Who Are The Wicked?

Many years ago, I spoke in our ward’s Sacrament Meeting on a topic long forgotten. During my remarks, I stated that in the Lord’s eyes, the wicked included at least all of the individuals who had not availed themselves of the opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and join His Church through the ordinances of baptism and confirmation. Following the service, I was verbally accosted by a brother in the foyer who was quite agitated with me because of my definition of the wicked. He contended that his neighbor possessed many Christ-like attributes and could not possibly be considered by the Lord to be among the wicked of the world.

This brother who approached me very possibly was offended by my use of the word wicked because in English the meaning of this word carries a certain sting or sharpness that may seem to make the word wicked an inappropriate characterization of our many good and honorable associates. However, it might be well for us to remember that the translators of the King James version of the Bible and the Prophet Joseph Smith in translating the Book of Mormon and in recording the Lord’s revelations to him used this word liberally. If the Lord had felt the use of this word was inappropriate, He would have had the Prophet substitute another word in its place.

Thus a major motivation behind this writing is to explore the several uses of this word in the scriptures made available to us in this dispensation. We may start by recognizing that at least there are the wicked, and then there are the wicked, and then there are the wicked living on the earth during any gospel dispensation. For my purposes, the wicked may be lumped into three somewhat identifiable groups: the unfaithful members of His Church who are in some degree of rebellion, individuals who have not accepted the true gospel of Jesus Christ but are still under the influence of the Light of Christ, and lastly those who have been left to the buffetings of Satan because the Spirit of Christ has ceased to strive with them.

The last of these three groups may be dispensed with most easily here given the pertinent discussion in my last writing that illustrates this group’s situation. At some point, these individuals’ conduct became so completely wicked, being contrary to the will of God, that the Light of Christ ceased to work with them leaving them within the control of Satanic powers.

Like the brother who stopped me after Sacrament Meeting, surely the vast majority of Latter-day Saints have truly good non-LDS relatives, friends, neighbors, work associates, etc. who are, as the scriptures say, “the honorable men of the earth” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:75). This second group of the wicked are they with whom the Spirit of Christ continues to strive in the hope that they eventually may be lead to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is often the case that they are already actively participating in some form of organized religion. How then is it possible that the Lord would look upon them as being numbered among the wicked? But, He does. Here are the Lord’s responses to two examples of God’s children participating in seemingly constructive religious activities. In 1831, missionaries in Missouri who were assigned to return to their homes in the East were instructed “to preach my gospel among the congregations of the wicked” on their return trips (D&C 60:13-14). While teaching the Jews during His mortal ministry, the Lord said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).

Again I ask, how is it possible that the Lord would look upon such seemingly righteous people and reject them for their wickedness? The answer is really quite obvious. “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (D&C 1:31), and no unclean person may enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone who lives upon this earth with the exception of Jesus Christ himself is a sinner and thus unclean. Without the opportunity to partake of the blessings of the Savior’s atonement as it applies to the forgiveness of sins, we would never be able to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. The Savior extends these blessings to those only who are washed clean of their sins through baptism by immersion and confirmation by the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost by those who possess the Priesthood of God. No matter how righteous their conduct may be, the honorable of the earth are sinners. For in the absence of the ability to repent and be forgiven of their sins, these good folks are simply accumulating their mistakes and evil deeds in the Lord’s view. That is why He numbers them among the wicked of the earth.

Now the third group for consideration here brings the discussion to within the Latter-day Saint community itself. The Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith in one of the great priesthood revelations of this dispensation an understanding of how the Lord distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked of any generation. “And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin. And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me. For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin. And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me. And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now” (D&C 84:49-53). However, before any of us in the Latter-day Saint community become too complacent with our status in light of these verses of scripture, let us consider the teachings of the Prophet Nephi: ”For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). That should be our watchword. We Latter-day Saints must understand the obligation under which we live namely, to do all that we can do to abide by the Lord’s commandments. If we do not, we have no promise of the Lord’s grace. Absent His grace, we will pay the price of our own sins, and the nature of our eternal reward will be in question.

So, who are the wicked? Almost any of us could be numbered among them if we do not diligently seek to obey the Lord’s commandments and strive earnestly to be what our Heavenly Father would have us be.