Topical Encyclopedia
The term "godless" refers to individuals or societies that are devoid of reverence for God, lacking in spiritual or moral guidance, and often characterized by behaviors and beliefs that are contrary to the teachings of Scripture. The Bible frequently addresses the concept of godlessness, warning of its dangers and consequences.
Biblical References:1.
Psalm 14:1 : "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good." This verse highlights the folly and moral corruption associated with denying God's existence, a hallmark of godlessness.
2.
Romans 1:18-21 : "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts." This passage underscores the willful rejection of God despite the evidence of His existence and attributes, leading to a state of godlessness.
3.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 : "But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!" This passage describes the moral decay and self-centeredness that characterize godless individuals, warning believers to avoid such influences.
Characteristics of Godlessness:·
Denial of God: A fundamental aspect of godlessness is the denial or rejection of God's existence and authority. This can manifest in atheism, agnosticism, or secularism, where God is either denied outright or deemed irrelevant to daily life.
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Moral Corruption: Godlessness often leads to moral decay, as individuals or societies abandon the moral compass provided by Scripture. This can result in behaviors such as dishonesty, immorality, and injustice.
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Spiritual Blindness: Those who are godless are often described as spiritually blind, unable to perceive or accept spiritual truths. This blindness is a result of hardening their hearts against God and His revelation.
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Pride and Self-Sufficiency: A godless mindset is frequently marked by pride and a sense of self-sufficiency, where individuals rely on their own understanding and abilities rather than seeking God's wisdom and guidance.
Consequences of Godlessness:The Bible warns of severe consequences for godlessness, both in this life and the life to come.
Romans 1:24-32 describes how God "gave them over" to their sinful desires as a result of their godlessness, leading to further moral degradation. Ultimately, godlessness results in separation from God and His blessings, culminating in eternal judgment for those who persist in rejecting Him.
Call to Repentance:Despite the grim portrayal of godlessness, Scripture offers hope through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Acts 17:30 states, "Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent." The call to turn from godlessness and embrace a relationship with God through Christ is a central theme of the Gospel, offering redemption and restoration to those who respond in faith.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
a.) Having, or acknowledging, no God; without reverence for God; impious; wicked.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
GODLESSgod'-les: This word is not found in the text of the King James Version. It is found, however, in Apocrypha (2 Maccabees 7:34, "O godless (the Revised Version (British and American) "unholy") man"). the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes the word "godless" for the word "hypocrite" in the following passages:Job 8:13;Job 13:16;Job 15:34;Job 17:8;Job 20:5; 27:08:00; 34:30:00; 36:13Proverbs 11:9Isaiah 33:14. the Revised Version (British and American) does not seem to be consistent in carrying out the idea of "godless" for "hypocrite," for inIsaiah 9:17;Isaiah 10:6Psalm 35:16 this same Hebrew word chaneph is translated "profane." The principal idea lying at the root of the word is that of pollution and profanity; a condition of not merely being without God but assuming an attitude of open and blatant opposition toward God. The godless man is not merely the atheistic, unbelieving or even irreligious, but the openly impious, wicked and profane man. Indeed it can hardly be rightly claimed that the idea of hypocrisy is involved in the meaning of the word, for the "godless" man is not the one who professes one thing and lives another, but the one who openly avows not only his disbelief in, but his open opposition to, God. Doubtless the idea of pollution and defilement is also to be included in the definition of this word; seeJeremiah 3:9Numbers 35:33Daniel 11:31.
William Evans
Greek
112. atheos --godless, ungodly...godless, ungodly. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: atheos Phonetic Spelling:
(ath'-eh-os) Short Definition:
godless Definition: without god, without
...952. bebelos -- permitted to be trodden, by impl. unhallowed
... Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: bebelos Phonetic Spelling: (beb'-ay-los)
Short Definition: profane, secular, unspiritual,godless, worldly Definition...
3152. mataios -- vain, useless
... vain, useless. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: mataios Phonetic Spelling:
(mat'-ah-yos) Short Definition: vain, unproductive,godless Definition: vain...
765. asebes -- ungodly, impious
... Word Origin from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and sebo Definition ungodly, impious NASB
Word Usagegodless man (1), ungodly (6), ungodly persons (1). ungodly man....
