I believe that the true distinction and
difference between the righteous and the wicked exists in the
soul of the individual. The determining factor between those who
are righteous and those who are wicked is whether they have the
nature of Christ, or the nature of Adam, in the inner man. This
distinction ought to be visible in outward appearance and action,
but outward appearance and behavior are not the standard by which
the LORD God determines who is and is not justified in His sight.
It is only when outward appearance and behavior are motivated by
the righteousness of the soul, that the LORD God honors those
things done in the flesh.
I believe only those who are born again in Christ Jesus are
accounted righteous, as they are imputed with the righteousness
of God in the soul. This change that occurs in the inner man does
not in any way change the nature of the flesh, which remains in
Adam. However, with this change, the inner man is given the power
to rule over the flesh, so that the things done in the flesh can
actually be accepted by the Lord, as they have a proper
motivation. Those who are righteous, though they can never return
to being in Adam, must account for failing to rule over the flesh
when the Lord judges His people. The hallmarks of one who is
righteous are the overall focus and purpose of their life, their
sincere desire for service to the Lord, a desire not to partake
of wickedness, and an abiding desire for their home in heaven.
Nevertheless, it is possible for one in Christ to fail to grow,
and suffer the loss of repentance and continuing chastisement of
the LORD God. In every case, the eternal destiny of the righteous
is the everlasting kingdom of God.
I believe the wicked have no part nor lot in Christ, and do not
desire the things of God, except on their own terms. They are in
Adam both in the soul and in the flesh. As such, they desire the
things of this world and the honor of men rather than of God.
Since they remain in Adam, their hearts are deceitful and
desperately wicked, so that they choose to make their works equal
to the righteousness of God. In so doing, they have cleansed the
outside of the cup, but refuse to submit to the gospel so that
the inside of the cup may be made clean, thus avoiding the true
righteousness that comes from being born again in Christ Jesus.
Due to this, the wicked can appear to be anything from a minister
of righteousness, to the most utterly vile creature, totally
devoid of any redeeming quality. Though righteousness is attained
only through obedience to the gospel of Christ, we are born with
the nature of wickedness, and will remain with that nature
without having to take any other action. Thus, the wicked will
remain wicked unless they choose to repent and believe the
gospel. Therefore, the everlasting destiny of the wicked is
eternal torment both in the flesh and soul in the Lake of Fire
for disobedience to the commandment of God.
(Mark 7:18-23; Romans 4:1-8; Romans 5:17-21; Matthew 5:20; I Samuel 16:6-7; Matthew 7:13-14; John 7:21-24; Romans 8:1-9; Romans 6:8-14; I Corinthians 9:24-27; James 2:14-18; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 7:14-25; Ephesians 5:3-7; Galatians 5:19-25; II Peter 1:5-9; Hebrews 12:4-9; II Peter 2:4-10; Psalm 10:2-11; Psalm 36:1-4; Proverbs 5:1-6; II Thessalonians 2:7-12; Romans 2:3-11; Romans 1:18-32; Matthew 23:25-28; II Corinthians 11:12-15; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 10:1-4; Jude 10-15).
And he saith unto them, Are ye so without
understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing
from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile
him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly,
and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 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. (Mark 7:18-23)
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to
the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he
hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what
saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted
unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward
not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is
counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the
blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness
without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
(Romans 4:1-8)
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they
which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by
one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law
entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:17-21)
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall
in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew
5:20)
And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on
Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before
him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance,
or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for
the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (I
Samuel 16:6-7)
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
(Matthew 7:13-14)
Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye
all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not
because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the
sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive
circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye
angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the
sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge
righteous judgment. (John 7:21-24)
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things
of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of
the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to
be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(Romans 8:1-9)
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no
more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died,
he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in
the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves
unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall
not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but
under grace. (Romans 6:8-14)
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man
that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an
incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight
I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and
bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I
have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (I
Corinthians 9:24-27)
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he
hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother
or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful
to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it
hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy
works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James
2:14-18)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just
shall live by faith. (Romans 1:16-17)
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold
under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would,
that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that
which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is
good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to
perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would
I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do
that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good,
evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after
the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the
law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the
law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans
7:14-25)
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but
rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man
deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh
the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye
therefore partakers with them. (Ephesians 5:3-7)
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I
tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of
God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians
5:19-25)
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if
these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye
shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these
things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that
he was purged from his old sins. (II Peter 1:5-9)
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye
have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth
he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye
endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what
son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which
corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall
we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits,
and live? (Hebrews 12:4-9)
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast
them down to hell, and delivered them into
chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not
the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a
preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world
of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making
them an ensample unto those that after should live
ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling
among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous
soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to
reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But
chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of
uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are
they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of
dignities. (II Peter 2:4-10)
The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let
them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the
wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous,
whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride
of his countenance, will not seek after God: God
is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always
grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight:
as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said
in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never
be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit
and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He
sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret
places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set
against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den:
he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when
he draweth him into his net. He croucheth, and humbleth
himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said
in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will
never see it. (Psalm 10:2-11)
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that
there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth
himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be
hateful. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit:
he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth
mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that
is not good; he abhorreth not evil. (Psalm
36:1-4)
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my
understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, and
that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a
strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth
is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps
take hold on hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life,
her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know
them. (Proverbs 5:1-6)
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now
letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And
then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them
that perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all
might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness. (II Thessalonians 2:7-12)
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such
things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment
of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day
of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who
will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by
patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and
immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious,
and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation
and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that
doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory,
honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew
first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of
persons with God. (Romans 2:3-11)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is
manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For
the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are
without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified
him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain
in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and
creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a
lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave
them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also
the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their
error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled
with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud,
boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural
affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of
God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not
only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
(Romans 1:18-32)
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make
clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they
are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee,
cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter,
that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even
so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are
full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:25-28)
But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from
them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be
found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And
no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end
shall be according to their works. (II Corinthians
11:12-15)
The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
(Jeremiah 17:9-10)
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that
they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal
of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant
of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans
10:1-4)
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but
what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they
corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way
of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward,
and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your
feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves
without fear: clouds they are without water, carried
about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice
dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming
out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness for ever. And Enoch also, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly
deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
(Jude 10-15)