Top 7 Bible Verses About Evil or Evil Doers

What are 7 of the top Bible verses about evil or evil doers?  Which ones would you include that I missed?

What is Evil?

The Greek word used for evil is “kakos” and means what we think it should mean,  “of a bad nature, wicked” and is described as doing “not such as ought to be done.”  The Hebrew word is “ra`” and simply means “bad” or “evil” as well as being “disagreeable” because it is to God.  Fortunately, it was “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21 ) and “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9) so God placed His wrath upon the sinless Christ so that we might be justified before God on account of the shed blood of the Lamb of God.  Mankind is inherently evil but God is inherently holy so we ought to be thankful to God that He justifies the ungodly and that the ungodly become godly in Christ Jesus.

Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

The word “wrongdoer” is essentially “evildoer” as some translations render it.  Who is the avenger for God?  It is those who “bear the sword” in God’s sovereignty and these who bear the sword are the police, sheriff’s officers, highway patrol, state troopers, the FBI, IRS, and anyone else not mentioned who are sanctioned by the local, state, and government authorities to enforce the law, “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience…for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing” (Rom 13:5-6b).

Proverbs 21:15 “”When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”

We can sleep more peacefully at night knowing that those who bear the sword for God are doing their jobs.  While we sleep or while we work, God’s servants are keeping us safe, enforcing the law and to the righteous, no wonder we can have joy over their protective work in society.  This is why they are a “terror to evildoers” because they have every reason to fear.  God sees all and even if in this life they get away with criminal activity, ultimately, they will have to give an account to Him on Judgment Day for every idle word, every thought, and ever deed (Matt 122:36; Rev 20:12-25).

Genesis 6:5 “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”

Does this not describe our world today?  Jesus said “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26) and just as in Noah’s day “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time,” so it is today.  If you look back just 10 years ago…and certainly 20, or 30 or more years ago, you can see in the movies, television, and in magazines, just how evil has grown.  Thankfully, God will avenge all wickedness and will bring swift justice to those who do such things who refuse to repent and put their trust in Christ.

First Peter 4:15 “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.”

We all suffer from the consequences of the fall…and from our own sinful choices but Peter admonishes the church to not suffer from willful, deliberate, sinful choices.  We reap what we sow but we often reap much later than after we sow.  We are responsible for our actions and God will not leave any evil we do without consequence…and even a child of God is not beyond correction “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son (and daughter) whom he receives” (Heb 12:6).

Luke 13:27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’”

This may be one of the most terrifying things that Jesus ever said.  In the context of this chapter, many will think that they are going to be saved but will find out the most horrific news that they will ever hear for all time and it is something that will haunt them for eternity.  Many profess to be Christians but they are not really abiding in the vine (John 15).  They think they are saved but have no fruits proving that they have ever repented and trusted in Christ.  They state that they are Christians but they don’t live the lifestyle that shows that they have been born again.  They say that they are a good person, even though the Bible says that not one person is good (Rom 3:12).  Let Jesus’ words warn every pretender in Matthew 7:21-23 to get right with God and make sure you have repented (turned away from sin and have forsaken them) and trusted in Christ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me onthat day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Psalm 34:16 “The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.”

Imagine that God’s face is against anyone who does evil.  He ensures us that He will “cut off the memory of them from the earth” and “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thess 1:9).  Our “iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2) but we can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.  That’s why the gospel is called the good news.

Proverbs 17:4 “An evildoer listens to wicked lips; A liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.”

Here is concrete evidence that it isn’t just the gossiper who God is against but the one who listens to “wicked lips.”  Gossip is one of those seven deadly sins listed in Proverbs 6:16-19.  That’s because it assassinates someone else’s character. It slanders a person’s name and reputation and if there was no one to listen to the gossiper, then the gossip would be stopped in its tracks.

Conclusion

If we have repented and trusted in Christ, we have peace with God (Rom 5:1) but God is against all who refuse to bend the knee and forsake their sins and put their faith in Christ.  Today is your day of salvation if you haven’t yet been born again (2 Cor 6:2).  Tomorrow may bring swift judgment for no one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return and when they will face the judgment of God, therefore tomorrow may be too late so make today the day you are saved for not one of  us knows what tomorrow may bring.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon