Word Study on Wicked

The true Biblical meaning of the wicked includes lost people and carnal saved people. As the many references in this Study show, claiming that the word wicked only applies to the lost is a lying doctrine from a devil.

We find the word wicked in: Genesis 13:13; Genesis 18:23; Genesis 18:25; Genesis 38:7; Exodus 9:27; Exodus 23:1; Exodus 23:7; Leviticus 20:17; Numbers 16:26; Deuteronomy 15:9; Deuteronomy 17:5; Deuteronomy 23:9; Deuteronomy 25:1; Deuteronomy 25:2; 1Samuel 2:9; 1Samuel 24:13; 1Samuel 30:22; 2Samuel 3:34; 2Samuel 4:11; 1Kings 8:32; 2Kings 17:11; 2Chronicles 6:23; 2Chronicles 7:14; 2Chronicles 24:7; Nehemiah 9:35; Esther 7:6; Esther 9:25; Job 3:17; Job 8:22; Job 9:22; Job 9:24; Job 9:29; Job 10:3; Job 10:7; Job 10:15; Job 11:20; Job 15:20; Job 16:11; Job 18:5; Job 18:21; Job 20:5; Job 20:22; Job 20:29; Job 21:7; Job 21:16; Job 21:17; Job 21:28; Job 21:30; Job 22:15; Job 22:18; Job 24:6; Job 27:7; Job 27:13; Job 29:17; Job 31:3; Job 34:8; Job 34:18; Job 34:26; Job 34:36; Job 36:6; Job 36:17; Job 38:13; Job 38:15; Job 40:12; Psalms 7:9; Psalms 7:11; Psalms 9:5; Psalms 9:16; Psalms 9:17; Psalms 10:2; Psalms 10:4; Psalms 10:13; Psalms 10:15; Psalms 11:2; Psalms 11:5; Psalms 11:6; Psalms 12:8; Psalms 17:9; Psalms 17:13; Psalms 22:16; Psalms 26:5; Psalms 27:2; Psalms 28:3; Psalms 31:17; Psalms 32:10; Psalms 34:21; Psalms 36:1; Psalms 36:11; Psalms 37:7; Psalms 37:10; Psalms 37:12; Psalms 37:14; Psalms 37:16; Psalms 37:17; Psalms 37:20; Psalms 37:21; Psalms 37:28; Psalms 37:32; Psalms 37:34; Psalms 37:35; Psalms 37:38; Psalms 37:40; Psalms 39:1; Psalms 50:16; Psalms 55:3; Psalms 58:3; Psalms 58:10; Psalms 59:5; Psalms 64:2; Psalms 68:2; Psalms 71:4; Psalms 73:3; Psalms 74:19; Psalms 75:4; Psalms 75:8; Psalms 75:10; Psalms 82:2; Psalms 82:4; Psalms 91:8; Psalms 92:7; Psalms 92:11; Psalms 94:3; Psalms 94:13; Psalms 97:10; Psalms 101:3; Psalms 101:4; Psalms 101:8; Psalms 104:35; Psalms 106:18; Psalms 109:2; Psalms 109:6; Psalms 112:10; Psalms 119:53; Psalms 119:61; Psalms 119:95; Psalms 119:110; Psalms 119:119; Psalms 119:155; Psalms 125:3; Psalms 129:4; Psalms 139:19; Psalms 139:24; Psalms 140:4; Psalms 140:8; Psalms 141:4; Psalms 141:10; Psalms 145:20; Psalms 146:9; Psalms 147:6; Proverbs 2:14; Proverbs 2:22; Proverbs 3:25; Proverbs 3:33; Proverbs 4:14; Proverbs 4:19; Proverbs 5:22; Proverbs 6:12; Proverbs 6:18; Proverbs 9:7; Proverbs 10:3; Proverbs 10:6; Proverbs 10:7; Proverbs 10:11; Proverbs 