wickedness
Wickedness is moral evil expressed in thoughts, desires, words, and actions that oppose God’s holy will. In Scripture it describes both sinful behavior and the corrupt heart from which such behavior comes.
At a Glance
Wickedness is moral evil expressed in thoughts, desires, words, and actions that oppose God’s holy will. In Scripture it describes both sinful behavior and the corrupt heart from which such behavior comes.
Description
Wickedness is a biblical term for moral evil in its many forms—corrupt thoughts, unjust actions, deceit, violence, idolatry, and willful resistance to God. Scripture uses the idea both for particular sinful deeds and for the broader condition of a life or heart turned away from the Lord. The wicked are contrasted with the righteous, not because some people are naturally good, but because God’s standard is holy and human sin is real and pervasive. Wickedness therefore includes personal guilt, social injustice, and hardened rebellion, and it stands under God’s righteous judgment. At the same time, the Bible teaches that sinners can be forgiven and changed through God’s mercy, so wickedness is a serious moral and spiritual reality, not an identity beyond the reach of repentance.