"without law," also denotes "lawless," and is so rendered in the RV of Acts 2:23 , "lawless (men)," marg., "(men) without the law," AV, "wicked (hands);" 2 Thessalonians 2:8 , "the lawless one" (AV, "that wicked"), of the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:4 ); in 2 Peter 2:8 , of deeds (AV, "unlawful"), where the thought is not simply that of doing what is unlawful, but of flagrant defiance of the known will of God. See LAW , C, No. 3.
"lawlessness," akin to A, is most frequently translated "iniquity;" in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 , RV, "lawlessness" (AV, "iniquity"); "the mystery of lawlessness" is not recognized by the world, for it does not consist merely in confusion and disorder (see A); the display of "lawlessness" by the "lawless" one (2 Thessalonians 2:8 ) will be the effect of the attempt by the powers of darkness to overthrow the Divine government. In 1 John 3:4 , the RV adheres to the real meaning of the word, "every one that doeth sin (a practice, not the committal of an act) doeth also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness." This definition of sin sets forth its essential character as the rejection of the law, or will, of God and the substitution of the will of self. See INIQUITY and synonymous words.