10:16; Proverbs 10:20; Proverbs 10:24; Proverbs 10:25; Proverbs 10:27; Proverbs 10:28; Proverbs 10:30; Proverbs 10:32; Proverbs 11:5; Proverbs 11:7; Proverbs 11:8; Proverbs 11:10; Proverbs 11:11; Proverbs 11:18; Proverbs 11:21; Proverbs 11:23; Proverbs 11:31; Proverbs 12:2; Proverbs 12:5; Proverbs 12:6; Proverbs 12:7; Proverbs 12:10; Proverbs 12:12; Proverbs 12:13; Proverbs 12:21; Proverbs 12:26; Proverbs 13:5; Proverbs 13:9; Proverbs 13:17; Proverbs 13:25; Proverbs 14:11; Proverbs 14:17; Proverbs 14:19; Proverbs 14:32; Proverbs 15:6; Proverbs 15:8; Proverbs 15:9; Proverbs 15:26; Proverbs 15:28; Proverbs 15:29; Proverbs 16:4; Proverbs 17:4; Proverbs 17:15; Proverbs 17:23; Proverbs 18:3; Proverbs 18:5; Proverbs 19:28; Proverbs 20:26; Proverbs 21:4; Proverbs 21:7; Proverbs 21:10; Proverbs 21:12; Proverbs 21:18; Proverbs 21:27; Proverbs 21:29; Proverbs 24:15; Proverbs 24:16; Proverbs 24:19; Proverbs 24:20; Proverbs 24:24; Proverbs 25:5; Proverbs 25:26; Proverbs 26:23; Proverbs 28:1; Proverbs 28:4; Proverbs 28:12; Proverbs 28:15; Proverbs 28:28; Proverbs 29:2; Proverbs 29:7; Proverbs 29:12; Proverbs 29:16; Proverbs 29:27; Ecclesiastes 3:17; Ecclesiastes 7:15; Ecclesiastes 7:17; Ecclesiastes 8:10; Ecclesiastes 8:13; Ecclesiastes 8:14; Ecclesiastes 9:2; Isaiah 3:11; Isaiah 5:23; Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 14:5; Isaiah 26:10; Isaiah 32:7; Isaiah 48:22; Isaiah 53:9; Isaiah 55:7; Isaiah 57:20; Isaiah 57:21; Jeremiah 2:33; Jeremiah 5:26; Jeremiah 5:28; Jeremiah 6:29; Jeremiah 12:1; Jeremiah 15:21; Jeremiah 17:9; Jeremiah 23:19; Jeremiah 25:31; Jeremiah 30:23; Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 3:19; Ezekiel 7:21; Ezekiel 8:9; Ezekiel 11:2; Ezekiel 13:22; Ezekiel 18:20; Ezekiel 18:21; Ezekiel 18:23; Ezekiel 18:24; Ezekiel 18:27; Ezekiel 20:44; Ezekiel 21:3; Ezekiel 21:4; Ezekiel 21:25; Ezekiel 21:29; Ezekiel 30:12; Ezekiel 33:8; Ezekiel 33:9; Ezekiel 33:11; Ezekiel 33:12; Ezekiel 33:14; Ezekiel 33:15; Ezekiel 33:19; Daniel 12:10; Micah 6:10; Micah 6:11; Nahum 1:3; Nahum 1:11; Nahum 1:15; Habakkuk 1:4; Habakkuk 1:13; Habakkuk 3:13; Zephaniah 1:3; Malachi 3:18; Malachi 4:3; Matthew 12:45; Matthew 13:19; Matthew 13:38; Matthew 13:49; Matthew 16:4; Matthew 18:32; Matthew 21:41; Matthew 25:26; Luke 11:26; Luke 19:22; Acts 2:23; Acts 18:14; 1Corinthians 5:13; Ephesians 6:16; Colossians 1:21; 2Thessalonians 2:8; 2Thessalonians 3:2; 2Peter 2:7; 2Peter 3:17; 1John 2:13-14; 1John 3:12; 1John 5:18.

