Evil Manifestations of Heathenism
Verse 29 -31
Being filled is the Greek word “pleroo,” which means to fill up, to fully possess, to be filled with a certain quality and to be fully influenced. With all unrighteousness is from two Greek words – the adjective “pas” and the noun “adikia.” “Adikia” means an unrighteous act, but it also means anti-justice. It is a technical use that we have here and it is actually referring not to unrighteous acts but to maladjustment (anti-justice) to the justice of God. In this context, it refers to the unbeliever who is maladjusted to the justice of God at Gospel-hearing (Verse 18). Note the influence that comes when a person says no to divine truth. Divine truth in context is the Gospel. Being influenced by anti-justice is another way of describing evil infiltrating the soul.
The next three words describe the categories of unrighteousness: wickedness, covetousness and maliciousness.
Wickedness is the Greek word “poneria,” which means evil, bad or worthless. To the Greeks having a defect was to be evil. The Greeks did not have any concept of morality that is related to the Word of God. Therefore, if you were defective in any way (physically or mentally), you were evil. “Poneria” in Greek means the intentional practice of evil, which comes from blackout of the soul. Here the unbeliever who is maladjusted to the justice of God at Gospel-hearing becomes associated with evil as a part of his unbeliever reversionism. His association with evil is blackout of the soul and scar tissue of the soul.
Covetousness is the Greek word “pleonexia.” It means greediness – a desire to have more beyond what is advisable. It means insatiability (can’t be satisfied). In this category, the justice of God gives the reversionistic unbeliever over to his own devices. This is simply a case of the justice of God taking off any restraints when the person wants more and more and more. This noun denotes the inner impulse which leads to the evil deed. First of all he thinks it, then he is motivated to do it and then he does it. Greed is the motivator in the frantic search for happiness; “pleonexia” is often correctly translated greed (the desire beyond reason, lust beyond legitimate boundaries). It was used for any form of unrestrained desire.
Malice is the Greek word “kakia” meaning badness in quality, depravity, malignity or the function of evil. “Kakia” is the outworking or practice of evil (the Greek word for evil is “kakos”). The unbeliever reversionist practices evil as a demonstration of what is circulating in his stream of consciousness (Human Viewpoint Thinking).
So, here’s the pattern for the person who rejects Jesus Christ at Gospel hearing. It all begins with thought. The unbeliever has heard and understood the Gospel and rejected it. This is where the unbeliever begins the slide into reversionism. With only human viewpoint to guide him/her, the unbeliever falls prey to Satan’s program of evil. Step one – thought.
The further into this program the unbeliever goes, the further into reversionism he slides. Finally a point comes where his/her desires become perverted and eventually unrestrained. Nothing is going to satisfy this unbeliever. Therefore, they want more and more of what Satan’s cosmic system has to offer. Step two – motive.
The unbeliever, who is now in a state of blackout of the soul, acts out what he/she has put into his/her soul. In a frantic search for happiness, the reversionistic unbeliever tries any and everything, but nothing brings happiness. The vacuum in the soul has been created by the rejection of truth. Now false satanic doctrine is free to infiltrate the soul, which causes this person to act out this evil from within. Step three – function.
Full is the Greek word “mestos” meaning full measure or to the fullest extent. This means that the function of evil is carried out by the unbeliever reversionist to its fullest extent (there is no stopping it). What follows is a list of the functions of evil by the unbeliever reversionist.
Here are the categories of the function of evil, which the heathen is filled with:
- Envy – the Greek word is “phthonos” meaning the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others. This word is closely akin to jealousy in the New Testament.
- Murder – the Greek word is “phonos” meaning the act of committing homicide (the unlawful act of killing another person). It carries with it the idea of malice of forethought. Killing the enemy in time of war is not murder.
- Strife – the Greek word is “eris” meaning contention, discord and dissension. The King James translated this word debate. It refers to a person who wants to cause strife by debating everything.
- Deceit – the Greek word is “dolos” meaning a baiter, a snare, crafty, subtle, cunning or treacherous. This is a person who is a trouble-maker; always stirring up things.
