There are many words in the Bible used to describe the nature of sin and disobedience. There are several different Greek and Hebrew words used to describe sin, and each of them have special emphasis. Sin truly is transgression, iniquity, wickedness, ungodliness, erring, offence falling and many others. The King James Version translates one of these words as iniquity. Let’s take time to look at this word.
This Greek word is most often translated by the word lawlessness in later translation. When we hear the word iniquity, we understand how God sees wickedness, but we have a much clearer understanding when we hear the word lawless.
The Greeks simply took the word law and combined it with another “word.” That word is like the word “not” when we do this in English. We add the prefix “un” to change the meaning. When we add the word “un” to many English words—safe becomes unsafe; righteous becomes unrighteous, etc. Thus, in Greek the word law becomes “not-law,” and this vividly emphasizes what sin is.
Sometimes to look a word without the “not” in front of it gives us a better comprehension of the definition of that word. The opposite of lawless or lawlessness is lawful or lawfulness. They are truly opposing ideas. There is no middle ground. One is either without law or submissive to law. He is empty of law or is lawful—“full of law.” Those who are righteous in the sight of God are those who have fully submitted themselves to His law. The wicked simply do not recognize His law—they are outside of His law. There is no middle ground.
We see this when Peter used this Greek word on Pentecost to describe the brutal nature of those Jewish and Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus. Peter said, “You have taken [Him] by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death” (Acts 2:23). The Lord’s trials violated Jewish laws and the physical beatings and torture of Jesus was done by men who had no regard for any law.
What is remarkable is how Jesus uses this same word to describe the judgment day. There will be those who stand before Him who have apparently served Him prior to that day. They reminded Jesus that they had “…prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name and done many wonders in Your name.” Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:22-23). In spite of these works they were as evil as those who crucified Jesus! Why? Look at verse twenty-one. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” We must serve Him, but we must submit to Him doing the will of God. We do it as He said do it!