We find the word wickedly in: Genesis 19:7; Deuteronomy 9:18; Judges 19:23; 1Samuel 12:25; 2Samuel 22:22; 2Samuel 24:17; 2Kings 21:11; 2Chronicles 6:37; 2Chronicles 20:35; 2Chronicles 22:3; Nehemiah 9:33; Job 13:7; Job 34:12; Psalms 18:21; Psalms 73:8; Psalms 74:3; Psalms 106:6; Psalms 139:20; Daniel 9:5; Daniel 9:15; Daniel 11:32; Daniel 12:10; Malachi 4:1.

We find the word wickedness in: Genesis 6:5; Genesis 39:9; Leviticus 18:17; Leviticus 19:29; Leviticus 20:14; Deuteronomy 9:4; Deuteronomy 9:5; Deuteronomy 9:27; Deuteronomy 13:11; Deuteronomy 17:2; Deuteronomy 28:20; Judges 9:56; Judges 20:3; Judges 20:12; 1Samuel 12:17; 1Samuel 12:20; 1Samuel 24:13; 1Samuel 25:39; 2Samuel 3:39; 2Samuel 7:10; 1Kings 1:52; 1Kings 2:44; 1Kings 8:47; 1Kings 21:25; 2Kings 21:6; 1Chronicles 17:9; Job 4:8; Job 11:11; Job 11:14; Job 20:12; Job 22:5; Job 24:20; Job 27:4; Job 34:10; Job 35:8; Psalms 5:4; Psalms 5:9; Psalms 7:9; Psalms 10:15; Psalms 28:4; Psalms 45:7; Psalms 52:7; Psalms 55:11; Psalms 55:15; Psalms 58:2; Psalms 84:10; Psalms 89:22; Psalms 94:23; Psalms 107:34; Proverbs 4:17; Proverbs 8:7; Proverbs 10:2; Proverbs 11:5; Proverbs 12:3; Proverbs 13:6; Proverbs 14:32; Proverbs 16:12; Proverbs 21:12; Proverbs 26:26; Proverbs 30:20; Ecclesiastes 3:16; Ecclesiastes 7:15; Ecclesiastes 7:25; Ecclesiastes 8:8; Isaiah 9:18; Isaiah 47:10; Isaiah 58:4; Isaiah 58:6; Jeremiah 1:16; Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 3:2; Jeremiah 4:14; Jeremiah 4:18; Jeremiah 6:7; Jeremiah 7:12; Jeremiah 8:6; Jeremiah 12:4; Jeremiah 14:16; Jeremiah 14:20; Jeremiah 22:22; Jeremiah 23:11; Jeremiah 23:14; Jeremiah 33:5; Jeremiah 44:3; Jeremiah 44:5; Jeremiah 44:9; Lamentations 1:22; Ezekiel 3:19; Ezekiel 5:6; Ezekiel 7:11; Ezekiel 16:23; Ezekiel 16:57; Ezekiel 18:20; Ezekiel 18:27; Ezekiel 31:11; Ezekiel 33:12; Ezekiel 33:19; Hosea 7:1; Hosea 7:2; Hosea 7:3; Hosea 9:15; Hosea 10:13; Hosea 10:15; Joel 3:13; Jonah 1:2; Micah 6:10; Nahum 3:19; Zechariah 5:8; Malachi 1:4; Malachi 3:15; Matthew 22:18; Mark 7:22; Luke 11:39; Acts 8:22; Acts 25:5; Romans 1:29; 1Corinthians 5:8; Ephesians 6:12; 1John 5:19.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines wickedness as: 'Departure from the rules of the divine law; evil disposition or practices; immorality; crime; sin; sinfulness; corrupt manners Wickedness generally signifies evil practices. What wickedness is this that is done among you? Judges 20. But wickedness expresses also the corrupt dispositions of the heart. Their inward part is very wickedness. Psalm 5. In heart ye work wickedness'. Notice that there is nothing which prevents the saved from thinking and acting this way. In general, preachers and saved people deny this truth because they want to deny that there are carnal saved people. They want to believe that all saved will receive all of the rewards promised to the apostles, martyrs, and people who devote their entire life to the service of God. And, they want to claim that the saved person who turns to a life of sin, such as Lot and Demas, will receive the same level of everlasting rewards in spite of their sinful life. Such a belief is a lie from a devil.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines wickedly as: 'adv. IN a manner or with motives and designs contrary to the divine law; viciously; corruptly; immorally. All that do wickedly shall be stubble. Malachi 4. I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. 2 Samuel 24'.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines wicked as: 'a. The primary sense is to wind and turn, or to depart, to fall away. 1. Evil in principle or practice; deviating from the divine law; addicted to vice; sinful; immoral. This is a word of comprehensive signification, extending to every thing that is contrary to the moral law, and both to persons and actions. We say, a wicked man, a wicked deed, wicked ways, wicked lives, a wicked heart, wicked designs, wicked works. No man was ever wicked without secret discontent. 2. A word of slight blame; as the wicked urchin. 3. Cursed; baneful; pernicious; as wicked words, words pernicious in their efforts. This last signification may throw some light on the word witch. The wicked, in Scripture, persons who live in sin; transgressors of the divine law; all who are unreconciled to God, unsanctified or impenitent'.

Genesis 6:5 says: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. This gives us a basic Biblical definition of the word wicked. Then, Genesis 6:8 says: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Since Noah is included in both Bible references, we can not say that all people who are wicked are lost and on their way to Hell with no possibility of redemption. That is, some wicked people can be saved. And, yes, it can happen after they are wicked, but it takes the power of God to change the character of a person. Therefore, they are wicked at the time that God saved them.

There are verses which say that Satan is wicked. There are verses which say that all devils are wicked. And, there are verses which say that all lost people are wicked. I doubt if anyone argues against those truths. If so, find the references above which are not detailed below and you will see those truths in those verses. The verses below are commented on because several people, including preachers, have claimed that all wicked people are lost, going to Hell with no hope of salvation. The following verses show that claim to be a lie and a doctrine from devils.

