21st Century America (the entire world for that matter) seems to have a problem with lawful obedience. It’s not that we don’t want to obey the law; we just want to be able to pick and choose which laws we will obey. The problem with that attitude is that as long as there are two people on the planet one of the two will object to obeying some facet of the law. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” - Judges 21:25.
Clearly, we can see the problem this attitude presents in a society that is built on law. And all societies are structured around some kind of regulatory foundation. Laws differ from one nation to another but there are still laws that must be obeyed if civility, security, and expediency are to be maintained at a level which allows the group to function effectively, properly, and achieve success. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”- Joshua 1:8.
The issue of who gets to determine what laws we will or will not follow has been left up to the Legislative Branch of our Government and ultimately to the Supreme Court to determine the lawfulness of the statutes. Once the law is settled, it becomes “the law of the land.” Of course, some laws are of such a spurious or controversial nature that even after they have been settled, there is still cause for review by the SCOTUS. Since such laws seem to be in flux, we often fall back to the words of Judges 21:25. There are controversy and confrontation over these questionable laws. There is often violence and judicial action taken to quell the disagreements. If we just had a set of laws we could routinely turn to for the answers to our greatest disagreements.
“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1: 7-8.
Yes, we do have “the law.” It is the Law that God himself gave us when He called Moses to the mountain top. There He gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Laws that we can not only live by but thrive by as well. Provided, of course, that we all obey the Law!
Many today reject the very idea of following the Ten Commandments, citing that they are outdated and antiquated. I certainly pray that they are not talking about murder. No, most people will agree that “thou shalt not murder” is a law well worth preserving and obeying, at least when it comes to viable living human beings. Infants “in vivo” don’t seem to enjoy the same protections, but that is another issue that I have covered on many previous occasions. No, what we are currently discussing are God’s own laws as given to us by his prophet, Moses. And their validity today.
As I stated previously, many people prefer to pick and choose which laws they will abide by and those they won’t. But God takes a sterner view of our capriciousness. “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” - James 2:10. That is a hard criterion to have to live by but it is God’s criteria and we are not free to object. The Apostle, Paul, puts it into even greater perspective - “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” - Galatians 3:10.
Clearly, God has given us a set of Laws that even non-believers are responsible for following. We stray at our own risk.
But what about grace? Are we still under the Law or are we not, by the grace of God? We will turn back to James for the answer to that inquiry - “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” - James 2:14-17. Genuine saving faith will manifest itself in our daily actions and behavior. With genuine saving faith, we will obey the Law.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete