Lawlessness
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G458 names lawlessness, wrongdoing considered as disregard for God's will. The noun may describe deeds, a pattern of rebellion, the condition associated with end-time opposition, or sin characterized as lawlessness.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἀνομία (G458) · Open the biblical lexicon
G458 names lawlessness, wrongdoing considered as disregard for God's will. The noun may describe deeds, a pattern of rebellion, the condition associated with end-time opposition, or sin characterized as lawlessness.
The BSB source-word alignment has 15 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include lawlessness (4), wickedness (4), of lawlessness (3), lawless acts (2), of wickedness (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (4), Romans (3), 1 John (2), 2 Thessalonians (2).
G458 names lawlessness, wrongdoing considered as disregard for God's will. The noun may describe deeds, a pattern of rebellion, the condition associated with end-time opposition, or sin characterized as lawlessness. Matthew 7:23 warns that impressive religious claims do not replace doing the Father's will. Romans 6:19 describes bodily service moving from impurity into further lawlessness.
Second Thessalonians 2 places the word in an eschatological warning whose details must remain within that chapter. Titus 2:14 gives a central gospel boundary: Christ gave Himself to redeem a people from all lawlessness and purify them for good works. First John 3:4 joins the practice of sin to lawlessness within the letter's call to abide in Christ. The term is not limited to civil crime, and it should not be used as a political label, a weapon against ordinary disagreement, or a pretext for legalism.
The local index reports about fifteen occurrences. G458 names lawless acts or a pattern of disregard for God's will in contexts of false profession, multiplying wickedness, enslavement to sin, eschatological opposition, forgiveness, and Christ's redeeming work.
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Jesus rejects those who appeal to prophecy, exorcism, and mighty works while practicing lawlessness. The paragraph contrasts verbal profession and impressive activity with doing the Father's will and being known by Christ.
Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
Jesus warns that multiplying lawlessness will cause the love of many to grow cold amid deception and persecution. The verse does not give readers permission to identify every social decline as the final fulfillment of the discourse.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Paul uses a slavery analogy to contrast presenting bodily members to impurity and lawlessness with presenting them to righteousness leading to holiness. Grace does not leave embodied allegiance unchanged.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.
Paul says the mystery of lawlessness is already at work within his teaching about rebellion, restraint, the lawless one, deception, and the Lord's appearing. The noun alone does not identify the restrainer or set a timetable.
He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Christ's self-giving redeems from all lawlessness and purifies a people for His possession who are zealous for good works. Redemption and transformed vocation remain joined in the verse.
Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.
John equates practicing sin with practicing lawlessness and states that sin is lawlessness. The claim belongs inside the letter's teaching on abiding, righteousness, Christ's appearing, and the destruction of the devil's works.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. lawlessness
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
15 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
lawlessness, iniquity
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Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 15 lexical occurrence verses.
ἀνομία is built from this root:
Identifies rebellion against God’s will as the root issue. 1 John 3:4-10
This definition frames sin as active rebellion, not mere imperfection. Matthew 7:21–23
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
G458 exposes disregard for God's will in forms that can be religious, personal, social, and eschatological. Matthew 7:23 warns that ministry claims and mighty works do not substitute for doing the Father's will or being known by Christ. Romans 6:19 shows lawlessness as an enslaving direction from which embodied obedience must turn. Second Thessalonians 2 requires restraint in speculation because the noun stands inside a larger argument about rebellion, deception, restraint, and the Lord's appearing.
Titus 2:14 gives the governing gospel center: Christ gave Himself to redeem from all lawlessness, purify a people for His possession, and form zeal for good works. Teachers should confront sin without converting lawlessness into a political insult, an accusation against ordinary disagreement, or a legalistic program for earning God's favor.
Matt.7.23
G458 is a noun for lawlessness or a lawless act. It can occur in singular and plural forms and may be rendered lawlessness, wickedness, or lawless acts according to context. The local index currently reports about fifteen occurrences. The form itself does not specify civil law, Mosaic covenant administration, or a modern political program; the passage identifies the violated order and claim.
The Septuagint uses related lawlessness language across covenant rebellion, injustice, guilt, and forgiveness settings. Hebrews 10 explicitly cites the new-covenant promise that God will remember sins and lawless acts no more. That background should deepen the New Testament passages without turning Israel's civil administration into an unqualified church or state program.
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