Topical Encyclopedia
In the Christian understanding, spiritual life is a profound connection with God, characterized by faith, obedience, and communion with the Holy Spirit. However, Scripture consistently portrays the wicked as being alienated from this spiritual life due to their rebellion and sinfulness. This alienation is not merely a physical separation but a deep spiritual chasm that affects their relationship with God and their eternal destiny.
Biblical FoundationThe Bible provides numerous passages that illustrate the separation of the wicked from spiritual life. In
Ephesians 4:18, the Apostle Paul describes the state of the wicked: "They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts." This verse highlights the spiritual blindness and ignorance that result from a hardened heart, leading to alienation from God.
Psalm 1:4-6 contrasts the righteous and the wicked, stating, "Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." Here, the wicked are depicted as unstable and transient, lacking the rootedness and vitality that come from a life aligned with God.
Consequences of AlienationThe alienation of the wicked from spiritual life has both temporal and eternal consequences. In
Romans 6:23, Paul writes, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The spiritual death that results from sin is a stark contrast to the eternal life offered through Christ. This separation is not only a future reality but also affects the present, as the wicked live without the guidance, peace, and joy that come from a relationship with God.
Proverbs 15:29 further emphasizes this separation: "The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." The distance between God and the wicked is not due to a lack of divine love or mercy but is a consequence of their own choices and rejection of God's ways.
Call to RepentanceDespite the alienation of the wicked, the Bible consistently extends a call to repentance and reconciliation with God. In
Ezekiel 18:23, God declares, "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn't I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?" This verse underscores God's desire for the wicked to turn from their sinful ways and embrace the spiritual life He offers.
The New Testament echoes this call in
2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance." God's patience and desire for all to come to repentance highlight the possibility of restoration and spiritual life for those who turn to Him.
ConclusionThe alienation of the wicked from spiritual life is a central theme in Scripture, underscoring the consequences of sin and the separation it causes from God. However, the Bible also offers hope through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, who bridges the gap and restores the relationship between humanity and God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Ephesians 4:18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
The Consequences of Sin.
... from the favour of God, and prevents growth in the spiritual life. ... And you, that
were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, now ...
/.../xlvii the consequences of sin.htm
The Wicked Servant
... will readily confess that religion is a spiritual matter, and ... about a thousand matters
in life He lays ... in a very terrible way:- 'Thou wicked servant, unworthy ...
/.../the water of life and other sermons/sermon xviii the wicked servant.htm
Sundry Passages of St. Paul, which Speak of a Spiritual ...
... our minds, whilst we were living in wicked works; [7430 ... have been also raised in
a like spiritual sense, he ... he means, not to yourselves""and your life is hid ...
/.../on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter xxiii sundry passages of st.htm
The New Birth
... the Son, as by a kind of spiritual respiration, the ... the death of sin to the life
of righteousness. ... may indeed flatter themselves (so desperately wicked and so ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 45 the new birth.htm
Accusers Challenged
... a more advanced state in the spiritual life, when experience ... their minds blinded
and alienated from God ... of the most flagitious [shamefully wicked] and infamous ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 2/sermon xlvi accusers challenged.htm
Sermon.
... with approbation: "There is no peace to the wicked," that walk ... of the Son of God;
come into his life: Into what life? Into the spiritual life, the divine life? ...
/.../penn/a sermon preached at the quakers meeting house/sermon.htm
Acts 17:26 "One Blood. "
... we do not forget that it was wicked Cain who ... classes have no religion, that they
are alienated from the ... Where there is no love there is no spiritual life. ...
/.../the upper room being a few truths for the times/chapter vi acts 17 26 one.htm
Every Thing Proceeding from the Corrupt Nature of Man Damnable.
... mind, having the understanding darkened being alienated from the ... by some means strange
and wicked, the will ... makes God the author of spiritual life from its ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 3 every thing proceeding.htm
On the Vocation of Men to Salvation
... employing greater grace on those who are more wicked. ... the state of this animal life,
but likewise ... of supernatural good and of every spiritual blessing, during ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 16 on the vocation.htm
The Original, Nature, Property, and Use of the Law
... in the same measure as his soul was "alienated from the ... the heart of man is desperately
wicked." But "the ... dead unto God, void of all spiritual life, "dead in ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 34 the original nature.htm
Resources
What did Jesus mean when He promised an abundant life? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the meaning of life? | GotQuestions.orgIs there a difference between the book of life and the Lamb's book of life? | GotQuestions.orgLife: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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