Genesis 6:5 says But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Yet, Lot was saved when he became a leader in that city and he could not have become a leader without participating in their wickedness. In addition, he offered his two daughters which have not known man to be raped and abused by wicked men. Therefore, saved people can do wickedness. We also have the account of Judah having a child with his daughter-in-law. Then, Judges 19 tells of another man making an offer like Lot did. . . . . .
Exodus 9:27 tells us that fighting against the will of God makes a person wicked. Obviously, some saved people do this. Exodus also tells us that lying in court is wicked. God would not command His people to not do that unless God's people could do so.
Leviticus tells us that incest is wicked and people who claim to be saved have done that.
Numbers tells us that challenging the authority of God's man is wicked. Only a fool would claim that saved church members never do that.
Deuteronomy tells us that Moses prayed and fasted for forty days and nights because all of God's people had done wickedness. Obviously, the saved were included. Deuteronomy also tells God's people how to get spiritually clean after they have done wickedness. God would not have had to give that instruction if the saved could not do wickedness.
1Samuel 12 tells us that Israel wanting a king, in place of God leading them. was wicked. The application is people wanting religion instead of an ongoing personal relationship with God, which is true salvation.
1Samuel 30:22 starts with Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said. They included saved men whom Belial convinced to be selfish and act wickedly. In the next verse, David told them to act Godly and the action which David commanded became law. But, in t6his instance, God's people wanted to act wickedly.
2Samuel 3:34 tells us that killing a bound captive is wicked. It does not matter if the killer is saved or lost. Moses was a killer when he wads saved. Therefore, a saved person can be a killer.
2Samuel 22:22 tells us that departing from God is wicked. It takes a saved person to depart from God.
2Samuel 24:17 tells us that king David had done wickedly while he was the saved king.
1Kings 8:47-48 and 2Chronicles 6:23 are part of the prayer of Solomon. He prays for God to forgive if God's people wickedly leave God and then truly repent and return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive. People can not return unless they are saved before they leave God.
1Kings 21:25 says: But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. When we sell ourselves to do the things of this world and fulfill the lusts of the flesh and disobey our Lord, we are doing wickedness. And, yes, Ahab was most likely lost, but there are saved people, like Demas, who do the same.
2Chronicles 7:14 very clearly says: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. This is very well known and preached. It very clearly says If my people, which are called by my name, which is identifying the saved without any honest doubt. Then it also says: and turn from their wicked ways. Again, there can be no honest doubt that God is accusing saved people of following wicked ways.
Nehemiah 9 has the prayer of the Jews who were led by Nehemiah as they confessed that they and their fathers did wickedly, even though they were God's people.
Psalms 5:4 is a prayer that starts by asking God to listen to that pray. It recognizes that For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. Since the saved are who prays like this psalm, it is recognizing that the saved can be wicked and that they must stop being so if they want their prayers heard by God.
Psalms 10 is all about the wicked. The entire Psalm is. And, while what it says definitely applies to the lost, every part of the psalm can also be applied to the carnal person, even if they are being carnal only for a short time. For example, Psalms 10:7 says: His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. The gospel accounts clearly show that this applies to Peter when he was denying our Lord. And, peter was definitely saved at that time. Go through the psalm and you should see that every verses can be applied to carnal saved people.
Psalms 11 tells us the difference between the wicked and at the upright in heart and how the Lord reacts to each. And, yes, it is easy to say that the wicked, in this psalm, speaks about the lost. However, everything in this Psalm can also be applied to the carnal saved person and the deceived saved person who accepts a deceit without verifying it against what the word of God truly says. A simple example is that this Study was prompted by a lot of Godly preachers accepting that the Biblical word wicked only referred to lost people and never to saved people. As the explained verses in this Study show, that is a lying doctrine from devils.
Psalms 12:8 says: The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. It is the last verse in this Psalm which describes the attitudes and actions of wicked people. Only a liar would claim that carnal and immature saved people never have these attitudes and never do these actions.
Psalms 17:8-9 says: Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about. This entire Psalm was a prayer by king David for protection from wicked enemies and we can not honestly say that all of his enemies were lost. Nor can we say that the attitudes and actions described in this Psalm are only possible for lost people to have and do.
Psalms 18:21 says: For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. The word of God tells us that lot, Lot's wife, Demas and others did depart from God after they were saved. This tells us that departing from God can be done by the saved and is wicked.
Psalms 26 tells us about the attitudes and actions of a righteous person. 26:4-5 says: I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. Notice that king David puts vain persons, dissemblers, and evil doers in with the wicked. Carnal lost people can be in these groups. In particular, we have doctrinal disagreements because people who claim to be saved preachers are dissemblers ('One who dissembles; a hypocrite; one who conceals his opinions or dispositions under a false appearance'), and get others to agree with doctrines of devils while claiming that their lies match what the word of God truly says.
Psalms 27:2 calls the mine enemies and my foes the wicked. While the word enemies can be applied to the lost, the word foes should be applied to the carnal saved. A foe would fight against king David, as the representative of God, like the carnal saved people fight against reproof and correction from saved mature people.
Psalms 28:3 says: Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts. While lost people have this attitude, carnal saved people can also have this attitude. In addition, carnal saved people can be workers of iniquity.
Psalms 31 is a prayer for protection and forgiveness at a time when others thought king David was under punishment from God. Even his friends, family and other saved people could have been in the group which king David was writing about.
Psalms 32 starts out Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. It continues with blessings that God gives to those saved people who follow God. Psalms 32:10 says: Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. This tells us, especially with the contextual considerations, that the wicked do not trusteth in the LORD. The carnal saved people definitely have problems having a lifestyle of trusteth in the LORD.
Psalms 34:21-22 says: Psalms 34:21-22 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. they that hate the righteous is associated with the wicked by our reference and the colon in our sentence make the two equivalent. They are contrasted with the phrase them that trust in him by the sentence structure of our reference and by the results which our sentence says that God gives to each group. Again, they that hate the righteous can include the carnal saved people, especially after they rejected correction from the righteous.
