Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Nature:Badness, in a biblical context, refers to the moral and spiritual corruption that stands in opposition to the goodness and holiness of God. It encompasses actions, thoughts, and intentions that deviate from God's righteous standards as revealed in Scripture. Badness is often synonymous with sin, wickedness, and evil, and it manifests in various forms throughout the Bible.
Biblical References and Examples:The concept of badness is woven throughout the biblical narrative, beginning with the fall of humanity in Genesis. The disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) is the archetypal act of badness, introducing sin into the world and resulting in the separation of humanity from God.
In the Old Testament, badness is frequently illustrated through the actions of individuals and nations that reject God's commandments. For instance, the wickedness of the people during the time of Noah led to the great flood (
Genesis 6:5-7). The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are also emblematic of extreme moral corruption, leading to their destruction (
Genesis 19:24-25).
The Psalms and Proverbs provide numerous insights into the nature of badness.
Psalm 14:1 states, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good."
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists things the Lord hates, including "a heart that devises wicked schemes" and "feet that are quick to rush into evil."
In the New Testament, Jesus addresses the issue of badness, emphasizing the importance of inner purity over mere external compliance with the law. In
Matthew 15:19, He states, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." The Apostle Paul further elaborates on the sinful nature of humanity in
Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Theological Implications:Badness is fundamentally a theological issue, as it represents a breach in the relationship between humanity and God. It is not merely a matter of ethical failure but a spiritual condition that requires divine intervention. The Bible teaches that all humans are inherently sinful due to the fall and are in need of redemption through Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of original sin, as articulated by Paul in
Romans 5:12, explains that sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death through sin, affecting all of humanity. This underscores the pervasive nature of badness and the universal need for salvation.
Redemption and Transformation:The Bible offers a solution to the problem of badness through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. In
John 3:16, it is declared, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Through faith in Christ, individuals are forgiven and transformed, receiving a new nature that enables them to pursue righteousness.
The process of sanctification, as described in
Romans 6:22, involves being set free from sin and becoming slaves to God, resulting in holiness and eternal life. The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in this transformation, empowering believers to overcome badness and live according to God's will.
Practical Considerations:Believers are called to actively resist badness and pursue holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24 instructs Christians to "put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
The community of faith is also essential in combating badness, as believers are encouraged to hold one another accountable and to spur one another on toward love and good deeds (
Hebrews 10:24-25). Through prayer, study of Scripture, and fellowship, Christians are equipped to stand firm against the temptations and influences of a fallen world.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) The state of being bad.
Greek
2549. kakia -- wickedness... From kakos;
badness, ie (subjectively) depravity, or (actively) malignity, or
(passively) trouble -- evil, malice(-iousness), naughtiness, wickedness.
...Strong's Hebrew
7455. roa --badness, evil...badness, evil. Transliteration: roa Phonetic Spelling: (ro'-ah) Short Definition:
evil.
... be so bad,
badness, be so evil, naughtiness, sadness, sorrow, wickedness.
...Library
Whether vice is Worse than a vicious Act?
... Objection 3: Further, a cause is more potent than its effect. But a habit produces
its actions both as to their goodness and as to theirbadness....
Prayer and Character and Conduct
... in life. It aims to change bad men into good men; it deals with inward
badness, and works to change it into inward goodness. And...
And Here Truth Obliges Me to Say, that Scholastic Divinity is in...
... direction? Or how there can be always abadness of our own will, which
is not thebadness of our own natural intellectual power?...
How Moses when He had Brought the People Out of Egypt Led
... in small quantities also; and as they thus traveled, they came late in the evening
to a place called Marah, [1] which had that name from thebadness of its...
The Release of Hope. (xxiv, xxix. )
... And I said, Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad very bad, which for
their(487)badness cannot be eaten.4. And the Word of the Lord came unto me, [5...
The Importunate Widow.
... The thoroughbadness of this judge, although stated distinctly, is stated briefly;
it is not made prominent in the parable, and should not be made prominent in...
The Beatific vision
... ever strike you, that goodness is not merely A beautiful thing, but THE beautiful
thing"by far the most beautiful thing in the world; and thatbadness is not...
Salvation from Sin.
... It is the indwellingbadness, ready to produce bad actions, that we need
to be delivered from. Against thisbadness if a man will...
The Christian Faith
... evil in his heart and cherishes that evil, while outwardly his life is moral and
upright, it is only a question of time when the innerbadness will break...
The Holy Spirit Bringing Forth in the Believer Christlike Graces...
... But when the indwelling Spirit is given full control in the one He inhabits, when
we are brought to realize the utterbadness of the flesh and give up in...
Thesaurus
Badness (5 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Badness (5 Occurrences).
... And I said, Figs: the good figs
very good; and the bad very bad, which cannot be eaten for
badness. (DBY YLT).
...Evil (1503 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Having qualities tending to injury and mischief; having a nature or properties
which tend tobadness; mischievous; not good; worthless or deleterious...
Malice (24 Occurrences)
... mal'-is, ma-lig'-ni-ti (kakia, poneros, kakoetheia): "Malice," now used in the sense
of deliberate ill-will, by its derivation meansbadness, or wickedness...
Malignity (1 Occurrence)
... mal'-is, ma-lig'-ni-ti (kakia, poneros, kakoetheia): "Malice," now used in the sense
of deliberate ill-will, by its derivation meansbadness, or wickedness...
Badly (14 Occurrences)
Zedeki'ah (62 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 24:8 And like the bad figs, that are not eaten forbadness, Surely thus
said Jehovah: So do I make Zedekiah king of Judah, And his heads, and the...
Kine (24 Occurrences)
... And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favored and
leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt forbadness: (KJV JPS...
Naughtiness (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The quality or state of being naughty; perverseness;
badness; wickedness. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia....
Nought (104 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. NOUGHT. not (chinnam; katargeo) "Nought" is to
be distinguished from "naught" implying "badness" (see NAUGHT)....
Lean-fleshed (3 Occurrences)
... behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and
lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt forbadness: (ASV DBY...
Resources
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