Does the Constitution follow God's Law? Is the Bill of Rights lawful? What about the Prohibition—was that lawful? The environmental regulations? Fair working laws? And how about the most recent quandary—TSA’s screenings which digitally disrobe you in the airport, or their intimate pat downs? All of these things are legal, but are they lawful?
You must begin with a basic presupposition: the government does not have the authority to punish all sins. This is because all crimes are sins—but not all sins are crimes. Certainly, we are not able to go back to the theistic government of ancient Israel, but God is still the lawmaker, and His law book—the Ten Commandments—provides the basis for determining unlawful “crimes.” The Constitution, you see, is based very much on the laws of God, as is the Bill of Rights. The Prohibition is a difficult subject in that, at the very least, the manner in which the law was carried out was unlawful. And yes—every other example I presented is also not under the government’s jurisdiction. The government has no authority or hope of regulating its citizens into perfection. When it attempts to litigate every sin, it produces infringement of basic freedoms and liberty.
The real problem, however, goes back to our understanding of God. We have failed to live each and every day with the reality of God’s Judgment. We have forgotten that everyone will receive his just reward—not from the government, but from God.
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you….Behold, the Judge is standing at the door (James 5:1-6, 9b)!”
By looking to the government to protect us from immorality, drugs, alcohol, irresponsibility, and unethical behavior, we have created an idol and worshipped it. And yet this government which we are so willing to worship is the very antithesis of God—it condones immorality, divorce, debt, and the murder of society’s most helpless. We have become willing to give up our rights to privacy, modesty, free speech, and entrepreneurism because we are afraid to trust in God’s ultimate sovereignty and judgment. It is time that we take our trust from the instable, immoral, and unlawful reaches of the ever-expanding government and place it back where it belongs—our Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God.
As citizens of both an earthly and a heavenly country, we must therefore live in faith. Punishing those sins which are crimes and trusting God for His ultimate judgment of man, we will be released from the immense burden of taking God’s job on our shoulders. It is not man’s responsibility to seek vengeance. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The LORD will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30-31).”
Note: Please do not presume that I am advocating a revolt, revolution, or rebellion. I firmly believe that government is from the Lord, and it is my desire that we remember this and keep government in its proper place—subordinate to God.
You must begin with a basic presupposition: the government does not have the authority to punish all sins. This is because all crimes are sins—but not all sins are crimes. Certainly, we are not able to go back to the theistic government of ancient Israel, but God is still the lawmaker, and His law book—the Ten Commandments—provides the basis for determining unlawful “crimes.” The Constitution, you see, is based very much on the laws of God, as is the Bill of Rights. The Prohibition is a difficult subject in that, at the very least, the manner in which the law was carried out was unlawful. And yes—every other example I presented is also not under the government’s jurisdiction. The government has no authority or hope of regulating its citizens into perfection. When it attempts to litigate every sin, it produces infringement of basic freedoms and liberty.
The real problem, however, goes back to our understanding of God. We have failed to live each and every day with the reality of God’s Judgment. We have forgotten that everyone will receive his just reward—not from the government, but from God.
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you….Behold, the Judge is standing at the door (James 5:1-6, 9b)!”
By looking to the government to protect us from immorality, drugs, alcohol, irresponsibility, and unethical behavior, we have created an idol and worshipped it. And yet this government which we are so willing to worship is the very antithesis of God—it condones immorality, divorce, debt, and the murder of society’s most helpless. We have become willing to give up our rights to privacy, modesty, free speech, and entrepreneurism because we are afraid to trust in God’s ultimate sovereignty and judgment. It is time that we take our trust from the instable, immoral, and unlawful reaches of the ever-expanding government and place it back where it belongs—our Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God.
As citizens of both an earthly and a heavenly country, we must therefore live in faith. Punishing those sins which are crimes and trusting God for His ultimate judgment of man, we will be released from the immense burden of taking God’s job on our shoulders. It is not man’s responsibility to seek vengeance. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The LORD will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30-31).”
Note: Please do not presume that I am advocating a revolt, revolution, or rebellion. I firmly believe that government is from the Lord, and it is my desire that we remember this and keep government in its proper place—subordinate to God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The inspiration for this post was taken from "There's 'illegal,' and there's unlawful, and in a righteous society, they would be the same." I have not perused the blog beyond this article, so use discretion.
Great post Mikaela! It's always such a joy to read whatever the Lord has laid on your heart to share with the rest of us. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jacqueline--it's so nice to hear from you. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!
ReplyDelete