Psalms 36:1 says: The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. The true Biblical fear of the Lord is: 'an absolute knowledge that God will hurt me if I deliberately disobey His command' and the Doctrinal Study called Fear of the Lord explains that phrase. But, many preach and believe the lying doctrine from devils which claims that the true Biblical fear of the Lord is: 'deep abiding respect'. That is, 'to regard God as someone who is important'. Those are two totally different attitudes. And, while the saved but carnal might claim that they 'regard God as someone who is important', our sentence says that their ongoing transgressions prove that they do not have a true Biblical fear of the Lord. And, only liars would claim that people who claim to be saved but live carnal lives do not have ongoing transgressions.
Psalms 37:16 says: A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. More than one preacher, including Jack Hyles, has testified that Elvis Presley had a solid testimony of being saved. But he took the gift that God gave him to praise the Lord and used it for worldly entertainment. And, many people reported that he lived a life of fear in spite of all of his worldly fame and worldly riches and other things. Our sentence tells us that things like peace, that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of the saved but carnal Elvis Presley. Other verses in this Psalm also apply to the saved but carnal but, I believe, they do not deliver as clear of a message, for our Study, as this particular verse.
Psalms 37:21 says: The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. Anyone who claims that saved but carnal people have never declared bankruptcy in order to avoid paying their debts is a liar. In addition, no one will ever find a saved but carnal person who will sell everything that they have, give all of it along with all of their savings to poor missionaries and then move to a third-world country where they live like a native on Social Security while they give 70% of their Social Security to God's work. Only a liar would claim that this verse can not be applied to saved but carnal people.
Psalms 39:1-2 Could be called a prophecy of when Jesus Christ was judged by the Jewish Religious leaders and by Pilate. This reference could also be applied to Stephen when he refused to answer the lies spoke in judgment against him which resulted in his being martyred. Instead, he preached the Gospel to the lost Jewish religious Council. You will never find these verses applied to a saved but carnal person. Instead, much more of the rest of this Psalm can be applied to them.
Psalms 45 described the Son of God as king. Even though the world likes to call all kinds of people 'christian', who do not fulfill the true Biblical definition of Christian, their lies do not change the truth. A true Biblical Christian displays the character of Christ and at least tries to make the characteristics of this psalm true even in their own personal life. A person who claims to be saved, but lives a carnal life, does not do that and would not proclaim this psalm from their heart and life.
Psalms 50 talks about God judging His people and promising protection and provision to the righteous. Then, Psalms 50:16-17 says But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee and continues on with how God judges the wicked. Notice the phrase Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. The lost never had God's words to castest my words behind thee. Only someone who is saved but carnal (turns back to the lusts of the flesh and / or the way of the world) can fit this phrase. And, further verses in this Psalm fit the saved but carnal far better than they fit the lost.
Psalms 52 describes a wicked person and, while can be applied to the lost, it can also be applied to the saved but carnal. A claim that is otherwise is a lie.
Psalms 101:3-4 says: I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. Our sentence says that a saved person can be tempted by a wicked thing and that those saved people who turn aside for the wicked thing receive a froward heart. And, king David would not have a personal relationship (not know) with a wicked person. As with other verses, such a person could be a saved person who turn aside for the wicked thing.
Psalms 106:6 says that keeping traditions which are sin is doing wickedly. This was written by God's people about their ancestors, who were also God's people and, apparently, turned to sin after becoming God's people. Psalms 106:17-18 continues the Psalm and says: The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. This is speaking about the leaders of the Jews who were prophets and challenged the authority of Moses. God dropped them and all of their things into Hell alive. So, we see that God's people, even His prophets, can turn from God and become wicked.
Psalms 112:1 starts with Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. It ends with: The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish. This psalm describes a man who dedicates his life to the service of God and says that the wicked are grieved because of God's blessings on the person serving God. Such jealousy often comes from within the church and from saved but carnal people.
Psalms 119:53 says: Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. Notice the word forsake. this can only be done by a saved person who was following God's law and turned away. Such are saved but carnal people.
Psalms 139:23-24 says: Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. This was written by king David as a saved man. It clearly says that a saved person can have a wicked way in them.
Psalms 140 is a prayer for protection from the wicked. Such people are described as evil, violent, mischief, snakes, poisonous, snare laying, and more. All of these characteristics can be found in saved but carnal people.
Psalms 141:4 says: Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. This is, obviously, a prayer for God to keep king David, and others, from doing wicked works even though he was saved.
Proverbs 2 is advise to a son. He is told to get knowledge, wisdom, understanding and discretion from the LORD in order to deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things and deliver from the frowardness of the wicked. Obviously, if saved people are carnal and not learning from and obeying the LORD, they can become in wicked things even though they are saved.
Proverbs 4:14-15 says: Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. It should be clear, from these sentences, that the saved can go the way of the wicked. Otherwise, God would not bother to warn against it.
Proverbs 4:19 says: The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. That is: 'The way of the wicked leads people away from the light of God. People going that way end us with disasters (stumble) in their life and do not understand why'.
Proverbs 8:7-9 says: For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Saved people can, and at times do, tell lies. Our first sentence tells us that telling lies is wickedness. Therefore, the saved can do wickedness. In addition, saved people do not always speak righteousness. There are times when saved people speak froward or perverse things, such as when they preach religious traditions which go against what the word of God truly says because they believed the traditions which they were taught without verifying them.
Proverbs 10:2 says: Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. This was written by God, using Solomon, to warn the saved away from wickedness because, even as saved people, they could be tempted to go that way.
Proverbs 10:11 says: The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. Only a lying fool would claim that saved people never speak violence. If this were true, the word of God would not say Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19).
