LAWLESSNESS
"Knowing this, that the law
is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the
ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and
murderers of mothers, for manslayers" - 1 Timothy 1:9
Recently,
I posed this question at a Bible study class at church: What would happen if we had no laws in
America? The purpose of the question
was to cause everyone to recognize that evil truly resides in the hearts of
men. Often it is said, "I believe
that, overall, people are good." I
disagree with this assessment. The
nature of man is evil to the core. Many
reject the doctrine of total depravity these days, but if laws were removed
from our nation, we'd quickly learn how evil people are.
This
past week has been a difficult week in our nation. The country's focus has been diverted to a town in Missouri,
where a grand jury refused to indict a police officer that killed a man of a
different race during an altercation.
The subsequent rioting and destruction has sickened many, including
myself.
Before
the grand jury's decision was made public, I only sought for justice. I don't know enough about the case to pass
judgment on the jury's decision.
Despite the strong feelings expressed, including many who are rioting, I
feel that most citizens know very little about the facts. Whether justice was truly performed or not,
I don't know --- but God knows.
I
do wish to address the lawless acts that resulted from the jury's
decision. I understand that many were
disappointed or even angry, yet this does not excuse the violent reactions that
occurred. It does, however, reveal a
pertinent fact. Sin is still the main
problem in America.
Regardless
of whether the jury's decision was just or not, we do know that the violent act
that initiated such a public outcry was laced with sin. Either the policeman or Michael Brown, or
both, committed grave sins that fateful night.
Now, a community lies in ruins as some citizens decided to express their
feelings in sinful ways.
The
bottom line is that God will have the final say on all these issues. His decision will trump any grand jury. Although many will be angered at His final
decision, they will not be able to overturn His verdict. Furthermore, His verdict, though unpopular
with many, will be just.
During
Old Testament times, a moral law was given to keep people from becoming
rebellious. In his New Testament
epistle to the believers at Rome, Paul wrote, "... the law is not made for a
righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for
sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of
mothers, for manslayers." The law was given because of the lawless,
the disobedient, the ungodly, for sinners and for murders. Our nation has laws, largely based upon the
Judeo-Christian law. Our laws are
intended to prevent such riots that we saw this week. Although many are suspicious about police officers (and
admittedly, there are a few bad police officers), we need to demonstrate respect
for authority and obedience to the law.
The
real problem in America is not racial discrimination or police brutality. Instead, the real problem is sin. While there needs to be racial harmony and
integrity among law enforcement officers, these cannot be achieved through
violence or political speeches.
Instead, at the core of the matter is the wicked heart of mankind. It is sin that leads men to hate others of a
different skin color. It is sin that
causes men to abuse power and hurt others.
It is sin that causes people to commit violent acts of arson and
robbery.
The
cure for sin is the blood of Jesus. The
arrest, trial and execution of Jesus were a miscarriage of justice, brought on
by the abuse of power by the religious and political leaders of His day. He suffered physical and emotional
abuse. In fact, from the days of
Abraham until now, there has been an attempt at ethnic cleansing of the Jews by
the devil. Keep in mind, there was an
attempt to exterminate Jewish boys when Jesus was born. Yet the birth, life and death of Jesus had a
purpose. Jesus came to die for our
sins. Although most people refuse to
acknowledge that they are sinners, the need is still great and deadly. God knows that the unregenerate heart of man
is deceitful and wicked. The events of
this past week show how deceitful and wicked the heart of mankind really is.
God
is the only One who can change a person's heart. God can remove hatred, violence, revenge, and abuse from the
heart of a person. Through the blood of
Jesus, sins can be cleansed and covered.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, the heart of a person can be
transformed.
I
have no hope in a political solution for American's woes. Instead, we need a spiritual awakening in
America. We need souls awakened to the
reality of sin, the coming judgment and the need for repentance. Only God can awaken a sinner and redeem him
from a life of deceit and destruction.
