neglect his lost creature. He plans to re-create his image in man, to recover his first delight in his handiwork.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/but-god-does-not-neglect-his-lost-creature-he-plans-to-re-create-his/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [If all are created in the divine image, then our images of God must be fluid and multifarious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-plaskow/if-all-are-created-in-the-divine-image-then-our-images-of-god-must-be/) [Judith Plaskow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-plaskow/) > [If it be true that God and man are in one image or likeness (and the affirmation that they are so is not unplausible)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/if-it-be-true-that-god-and-man-are-in-one-image-or-likeness-and-the/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Imagine we could accelerate continuously at 1 g-what we're comfortable with on good old terra firma-to the midpoint of our voyage, and decelerate continuously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/imagine-we-could-accelerate-continuously-at-1-g-what-we-re/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [There's probably no concept in theology more repugnant to modern America than the idea of divine wrath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/there-s-probably-no-concept-in-theology-more-repugnant-to-modern/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Yes, great God, these torrents of tears which flow down from my eyes announce thy divine presence in my soul. This heart hitherto so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-massillon/yes-great-god-these-torrents-of-tears-which-flow-down-from-my-eyes/) [Jean Baptiste Massillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-massillon/) > [If we did not have the adorable Eucharist here below, Jesus our God-with-us, this earth would be much too sad, this life too hard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-julian-eymard/if-we-did-not-have-the-adorable-eucharist-here-below-jesus-our-god/) [Peter Julian Eymard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-julian-eymard/) > [I love the idea of a movie hero in a thriller who is able to get ahead by just his brilliance, and not with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-strong/i-love-the-idea-of-a-movie-hero-in-a-thriller-who-is-able-to-get/) [Danny Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-strong/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquillity of a lovely sunset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/sensual-pleasures-have-the-fleeting-brilliance-of-a-comet-a-happy/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/knowledge-is-merely-brilliance-in-organization-of-ideas-and-not/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/asanas-bring-perfection-in-body-beauty-in-form-grace-strength/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) ## More by R. C. Sproul > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [God's grace is not infinite. God is infinite, and God is gracious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/god-s-grace-is-not-infinite-god-is-infinite-and-god-is-gracious/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [God Himself supplies the necessary condition to come to Jesus, that's why it is 'sola gratia,' by grace alone, that we are saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/god-himself-supplies-the-necessary-condition-to-come-to-jesus-that-s/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [If God is not sovereign, God is not God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/if-god-is-not-sovereign-god-is-not-god/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [When God says something, the argument is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/when-god-says-something-the-argument-is-over/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“There is no such “mother” as Mother Nature. Nature itself is powerless to produce life of any kind. In itself, nature is barren. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/there-is-no-such-mother-as-mother-nature-nature-itself-is-powerless/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Right now counts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/right-now-counts-forever/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [The complaint that church is boring is never made by people in awe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/the-complaint-that-church-is-boring-is-never-made-by-people-in-awe/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Sin can bring pleasure, but never happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/sin-can-bring-pleasure-but-never-happiness/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [I'm afraid that in the United States of America today the prevailing doctrine of justification is not justification by faith alone. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/i-m-afraid-that-in-the-united-states-of-america-today-the-prevailing/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Heaven is a place where God will personally wipe away our tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/heaven-is-a-place-where-god-will-personally-wipe-away-our-tears/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [In the decade of the 1980s, a massive and comprehensive study of religion in American life was undertaken by the Gallup organization. The results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/in-the-decade-of-the-1980s-a-massive-and-comprehensive-study-of/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [The rapture will not be secret but open and manifest. Its purpose will not be to whisk the elect away from the earth for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/the-rapture-will-not-be-secret-but-open-and-manifest-its-purpose-will/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Sometimes we behave and perform with our lives, not for God, but for an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/sometimes-we-behave-and-perform-with-our-lives-not-for-god-but-for-an/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [To be spiritually dead is to be diabolically alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/to-be-spiritually-dead-is-to-be-diabolically-alive/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) [Explore all 310 R. C. Sproul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) ## More Brilliance quotes > [Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/asanas-bring-perfection-in-body-beauty-in-form-grace-strength/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [Knowledge is merely brilliance in organization of ideas and not wisdom. The truly wise person goes beyond knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/knowledge-is-merely-brilliance-in-organization-of-ideas-and-not/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquillity of a lovely sunset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/sensual-pleasures-have-the-fleeting-brilliance-of-a-comet-a-happy/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I love the idea of a movie hero in a thriller who is able to get ahead by just his brilliance, and not with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-strong/i-love-the-idea-of-a-movie-hero-in-a-thriller-who-is-able-to-get/) [Danny Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-strong/) > [Most brilliance arises from ordinary people working together in extraordinary ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/most-brilliance-arises-from-ordinary-people-working-together-in/) [Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/) > [A man doesn't need brilliance or genius, all he needs is energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-m-greenfield/a-man-doesn-t-need-brilliance-or-genius-all-he-needs-is-energy/) Albert M. Greenfield > [We aren't suggesting that mental instability or unhappiness makes one a better poet, or a poet at all; and contrary to the romantic notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/we-aren-t-suggesting-that-mental-instability-or-unhappiness-makes-one/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [Enlightenment is like witnessing the brilliant sun for the first time in the morning. It is like seeing the beautiful flowers that grow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/enlightenment-is-like-witnessing-the-brilliant-sun-for-the-first-time/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Too much brilliance has its disadvantages, and misplaced wit may raise a laugh, but often beheads a topic of profound interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-asquith/too-much-brilliance-has-its-disadvantages-and-misplaced-wit-may-raise/) [Margot Asquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-asquith/) > [It is not brilliance or facility that is necessary, but the determination to bear and even enjoy the dull process of wading into one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-o-nan/it-is-not-brilliance-or-facility-that-is-necessary-but-the/) [Stewart O'Nan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-o-nan/) > [Our humanity is trapped by moral adolescents. We have too many men of science, too few men of God. The world has achieved brilliance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-n-bradley/our-humanity-is-trapped-by-moral-adolescents-we-have-too-many-men-of/) [Omar N. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-n-bradley/) > [Here is just emptiness. There is no getting my ego out of the way, and all that stuff. There is just the seeing, shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-harding/here-is-just-emptiness-there-is-no-getting-my-ego-out-of-the-way-and/) [Douglas Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-harding/) > [“You can't stop the future. All you can do is pick a side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-sakey/you-can-t-stop-the-future-all-you-can-do-is-pick-a-side/) Markus Sakey > [Since I am a man, my heart is three or four times less sensitive, because I have three or four times as much power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/since-i-am-a-man-my-heart-is-three-or-four-times-less-sensitive/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) [Browse all 411 Brilliance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Evil may mar the divine image and cloud its brilliance, but it cannot destroy it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "R. C. 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