897. Babulon -- "gate of god(s)," Babylon, a large city situated...
... 897 -- , the wicked,godless city in ancient Mesopotamia, was the most powerful
city in the world in OT times (especially from 605 bc to 539 bc )....
3895. parapipto -- to fall in, into or away, to fail
... parapipto Phonetic Spelling: (par-ap-ip'-to) Short Definition: I fall away Definition:
I fall away, fall back (into the unbelieving andgodless ways of the old...
459. anomos -- lawless, without law
... prefix) and nomos Definition lawless, without law NASB Word Usagegodless men (1),
lawless (2), lawless one (1), transgressors (2), without the law (1...
Strong's Hebrew
2611. chaneph -- profane, irreligious... 2610, 2611. chaneph. 2612 . profane, irreligious. Transliteration: chaneph
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-nafe') Short Definition:
godless.
...Library
The Harvest of aGodless Life
... THE HARVEST OF AGODLESS LIFE. 'Because... us. I. The Sin of aGodless Life.
(a) Notice the Sin charged. It is merely negative"forgettest....
Let the Restless, theGodless, Depart and Flee from Thee...
... Book V Chapter II Let the restless, thegodless, depart and flee from
Thee? Let the restless, thegodless, depart and flee from...
Flimsy Garments
... I venture to connect with that strongly figurative declaration of the essential
futility ofgodless living, our second text, in which Jesus uses a similar...
One Saying from Three Men
... in which makes all the difference, 'because He is at my right hand, I shall never
be moved.' So, then, we have the mad arrogance ofgodless confidence, the...
Mene, Tekel, Peres
... Babylon was the embodiment and type of thegodless world-power, and Belshazzar
was the incarnation of the spirit which made Babylon....
Dying Fires
... Are not all these the characteristics ofgodless lives? As for ignorance"a
godless man has no key to the awful problems that front him....
Article xviii: of Free Will.
... And the devil, who is efficacious in thegodless, as Paul says Eph.2, 2, does
not cease to incite this feeble nature to various offenses....
Of the Mass for the Dead.
... There was a similar persuasion of thegodless in the Law, namely, that they merited
the remission of sins, not freely by faith, but through sacrifices ex opere...
Stiff-Necked Idolaters and Pliable Christians
... cisterns. But the text embodies a general truth. I. The irksomeness of agodless
life. The... side. II. The hopelessness of agodless life. The...
Vain Toil
... His words are all the working out of one idea-the unprofitableness, on the
whole and in the long-run, of agodless life. He illustrates...
Thesaurus
Godless (31 Occurrences)...GODLESS.
... It is found, however, in Apocrypha (2 Maccabees 7:34, "O
godless (the Revised Version (British and American) "unholy") man").
...Hyprocrite
... 13:16; Job 15:34; Job 17:8; Job 20:5; 27:08:00; 34:30:00; 36:13, in all which instances
the Revised Version (British and American) has "godless man," "godless...
Hypocrisy (11 Occurrences)
... 13:16; Job 15:34; Job 17:8; Job 20:5; 27:08:00; 34:30:00; 36:13, in all which instances
the Revised Version (British and American) has "godless man," "godless...
Death (1610 Occurrences)
... Nevertheless it is remarkable that Proverbs often mentions death and Sheol in
connection with thegodless (Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 5:5; Proverbs 7:27; Proverbs...
Lip (20 Occurrences)
... "To refrain the lips" (Psalm 40:9 Proverbs 10:19) means to keep silence,
where thegodless or unwise would wish to assert his rights....
Lasts (9 Occurrences)
... redemption. (See NAS). Job 20:5 that the triumphing of the wicked is short,
the joy of thegodless but for a moment? (See NIV). Psalms...
Godlessness (3 Occurrences)
Wisdom (320 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A moral rather than an intellectual quality. To be "foolish"
is to begodless (Psalm 14:1; Comp. Judges 19:23; 2 Samuel 13:13)....
Wise (422 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A moral rather than an intellectual quality. To be "foolish"
is to begodless (Psalm 14:1; Comp. Judges 19:23; 2 Samuel 13:13)....
Impious (19 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Proverbs 11:9 With his mouth thegodless man destroyeth his neighbor;
But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered. (See JPS)....
Resources
What does it mean to be godless? | GotQuestions.orgHow could Job say, “Though He slay me, I will trust in Him”? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the value of attending a Christian university? | GotQuestions.orgGodless: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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