Proverbs 10:16 says: The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin. There should be no doubt that some doctrines believed and preached by people who claim to be saved make excuses for God's people to live in sin because they believe God will not punish them. My wife mentally and emotionally abused me for years with the result of my guts being torn up and bleeding every day for several years. She has since died and is now in Heaven going out an average of more than twice a week to look at people burning in Hell (Isaiah 66:23-24). Among those she will see is the baby she birth, loved and raised to be an adult. But she refused to submit to her God given authority because she was assured that there was only eternal bliss after physical death and that she would suffer no consequence of a life of sin. And, her oldest son followed her example of refusing to submit and died lost. I testify before God that when God's preachers preach no consequence to a life of sin, they turn God's people to wickedness.
Proverbs 10:27 says: The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. It is a foolish lie to claim that a saved person never has, and never can, die while participating in sin, especially if they have been warned to quit the sin and ignored the warning. Think of people who claimed to be saved but also lived a life of drugs and liquor.
Proverbs 10:32 says: The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. It is a foolish lie to claim that no saved person has ever spoke doctrinal error (frowardness).
Proverbs 11:18 says: The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. It is a foolish lie to claim that no saved person has ever been involved in a deceitful work. (Please see the note for Proverbs 12:5.)
Proverbs 11:31 says: Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner. I have seen several people who claimed to be saved and, yet, lived a wicked life of sin because they believed the lie that they would not be recompensed after they died and left the earth.
Proverbs 12:5 says: The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit. It is a foolish lie to claim that no saved person has ever been involved in deceit. (Please see the note for Proverbs 11:18.)
Proverbs 12:12 says: The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. How often have people, who claim to be saved, voted for a wicked politician because they believed his political lies?
Proverbs 12:26 says: The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them. How often has a young man, who claimed to be saved, seduced a girl into giving up her virginity before they were married? How often has a young man, who claimed to be saved, seduced a boy into having sex with the plan of forcing him to marry her when she became pregnant?
Proverbs 13:6 says: Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner. How often has a person, who claimed to be saved, suffered the consequence of ongoing sin, which the Bible calls wickedness?
Proverbs 17:4 says: A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. How many people, who claimed to be saved, are liars or gossips?
Proverbs 21:27 says: The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?. How many people, who claimed to be saved, believe that they can buy blessings or that their bringin a sacrifice will justify a life of ongoing sin?
Proverbs 29:7 says: The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it. How many people, who claimed to be saved, live in rich countries, like the United States, and refuse to help missionaries in poor countries like the Philippines?
Ecclesiastes 3:16 says: And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. That is: 'Wickedness perverted judgment and iniquity was involved in the worship and service of God'. Since Solomon wrote this, we must accept that he saw this in God's people, which means that only lost people, who were going to Hell, could be involved in these things.
Ecclesiastes 8:10 says: And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. Since the wicked had come and gone from the place of the holy, they had come and gone from serving God. Thus, it is possible that saved people had turned wicked.
Isaiah 55:7 says: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Since the wicked and the unrighteous man are commanded to return unto the LORD, they must have served the LORD at a prior time. Thus, we must conclude that it is possible that saved people, who serve the LORD, can turn and become wicked and the unrighteous.
Jeremiah 1:16 says: And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. Here we get another definition of things which God calls wickedness. And, since the people have forsaken They were God's people first. Thus, again, the word of God says that God's people can turn to wickedness and we can not say that all wicked people must be lost and on their way to Hell.
Jeremiah 3:1-2 says: They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Since God calls them to return they were serving God before they turned to wickedness.
Jeremiah 7:12 says: But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. Every judgment from God upon His people was because they turned from serving God to doing wickedness. Therefore, it is doctrinal error to claim that saved people can not become wicked. And, since true Biblical salvation is forever, we must accept that there are saved wicked people.
Jeremiah 8:5-6 says: Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. God calls backsliding wickedness. And, as a preacher said, you can not backslide unless you first foreslide. That is, only saved people can truly backslide. Therefore, every time that a preacher says that God's people were backsliding, he is actually saying that the saved are wicked.
Jeremiah 14:20 says: We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. Here God's people acknowledged that they were wicked when the left God for iniquity and sin. The lost do not make this kind of confession. Therefore, this is the confession of saved people.
Jeremiah 23:11 says: For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. Here we read that people who insist that they are saved, and religious leaders of God's people, are called wicked by God.
Ezekiel 18:24 says: But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live?. This very clearly says that God will count the righteous with the wicked man when he turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity. Thus, we have a very clear statement that the saved (righteous) can become wicked.
Daniel 9:4-5 is a confession by Daniel that the Jews had turned from God and had done wickedness by turning away from obeying God. That confession is the first step in restoration of the saved person.
Hosea 9:15 says: All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. Since these people were in God's house (I will drive them out of mine house), they claimed to be God's people (saved) before they did their wickedness.
Hosea 10:13 says: Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men. Here we read that thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men was wickedness. Only a liar would claim that the saved always trust in God and never trust in themselves.
Matthew 16:4 says: A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. This was in response to The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1). Here, Jesus called them A wicked and adulterous generation because they trusted in religion more than the proven Word of God. Likewise, people of today who trust in religious doctrine which goes against the written word of God are judged to be wicked and (spiritually) adulterous.
Matthew 18:32 says: Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me. This reference is also part of a parable found in Matthew 18:23-35. This is one of the verses which led to this Study because more than one preacher claimed, from the pulpit, that a wicked servant could only be a lost person going to Hell. The verses and associated notes, in this Study, prove that claim, about the wicked servant, to be a lying doctrine from devils which preachers accept as truth, without verifying the claim against the word of God, as I have done in this Study. Later, in this Study, are over one hundred verses which tell us that the saved can be wicked. Therefore, the claim that a wicked servant must be someone going to Hell goes directly against the truth found in the word of God.

