The term "ungodly" in the Bible refers to individuals or behaviors that are contrary to the nature, will, and commands of God. It is often used to describe those who live in opposition to God's righteousness and who reject His authority and moral standards. The ungodly are frequently contrasted with the righteous, who seek to live in accordance with God's will.

Old Testament Usage

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word often translated as "ungodly" is "rasha," which denotes wickedness or guilt. The ungodly are depicted as those who do not follow God's laws and who engage in sinful practices. For example, in Psalm 1:1, the psalmist warns against walking in the counsel of the ungodly: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers."

The ungodly are often associated with injustice and oppression. In Isaiah 10:1-2, the prophet condemns those who enact unjust laws and deprive the poor of their rights, labeling them as ungodly: "Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and rob the fatherless."

New Testament Usage

In the New Testament, the Greek word "asebēs" is commonly translated as "ungodly." It describes those who live without reverence for God and who reject His truth. The apostle Paul, in Romans 1:18, speaks of the wrath of God being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness: "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness."

The ungodly are also mentioned in the context of judgment. In 2 Peter 2:5-6, Peter recalls the judgment of the ancient world and Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of God's judgment on the ungodly: "He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight. And if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly."

Characteristics of the Ungodly

The Bible describes several characteristics of the ungodly. They are often portrayed as those who:

1. Reject God's Authority: The ungodly refuse to submit to God's rule and often live in rebellion against His commands. Jude 1:4 warns of ungodly people who pervert the grace of God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ: "For certain men have crept in unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

2. Engage in Sinful Behavior: The ungodly are characterized by their sinful actions and lifestyles. In Romans 5:6, Paul highlights the love of Christ for the ungodly, stating, "For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."

3. Lack Reverence for God: The ungodly live without fear or reverence for God, often mocking or dismissing His existence and power. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul describes the ungodly as lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, and without love.

Consequences for the Ungodly

The Bible consistently warns of the consequences that await the ungodly. They are subject to God's judgment and wrath, as seen in passages like Psalm 1:5-6: "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."

Despite their current state, the Bible also offers hope for the ungodly through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. As noted in Romans 5:6-8, Christ's sacrificial death provides a means of reconciliation for the ungodly who turn to Him in faith.1. (a.) Not godly; not having regard for God; disobedient to God; wicked; impious; sinful.

2. (a.) Polluted by sin or wickedness.

UNGODLY

un-god'-li (rasha` (Psalm 1:1), "wicked," beliya`al (2 Samuel 22:5), "worthless"; in the New Testament asebes (Romans 5:6), e.g. indicating that the persons so called are both irreverent and impious): Trench says that the idea of active opposition to religion is involved in the word, that it is a deliberate withholding from God of His dues of prayer and of service; a standing, so to speak, in battle array against God and His claims to respect, reverence and obedience. Those whose sins are particularly aggravating and deserving of God's wrath are the "ungodly." And yet it is for such that Jesus Christ died (Romans 5:6).

William Evans

764. asebeo -- to be impious, ie to be ungodly
... to be impious, ie to be ungodly. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: asebeo Phonetic
Spelling: (as-eb-eh'-o) Short Definition: I am impious, irreverent, do ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/764.htm - 6k

765. asebes -- ungodly, impious
... ungodly, impious. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: asebes Phonetic Spelling:
(as-eb-ace') Short Definition: impious, ungodly, wicked Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/765.htm - 7k

1067. geenna -- Gehenna, a valley W. and South of Jer., also a ...
... 1066, 1067. geenna. 1068 . Gehenna, a valley W. and South of Jer., also a
symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1067.htm - 7k

112. atheos -- godless, ungodly
... godless, ungodly. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: atheos Phonetic Spelling:
(ath'-eh-os) Short Definition: godless Definition: without god, without ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/112.htm - 6k

763. asebeia -- ungodliness, impiety
... See 765 (). Word Origin from asebes Definition ungodliness, impiety NASB Word
Usage ungodliness (4), ungodly (3). ungodly, ungodliness. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/763.htm - 7k

4716. stauros -- an upright stake, hence a cross (the Rom. ...
... circumstances of life. As Christ's disciples, believers are to hold true --
even when attacked by the ungodly.]. Word Origin from ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4716.htm - 8k