- Malice – the Greek word is “kakia” meaning badness in quality, depravity, malignity or the function of evil. “Kakia” is the outworking or practice of evil. This person is vicious in character.
- Gossips – the Greek word is “psithuristes” meaning a whisperer in an evil sense. This Greek word refers to one who gossips in secret.
- Slanderers – the Greek word is “katalalos” meaning to speak against. This word is translated backbiters in the King James. It came to mean maligners, detractors, hostile speakers, spreaders of gossip (openly) and false reporters.
- Haters of God – the Greek word is “theostuges” meaning God-haters. To hate God is to reject the authority that He has established (Divine Establishment).
- Insolent – the Greek word is “hubristes” meaning a violent man, despiteful or injurious. This is a person who has no respect for authority.
- Arrogant – the Greek word is “huperephanos” meaning one who shows himself above others, proud (in an evil sense) or high-minded.
- Boastful – the Greek word is “alazon” meaning a vagabond, a wanderer or an impostor. It came to mean boastful presumption; the one who makes more of himself than reality justified. He ascribes to himself more and better things than he actually has. He is one who promises what he cannot perform.
- Inventors of evil – the Greek words are “epheuretes” meaning to contrive and “kakos” meaning whatever is evil in character or base.
- Disobedient to parents – the Greek word is “apeithes,” which is an adjective describing the child. The word means unwilling to be persuaded or refusing to believe.
- Without understanding – the Greek word is “asunetos” (a = negative; sunetos = to know the underlying laws or meaning of an object, intelligence) means to be stupid, senseless or foolish. It means a person does not understand what is behind a command, does not understand the underlying laws of life and does not understand the meaning of any object in relationship to establishment or in relationship to its spiritual connotation.
- Untrustworthy – the Greek word is “asunthetos” meaning contract breakers, faithless, lack of honor and integrity, which is characteristic of the unbeliever reversionist. It also means undutiful, lack of sense of duty, or lack of a sense of responsibility which is necessary even for human maturity.
- Unloving – the Greek word is “astorgos” (a = negative; storgeo = natural affection, like the love of parents for children) meaning unloving or lack of capacity for love, devoid of the instincts of love.
- Unmerciful – the Greek word is “aneleemon” (a = negative; eleemon = to be merciful, sympathetic or compassionate) meaning implacable, non-merciful, not compassionate. It also means inexorable – one who is never pacified, appeased or reconciled to any form of authority.
Verse 32 – The Principle of Maladjustment of Heathenism
And although they know means the unbeliever reversionist (heathen) has passed God-consciousness and has understood the Gospel when it was presented to him. The Greek word for know is “epignoisis” meaning full knowledge. Therefore, this person is without excuse before God for not accepting the salvation solution at Gospel-hearing – faith alone in Christ alone.
The Greek word for ordinance is “dikaioma” and means the justice or righteous act which produces judgment. It was even used in Greek for a legal document, a legal act corresponding to the ordinance or requirement, and therefore the carrying out of justice. The legal requirement of the justice of God is to believe in Jesus Christ in order to make instant adjustment to the justice of God at salvation.
That those who practice such things, refers to the ones in verses 29-31 above who practice the evil of heathenism. The Greek word for practice is “prasso” meaning to execute, to do, to work or to press on through. Such things, is a reference to the things that Paul has just listed as the mental attitude sins of unbeliever reversionists.
Are worthy of death means deserving of physical death or what we have studied as “the sin unto death.” The Greek word for worthy is “axios” meaning deserving. The person involved is already spiritually dead, but this refers to the sin unto death, which is maximum justice from the justice of God in time, directed toward any category of reversionism – believer or unbeliever. Here the unbeliever’s sin unto death is in view.
They not only do the same means the same things. The unbeliever who is in a state of reversionism continues to the same things over and over. The result can be “the sin unto death.”
But also give hearty approval to those who practice them is from the Greek word “suneudokeo” (sun = together with; eudokew = to think well, to approve), which means to approve with another, to be in accord with a principle or to agree with. It refers to hearty approval given to those practicing the same things, hearty approval demonstrated in past history but emphasized as a present reality in the time it was written, and it continues to exist today in our world. The ultimate expression of heathenism is evil.