In addition, forms of the word servant occur 982 times in the word of God. I have skimmed all of those references and found NO place where God calls a devil or an obviously lost person His servant. Yes, God uses the devil and lost people to accomplish His purpose, but God never calls them His servant. In every case, the servant was a servant of another man or a servant of God. Where the word of God says someone is a servant of God, it identifies the prophets, Abraham, David, Isaac, Job or similar people. The word of God does not use uses the word servant in the same phrase as the word devil. Let those who believe that the word of God uses the word servant for an obviously lost person or for a devil find such a place. However, I highly doubt that will be found.

So, what we have is that the word of God clearly says that saved people can be wicked. And, this parable is, symbolically, teaching about the judgment of God on His servants. And, no place found calls a devil or a lost person a servant of God. Therefore, we need to conclude that this parable is warning God's people to not act like this wicked servant and is not calling the wicked servant a lost person on their way to Hell.

Let those who disagree show where the word of God itself says differently. And, do not tell me your foolish opinion nor the foolishness of lying religious doctrine but show me where God said this in His word.

In addition to those considerations, there is the fact that this verse is part of a parable. Most people believe the half truth that a parable is: 'An Earthly story with a Heavenly meaning'. The full true definition of a parable is: 'An Earthly story with a Heavenly meaning which is designed to lead lost and carnal people into doctrinal error and only reveal the true spiritual meaning to save people who seek the meaning from God'. Jesus used parables to hide the truth from lost and carnal people while revealing it to saved people who sought the true spiritual meaning from God. Therefore, most Bible parables have wrong interpretations which are taught by lost and carnal people and deceived preachers. This parable definitely has one or more wrong interpretations taught about it. Please see the note in the Book Study for the true interpretation of it.
Matthew 22:18 says: But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Before this verse, we read that the Pharisees and the Herodians interrupted Jesus while He was teaching in the Temple. They tried to entangle him in his talk. Thus we see that it is wicked to try and use our own reasoning to try to prove that there are problems with what God tells us in the word of God.
Matthew 25:26 says: His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed. This reference is also part of a parable found in Matthew 25:14-30. Luke 19:11-27 is a parallel parable in that it teaches much of the same message only with some different details. This is another of the verses which led to this Study because more than one preacher claimed, from the pulpit, that a wicked servant could only be a lost person going to Hell. The verses and associated notes, in this Study, prove that claim, about the wicked servant, to be a lying doctrine from devils which preachers accept as truth, without verifying the claim against the word of God, as I have done in this Study. Please see the note Matthew 18:32, above, for more on this doctrinal error which comes from devils.

