Topical Bible: Uprightness: The Wicked: Have Not, in Heart

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Uprightness is a quality that denotes moral integrity, righteousness, and adherence to God's laws. It is a virtue that is highly esteemed in the biblical narrative, often associated with those who walk in the ways of the Lord. In contrast, the wicked are depicted as lacking uprightness in their hearts, which is a fundamental deficiency that separates them from the righteous.

The Bible frequently contrasts the upright with the wicked, emphasizing the internal disposition of the heart as a critical factor. In the Berean Standard Bible, Psalm 36:1-2 provides insight into the heart of the wicked: "An oracle is in my heart regarding the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For his eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin." This passage highlights the absence of the fear of God in the hearts of the wicked, leading to a life devoid of true uprightness.

Proverbs 11:20 further illustrates this contrast: "The LORD detests those with crooked hearts, but He delights in those with integrity." Here, the "crooked hearts" of the wicked are set against the integrity of the upright, underscoring the divine preference for those who maintain moral rectitude.

The prophet Jeremiah also speaks to the condition of the wicked heart in Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" This verse suggests that the wicked heart is inherently deceitful and corrupt, lacking the uprightness that characterizes a heart aligned with God's will.

In the New Testament, Jesus addresses the issue of the heart in Matthew 15:18-19: "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." This teaching emphasizes that the wickedness of the heart manifests in actions that are contrary to God's commandments, further illustrating the absence of uprightness.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, describes the depraved state of those who reject God, stating in Romans 1:28-29: "Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity." This passage indicates that the rejection of God leads to a heart filled with wickedness, devoid of the uprightness that comes from a relationship with the Creator.

In summary, the biblical portrayal of the wicked is marked by a lack of uprightness in the heart. This deficiency is characterized by an absence of the fear of God, a deceitful and corrupt nature, and actions that are contrary to divine law. The Scriptures consistently affirm that true uprightness is a matter of the heart, rooted in a reverent relationship with God and manifested in righteous living.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Habakkuk 2:4
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Psalm 37
... the man of uprightness; Because that surely of this man. ... he shall them free and save.
From wicked men; because in him. their confidence they have. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/psalm 37.htm

Psalm XXVI.
... the ungodly and the men of blood, whose works are wicked. ... walked in mine innocence:
deliver me, and have mercy on ... "My foot hath stood in uprightness." My Love ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xxvi.htm

The Testament of Issachar Concerning Simplicity.
... insatiate desire; for he walketh in uprightness of life ... leaving husbandry will follow
after their wicked devices, and ... Except my wife, I have not known any woman ...
/.../v the testament of issachar concerning.htm

Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and ...
... froward things, who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in ... thee from the evil
men's way, who have already left ... His curse and threatening is on the wicked. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/section v scriptures showing the.htm

Be not Deceived; God is not Mocked.
... deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can ... therefore, cultivate a
sincerity and uprightness of heart ... They have got it into their heads that God ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/moody/sowing and reaping/chapter ii be not deceived.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John x. 14, "I am the Good Shepherd ...
... the gifts of God, which even the wicked have, who shall ... to Christ;" [4158] and that
in uprightness thou shouldest ... 9. These words which I have quoted out of the ...
/.../sermon lxxxviii on the words.htm

Self-Respect and Self-Righteousness
... he says, 'Be not over-much wicked; neither be ... cares God, for your professions of
uprightness and respectability ... will soon learn that you have no righteousness ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xi self-respect and self-righteousness.htm

An Anonymous Sermon, Commonly Called Clement's Second Letter to ...
... in mind by the fact that we see the wicked in affluence ... 2Brothers and sisters, we
must have faith ... since we would give an appearance of uprightness, when pursuing ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/an anonymous sermon commonly called 2.htm

Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
... the pious Hezekiah, and Josiah was the son of wicked Amon ... in their beds, each one
walking in his uprightness[22 ... that is, on our believing that we have them, and ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon vii josiah a pattern.htm

Prayer and God's Work
... evil bent, unholy propensities, sinful desires, wicked inclinations ... of solid honesty,
and does uprightness bring them ... in all those graces which have their root ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/vii prayer and gods work.htm