Word of the Week
June 21, 2025
Adikia: That’s Just Wrong!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
“That’s just wrong!”
Words you might hear from a toddler when one of the other kids bumps in front of him to take his turn going down the slide.
Or the screams that erupt from the stands when a referee overlooks a blatant instance of pass interference.
Maybe the moan that emerges when you open the envelope and discover that the insurance company has denied your claim.
Life is filled with situations that just don’t seem right. To complicate matters, people can’t seem to agree on what’s right and what’s not. Those disagreements often descend into warring camps of people shouting slogans at each other.
How do I know when something is wrong?
As you might expect, the Bible has something to say about that issue. In fact, the issue of right and wrong holds a central place in scriptural teaching. As an entry point for that larger discussion, we are going to look at the Greek word for “wrong” – or as most Bibles translate it: “unrighteousness.”
The usual New Testament word for unrighteousness (“unrightness”) is adikia [ah-dih-KEE-ah]. It shows up about 25 times, translated “unjustice, wrong, iniquity, unrighteousness.” It is formed by adding an “a” to dikaios, the Greek word for “righteous.” Just as “atheist” means a person who doesn’t believe in God, adikia means something that is not righteous, not right.
Of all the Greek words for sin, this one is the most general. It covers quite a wide variety of wrongs. In Greek mythology, the god Zeus had a daughter named Dike [dee-kay], who had the task of punishing wrongdoers. For philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, this meant anyone who failed to live up to the expectations of his society, fulfilling his or her rightful obligations to gods and people. Sometimes the word for right was used to describe everything from a smoothly running chariot to an impartial examination or an appropriate manner of speaking. “Right” was simply the norms of a given society, whether or not they were codified in written laws.
When we come to the Greek Old Testament, adikia takes on a decidedly different meaning. It was still a general description of wrongdoing (used to translate 36 different Hebrew words!). But it was no longer measured by the standards of popular opinion. It was always an offense against God and His revealed will.
The same theme continues in the New Testament. “Unrighteousness” can cover a wide range of offenses, but the standard for right and wrong is always the character and the laws of God.
- Paul uses adikia to introduce a list of twenty serious sins, all of which can be seen as specific instances of unrighteousness (Romans 1:29).
- When John pens the classic verse that calls on us to confess our sins, he promises that God will “forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Not only will He restore us to fellowship for the one sin that we committed, but he will use that experience in His plan to cleanse us from every kind of wrongdoing!
We can gain more understanding of this Greek word by noticing its opposite.
- This sin is often the opposite of “righteous” (Romans 3:5; 6:13). It means acting in opposition to God’s law or behaving in a way that is contrary to His character. God is the standard for right and wrong, not human opinion.
- It is also described as the opposite of “true.”
It suppresses the truth (Romans 1:18).
It refuses to believe the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:12)
Isn’t it interesting to notice that the Bible consistently links our beliefs and our behavior. We believe lies and we behave wrongly. One failing feeds the other.
When we are trying to determine what is right and wrong, it all boils down to two options: human opinion or divine declaration. Either we recognize that God Himself is the ultimate standard of ethics, or we are left with the opinion of the strongest or noisiest voice in the room.
The choice is not hard!
Study Hint:
When we study Greek words, we often look for clear distinctions between similar terms. In our study of words for sin, we have looked at hamartia, which pictures it as missing the mark. We studied paraptōma, which involves crossing a line. Today’s word doesn’t come with a clear visual image. It is a general description of anything that contradicts the standard of right or wrong. I see it as an umbrella term which covers the more specific words in our study.
Coming Up
One more word for sin in this short series. Next week we examine the term for living outside the realm of law. A fitting wrap-up for our study.
Ezra Project 2025
4 Responses
Adikia, That’s just wrong!
That is what God has said to us through His Word. We all have deviated from righteousness And it puts man in a wrong standing with his Creator.
As the world seems to be turning away from God or not believing in God at all, we see very serious problems erupting around the world. There is a standard that countries would be wise to acknowledge and submit to. Thank you for this insightful study.
God is either who He says that He is or He isn’t!! His standards will always contradict the desires of that which is wrong. No place for compromise. Either we believe in His word or we don’t.
Thank you for showing the complete letter for “Greek word for the week”. I’m 74 yrs old and staring at the computer screen is taking atoll on my eyes. this way I can print your letter out and read it.