In addition to the considerations mentioned in that note, there is the fact that this verse is also part of a parable. Therefore, the note about parables also applies to this reference. This parable definitely has one or more wrong interpretations taught about it. Please see the note in the Book Study for the true interpretation of it.
Mark 7:20-23 says: And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. Jesus told this to His disciples after the Pharisees and scribes claimed that the disciples were spiritually defiled because they did not physically wash their hands according to the Jewish religious rituals before they ate. Religion always looks at physical things and claims that the spiritual results are directly the result of physical religious activities. The word of God makes it clear that the true determining factors are attitudes of the heart, which everything listed in our Bible reference is. Wickedness is an attitude of the heart and, yes, saved people can have a wicked heart and can have that wrong attitude even if it is only for a short time or only about some things.
Luke 11:39 says: And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. This is another incident like the immediately prior Bible reference. Again, a Pharisee judged Jesus for not physically wash his hands according to the Jewish religious rituals before He ate. Jesus, again, corrected the doctrinal error of the Pharisee. In both of these references, we see religious people who were taught the wrong way to interpret the word of God and then insisting that their taught doctrinal error was more correct than the physical Word of God and, today, they insisting that their taught doctrinal error was more correct than the written word of God.
Luke 19:22 says: And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow. This reference is also part of a parable found in Luke 19:11-27. Matthew 25:14-30 is a parallel parable in that it teaches much of the same message only with some different details. This parable preachers deliberately ignored, and even demanded that it not be considered, because it directly shows the doctrinal error of their claim. They claim that the wicked servant was lost and on his way to Hell. However, this parable has ten servants which each received a pound. Luke 19:27 says: But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. This verse, symbolically, tells us that these seven were sent to Hell because they proved that were the lord's enemies and not the servants which they pretended to be at the start of the parable. That leaves three of the original ten and one of those three was the wicked servant. In addition, Baptist preachers all agree that after physical death, people only go to Heaven or to Hell. Since the seven were sent to Hell, these three, including the wicked servant, had to go to Heaven. However, that disproves their claim that the wicked servant had to go to Hell. As a result, they deny the existence of this parable and, by doing so, they prove that they use the method of the devil to interpret the word of God.
Acts 2:23 says: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. This is part of Peter's message on Pentecost. Here, Peter told the Jews that they were wicked because they chose to believe the religious leaders and accept a religious doctrine which went directly against the scriptures which all of the Jews had access to. God will judge us as wicked any time we go against what is literally written in the word of God at least twice.
Acts 8:22 tells us that trying to buy the gift of God is wickedness. I can't say if saved people do this but I imagine it is possible. That is the basis of Roman Catholic 'indulgences'. And, I can believe that others think their giving to the church makes their doing sins OK.
Acts 18:14 tells us that the local governor understood the difference between true spiritual matters and religious doctrines while the religious people did not understand the differences. Many religious people have been convinced that they are authorities on spiritual matters while all they really know is the doctrines of their particular religion.
Acts 25:5 is similar to the prior reference in that religious people accused Paul of wickedness when he only did not abide by their religious rules. The Jewish high priest tried to get Festus to send Paul to Jerusalem where they could murder him but Festus refused and told them to bring their proof, of their allegations, to him.
Romans 1:28-32 describes men who did not like to retain God in their knowledge. As a result, our sentence says that God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. Then our sentence lists several sinful attitudes, including wickedness, which result from men who did not like to retain God in their knowledge. And, the attitudes listed can definitely be found in people who claim to be saved but who are also carnal.
Colossians 1:21 says: And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. Yes, when we were lost, Lord Jesus Christ had to reconcile us to God when He first saved us. However, we still sin after becoming a child of God and most of His ministry of reconciliation actually involves saved people after they become a child of God.
2Thessalonians 3:1-2 says: Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. The main people that Paul had these problems with were Jews who claimed to be saved but also insisted that saved Jews had to keep Jewish religious traditions. Keeping religious traditions, in order to be sanctified or to get blessings is not having true Biblical faith, even if the person is saved. So, once more, we see how the word of God says that saved people can be wicked.
2Peter 3:17 says: Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. When saved people are led away with the error of the wicked (and) fall from your own stedfastness, they also become wicked. This is one of the ways that saved people become wicked.

1Corinthians 5:8; Ephesians 4:22 and Colossians 3:9 all tell us to put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (using slightly different words). The message is that saved people had a wicked nature when first saved and need to obey God so that He can change the saved and remove that wicked nature. However, we all know that there are many spiritually immature and carnal saved people who still have their old nature. Therefore, there are many saved people who are still wicked and we can not say that everyone who is wicked is lost and on their way to Hell.
Psalms 139:24 says: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. King David was a saved man when he wrote this. Obviously, the saved can have a wicked way. Therefore, it is a lie that a wicked way can only be followed by the lost.
Jeremiah 17:9 says: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Notice that this verse is applied to the saved as well as to the lost. In Psalms 50 God rebukes the wicked amongst His people who live lives of sin while praising God. God promises judgment unless they repent. In Psalms 56 David prays for God to bring judgment upon wicked people who believe that they will not be judged by God. We are told many places that our heart can be wicked, is naturally wicked and that the Godly don't have a wicked heart because they act like God. We see this truth in Deuteronomy 15:9; Psalms 10:3; Psalms 10:13; Psalms 11:2; Psalms 36:1; Psalms 101:4; Psalms 141:4; Proverb 6:18; Proverb 10:20; Proverb 15:28; Proverb 21:4; Proverb 26:23; Ecclesiastes 3:17; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 13:22; Matthew 13:19.
The notes for most of the verses, listed above, make it clear that saved people can do wicked things and become wicked. Thus, it is doctrinal error to say that everyone who is identified with the wicked thing must be going to Hell.
Many of the places where we find the word wicked, in the New Testament, use that word to identify a devil or someone controlled by a devil. However, that is not the complete identification of everyone that the word of God calls wicked. In many of the New Testament references, people are called wicked when they chose to follow a doctrine which goes against what the word of God literally says. So, when Satan tempted Jesus, he quoted the Bible but took it out of context in order to pervert the message from the word of God. Therefore, using an incomplete definition for the word wicked, or doing anything else to ignore part of what is found in the word of God, is using Satan's method to pervert the truth of the word of God.

Start of Web Page

Word Study on Wicked

The true Biblical meaning of the wicked includes lost people and carnal saved people. As the many references in this Study show, claiming that the word wicked only applies to the lost is a lying doctrine from a devil.

Contact: Webmaster@LJC1611KJV.com. Member of Tower Road Baptist Church, Abq., NM, U.S.A., 87121. Copyright 2009 Lord Jesus Christ in the 1611KJV. All rights reserved. Revised: 12/30/23.