It is quite common for Evangelicals to understand the expression the wicked as referring to the unsaved. Consider these verses as examples:
And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (Gen 18:23).
God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day (Ps 7:11).
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God (Ps 9:17).
The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives (Ps 37:21).
But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it (Prov 2:22).
The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble (Prov 4:19).
When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation (Prov 10:25).
Most Evangelicals would understand most or all of those verses as referring to unsaved people. But is that right?
The wicked in Scripture refers to those who are guilty of rebellion against the Lord. That would include the regenerate and the unregenerate. At issue is their behavior, not their belief. In verses like Ps 9:11, hell refers to Sheol, the place where all the dead––both the saved and the lost––went at that time (cf. Luke 16:19-31). The psalmist is saying that the wicked will die prematurely (cf. Ps 37:20, 38).
It is hard to find any verses that unequivocally use the wicked to refer to the unregenerate. In fact, I found just one!
The only verse I found where the wicked clearly refers to the unregenerate is Matt 13:49-50: “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Of course, there is a synonymous expression we should consider: “… those who have done evil …” will experience “… the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29). There are various ways to explain that verse. Niemelä suggests that the Lord was speaking of something that is hypothetical but impossible (Autumn 2022 JOTGES). That is a very promising approach.i
When you see the expression the wicked in Scripture think those who are walking in rebellion against God, whether believers or unbelievers. Only in rare cases does it refer to the unregenerate.
I hope we all fear the possibility of our falling away and living wickedly. We would still have everlasting life. But we would reap the judgment of God in this life, and at the Bema we’d have to answer for our time in the spiritual far country.
Study the Scriptures carefully so that you can keep grace in focus.
i He suggests that the Lord is saying that if anyone lived a perfect life from conception to the grave––something that is impossible––then he would take part in the resurrection of the just. Everyone who falls short of that would take part in the resurrection of condemnation, unless, of course, their names were in the Book of Life because they believed in Jesus for everlasting life.
If a believer lives wickedly, is he then wicked?
