Who would you consider a wicked person? I know we could all agree that murderers, anyone who doesn’t see the value of human life, as a wicked person. How about people who con or deceive innocent people or people who knowingly bear false witness against others? They’re in that category right? Consider also those who sexually abuse young children, that has to be at the top of the list. The list is endless. BUT, who does Creator God call wicked, what’s His definition of that description of individuals? Let’s find out.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”
Isaiah 55:6-7 NIV
The wicked and unrighteous are both instructed to turn to the Lord. In God’s view point, anyone outside of His jurisdiction is wicked, why? Because in an unregenerate state we’re all prone to do evil or wicked things. Some of us may not physically commit an act of violence, but we may as well have by the things we think. Our thoughts can be just as vile as the act itself. The Bible says this:
“All unrighteousness is sin
1 John 5:17a TPT
See also Matthew 5:21-48
ALL unrighteousness is sin. Sin has its roots in the evil one. All wickedness has Satan as it’s source. Murders, lying, stealing, slander, deception, pornography, every form of sexual sin, idolatry you name it, has one title in God’s eyes: Wickedness. None of us are immune outside of God’s intervention. Unrighteousness is rebellion against a Holy God. In Psalm 17 David describes those who live only for this world as wicked. We escape that title only as we are abandoned to the Lord Jesus Christ. So the title wicked applies to all who refuse to follow God’s righteous laws. We’re all wicked outside of Christ. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6, gives a list of who we all were before Jesus rescued us. It’s not a feel good list, but it accurately describes what evil or wickedness produces in all of us.
Let’s examine some other scriptures. God is very clear about who and what qualifies us as wicked. And it all comes back to the same conclusion of 1 John 5, all unrighteousness (the unrighteous) is governed by the lawless one. Those who reject the faith, or the teachings of scripture, living unto themselves, are categorized as wicked. Doing evil acts is wickedness. It’s all the same. There’s good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness, the righteous and the unrighteous. God only has two groups of people always. We try to come up with watered down versions of these two groups, but the Word of God is very clear.
“But you need to be aware that in the final days the culture of society will become extremely fierce. People will be self-centered lovers of themselves and obsessed with money. They will boast of great things as they strut around in their arrogant pride and mock all that is right. They will ignore their own families. They will be ungrateful and ungodly. They will become addicted to hateful and malicious slander. Slaves to their desires, they will be ferocious, belligerent haters of what is good and right. With brutal treachery, they will act without restraint, bigoted and wrapped in clouds of their conceit. They will find their delight in the pleasures of this world more than the pleasures of the loving God.”
2 Timothy 3:1-4 TPT
“For God in heaven unveils His holy anger breaking forth against every form of sin, both toward ungodliness that lives in hearts and evil actions. For the wickedness of humanity deliberately smothers the truth and keeps people from acknowledging the truth about God. who love to spread malicious slander. With inflated egos they hurl hateful insults at God, yet they are nothing more than arrogant boasters. They are rebels against their parents and totally immoral. They are senseless, faithless, ruthless, heartless, and completely merciless.”
Romans 1:18, 30-31 TPT
“But everyone has wandered astray, walking stubbornly toward evil. Not one is good; He can’t even find one. They live in luxury while exploiting My people! Won’t these workers of wickedness ever learn? They don’t ever think of praying to God. But look at them now, in panic, trembling with terror. For God is on the side of His godly lovers. Yahweh is always the safest place for the poor when the workers of wickedness oppress them.”
Psalms 14:3-6 TPT
“Why would you be so stubborn as to close your hearts and your ears to Me? You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just like your forefathers! Which prophet was not persecuted and murdered by your ancestors? Name just one! They killed them all—even the ones who prophesied long ago of the coming of the Righteous One! Now you follow in their steps and have become His betrayers and murderers. You have been given the law by the visitation of angels, but you have not obeyed it.”
Acts 7:51-53 TPT
“How they brag and boast of their cravings, exalting the greedy. They congratulate themselves as they despise you— these arrogant ones, so smug and secure! In their delusion the wicked boast, saying, “God doesn’t care about what we do. There’s nothing to worry about!” So successful are they in their schemes and prosperous in all their plans! Your laws are far from them; they scoff at their enemies. They boast that neither God nor men will bring them down. They sneer at all their enemies, saying in their hearts, “We’ll have success in all we do and never have to face trouble.” Their mouths spew out cursing, lies, and threats. Only trouble and turmoil come from all their plans. How dare the wicked think they’ll reject God and escape judgment. They say to themselves, “God won’t hold me accountable.”
Psalms 10:3-7, 13 TPT
As we can see from these few verses of scripture, and there are many more like these, the wicked are those who oppose the Lord. They are those who have chosen to do their own thing. They pretend to believe in God while ignoring everything He stands for. Are you, are we, among the wicked? Do we say one thing and live another? Have we rejected the Word and laws of God to pursue our own manner of life independently of what He’s commanded? Then we are wicked. Our opening scripture implores us to make a U-Turn. God is rich in mercy. He sent His Son Jesus to bear the full force of His justice and wrath for our wickedness. We are without excuses. The Spotless, Perfect Lamb of God has secured a way of escape for us. We don’t need to wear the title wicked any longer. That title belongs to the devil.
Join me and countless others who have shed the title. And now wear His new nature. We’re called righteous, His righteousness or right standing with God the Father is our new identity and covering. Move from darkness into His marvelous light.
“For it wasn’t that long ago that we behaved foolishly in our stubborn disobedience. We were easily led astray as slaves to worldly passions and pleasures. We wasted our lives in doing evil, and with hateful jealousy we hated others.” Titus 3:3 TPT
Titus continues;
“When the extraordinary compassion of God our Savior and His overpowering love suddenly appeared in person, as the brightness of a dawning day, He came to save us. Not because of any virtuous deed that we have done but only because of His extravagant mercy. He saved us, resurrecting us through the washing of rebirth. We are made completely new by the Holy Spirit, whom He splashed over us richly by Jesus, the Messiah, our Life Giver. So as a gift of His love, and since we are faultless— innocent before His face— we can now become heirs of all things, all because of an overflowing hope of eternal life. How true and faithful is this message! I want you to especially emphasize these truths, so that those who believe in God will be careful to devote themselves to doing good works. It is always beautiful and profitable for believers to do good works.” Titus 3:4-8 TPT
This is our new identity, this is who we have become. We’re not among the wicked, we are His sons and daughters. We have traded places, we have moved from wickedness and unrighteousness to a life filled with faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: Neither shall evil dwell with thee.”
Psalm 5:4 KJV
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
July 13, 2021