7563. rasha -- wicked, criminal
... from an unused word Definition wicked, criminal NASB Word Usage evil (1), evil man
(1), evil men (1), guilty (3), man (1), offender (1), ungodly (1), wicked ...
/hebrew/7563.htm - 6k

2623. chasid -- kind, pious
... Definition kind, pious NASB Word Usage godly (2), godly man (3), godly ones (20),
godly person (1), gracious (1), Holy One (1), kind (3), love (1), ungodly* (1 ...
/hebrew/2623.htm - 6k

5760. avil -- unjust one
... Word Origin from the same as evel Definition unjust one NASB Word Usage ruffians
(1). ungodly. From aval; perverse (morally) -- ungodly. see HEBREW aval. ...
/hebrew/5760.htm - 6k

1100. beliyyaal -- worthlessness
... 1), wicked (3), worthless (18), worthless one (1). Belial, evil, naughty,
ungodly men, wicked. From bliy and ya'al; without profit ...
/hebrew/1100.htm - 6k

3808. lo -- not
... 10), unanswered* (1), unavoidable* (1), unaware* (1), unawares* (1), unceasingly*
(1), unclean* (3), undivided* (1), undone* (1), ungodly* (1), unjustly* (1 ...
/hebrew/3808.htm - 7k

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is a Miraculous Work?
... OF THE EFFECTS OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether the justification of the
ungodly is a miraculous work? Objection 1: It would seem ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the justification of the 4.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is God's Greatest Work?
... OF THE EFFECTS OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether the justification of the
ungodly is God's greatest work? Objection 1: It would seem ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the justification of the 3.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Remission of Sins?
... OF THE EFFECTS OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether the justification of the
ungodly is the remission of sins? Objection 1: It would ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the justification of the.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Greatest Work of ...
... Article Nine Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Greatest Work of God.
Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Greatest Work of God ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article nine whether the justification.htm

Whether for the Justification of the Ungodly is Required a ...
... OF THE EFFECTS OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether for the justification of the
ungodly is required a movement of the free-will? Objection ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether for the justification of.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is a Miracle
... Article Ten Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is a Miracle. Whether the
Justification of the Ungodly is a Miracle We proceed to the tenth article thus: ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article ten whether the justification.htm

Whether for the Justification of the Ungodly There is Required a ...
... OF THE EFFECTS OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether for the justification of the ungodly
there is required a movement of the free-will towards sin? ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether for the justification of 2.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is Achieved ...
... Article Seven Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is achieved
Instantaneously or Gradually. Whether the Justification of the ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article seven whether the justification.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly Takes Place in an Instant ...
... OF THE EFFECTS OF GRACE (TEN ARTICLES) Whether the justification of the ungodly
takes place in an instant or successively? Objection ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the justification of the 2.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Remission of Sins
... Article One Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Remission of Sins. Whether
the Justification of the Ungodly is the Remission of Sins ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article one whether the justification.htm

Ungodly (41 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Polluted by sin or wickedness. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
UNGODLY. ... Multi-Version Concordance Ungodly (41 Occurrences). ...
/u/ungodly.htm - 18k

Ungodly-men (1 Occurrence)
Ungodly-men. Ungodly, Ungodly-men. Ungraceful . Multi-Version
Concordance Ungodly-men (1 Occurrence). 2 Samuel 22:5 ...
/u/ungodly-men.htm - 6k

Impious (19 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Irreligious; irreverent; ungodly; profane; wanting
in reverence for the Supreme Being; as, an impious deed; impious language. ...
/i/impious.htm - 11k

Convince (7 Occurrences)
... Jude 1:15 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 ...
/c/convince.htm - 9k

Speeches (12 Occurrences)
... Jude 1:15 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 ...
/s/speeches.htm - 9k

Godless (31 Occurrences)
... (See NAS NIV). 1 Peter 4:18 And if the righteous man is scarcely saved,
the ungodly and sinner -- where shall he appear? (See NAS). ...
/g/godless.htm - 16k

Ungodliness (9 Occurrences)
... Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their
works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the ...
/u/ungodliness.htm - 9k

Impiously (2 Occurrences)
... Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convict all that are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have impiously committed, and of ...
/i/impiously.htm - 6k

Execute (83 Occurrences)
... Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their
works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the ...
/e/execute.htm - 34k

Convict (12 Occurrences)
... Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their
works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the ...
/c/convict.htm - 12k

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