LAWLESSNESS IN AMERICA

A former New York City Councilman, Earl Brown, wrote back in 1971, “The problem is not police corruption but a lawless society.” The New York Times, November 2, 1971

Is America being driven down the road to becoming a lawless society; a nation where laws are ignored, minimized, or rationalized away without consequence? Or have we already become a civilization of little to no morals where people do as they please without any accountability to their neighbors and God?

Recently, we have seen examples of a lawless society. There are called Permanent Autonomous Zones (PAZ). Areas of separation from laws and police within a city quickly and loosely established by a mixture of protestors and rioters.

The first such zone was established on June 8, 2020, in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle by George Floyd protestors and other people with destructive and hate-filled agendas The six city blocks and a park became a vacuum quickly filled by its new occupants after the Seattle Police Department vacated its East precinct area.

The zone had no leadership and was self-organized. So how did it all work out? Over its short history, the autonomous zone had two gun homicides and four additional shooting victims. All the identified victims were black men—precisely the demographic for whom the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) had claimed to offer protection.

CHAZ came to an end 28 days after it started when police removed barricades, arrested more than 30 people. Trucks were brought in to haul away tents and garbage. The police cited ongoing violence and public safety as the reason to end this experiment in a lawless existence.

A writer for the New York Times wrote this about the PAZ’s:

“Autonomous zones, protest camps, and intentional communities alike thrive on hard work and consensus — and can become disastrous rapidly.”

A question for this writer who seems to force positivity for such zones: Where was the “thriving,” “hard work,” and “consensus” among these camps? What good came from these lawless experiments? This statement by the NY Times writer is a practical example of the sugar-coated message of lawlessness being sent to a dying world.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20

Other Autonomous Zones have attempted to follow the lead of CHAZ in Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York.

Arising at the same time are serious efforts to defund the police with the supposed goal of eliminating police brutality and racism. But whatever the ideal of such movements, the net result is fewer law enforcement officials in a time of rising lawlessness which encourages anarchism. Just to be clear, here is the Webster Definition of anarchism: “a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups

What is next? Eliminate courts and judges?

A vast majority of citizens in the US are wise enough to see through the political attempts to fundamentally change this country to mirror their own radical ideas or to copy other countries. But they feel insecure with the irrational thinking of these people with political agendas and the move towards removing enforcement of laws protecting person and property.

American seems to be following the example of the French Revolution back in 1789 and 1799 where even God was thrown out! I recommend you read Chapter 15 of a good book called, The Great Controversy. Contact me and I will send you the link or a free paper copy.

If all that is going on in our world today were not bad enough news, it gets worse and will never get better for the country as a whole. How do I know? The Bible tells me so.

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JESUS VIEW OF LAWLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS

Webster’s dictionary describes lawlessness as “a state in which there is widespread wrongdoing and disregard for rules and authority.”

Lawlessness as found in the New Testament of the New King James Bible is translated from the Greek word Anomia. This word means “a condition without law.” King James often translates Anomia as “iniquity.” Both words are applicable, but lawlessness is a more understandable word for the description of our time as demonstrated in our current condition in the large cities of America.

When Jesus saw our day, he said these words:

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24: 12

Both lawlessness and iniquity as described in the Bible is sin in the eyes of God. Sin is defined as the “transgression of the law.” 1 John 3: 4

Our society is becoming dangerous for its citizens especially those in large cities. It will only get more lawless as time goes on. This is according to the One who is our Creator and Savior.

But here is where it gets interesting. Just as the anarchists want a society without law, a good deal of the churches are doing the same thing and turning their back of God’s eternal law of Ten Commandments.

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Did God Ever Intend For The Church To Make His Church Lawless By Doing Away With The Moral Law?

While the laws of the land cover protection of people and their personal belongings, God’s law includes matters of the heart, put are made evident by a person’s actions. Often the laws of the land intersect with God’s moral law. Both are designed to protect others and bring happiness.

The last six commandments are borrowed from God and modified for most societies in some capacity. These deal with the second table of the Ten Commandments which spell out how we are to relate to our fellow humans. They are meant to provide protection and His will for us in getting along with each other.

The first four of the commandments are different and are not part of the man’s civil law and never should be because it deals with man’s relationship with God. Freedom of religion prohibits the state’s enforcement of these laws.

The Ten Commandments also identify what God calls sin.

Sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3: 4 KJ

The New King James Version rightly calls sin, lawlessness. A condition without law. When a person ignores the laws of the land or attempts to abolish them they are considered anarchists. The same can apply to the church.

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3: 4

Unlike society, God holds people accountable for unrepentant sin or lawlessness even for those in the church who appear on the outside to be righteous:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

Wow! People who are prophets and healers can be lost because of two things: they don’t do the will of God and they don’t know Him!

What is God’s will? The last words from Solomon in Ecclesiastes tell us succinctly:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Ecclesiastes 12: 14

God is clear that He is to be respected and with a certain amount of fear of the consequences for disowning Him. Also, we are to keep His commandments.

How can we know that we know Him?

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 John 2: 3,4

Many church members cringe at the phrase, “keep His commandments.” It sounds so legalistic. Some churches have attempted to make the church lawless by saying things like the following and supply a few misunderstood verses while overlooking many. It is like crawling over dollars to get to a penny. They will say things like:

“The Law has been done away with.”

“Christ nailed the law to the cross.”

“We are under grace not under law.“

“We are New Testament Christians. We don’t have to keep the commandments.” It was for the Jews only.

“We can’t keep the law.”

Jesus kept the law for us. We don’t have to keep the law.”

We will talk about these in part 2 next time, but I do want to talk about the one that the Ten Commandments were done away with by his nailing them to the cross. Were they?

We Are Saved By Grace Through Faith Alone. It is a Gift!

No doubt it is clear from the entire Bible (OT included) that we are saved from eternal death because of God the Father’s amazing grace and love for His creation. It is extended to us through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus and it is our option to believe (faith).

We cannot simply nail the Ten Commandments on the wall then grunt and sweat our way into heaven. We would never be worthy enough. One of the clearest Bible texts on this topic was provided to us by Paul:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2: 8,9

With so much emphasis on grace and faith, the baby is sometimes thrown out with the bathwater when obedience and the Ten Commandments are mentioned. A very clear statement from Paul, James, and Jesus clarify things for us:

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Romans 3:31

Notice there was evidently the argument in Paul’s day that faith replaced the necessity for God’s law. He argues the opposite. Faith and law go together. It is a faith that works! They don’t eliminate each other. James clarifies further:

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James 2:18

James confirms the union of faith and works (obedience included). Works and obedience are evidence of real faith. The first work, or act of obedience, a new Christian performs is baptism. After repenting and being born again the new follower obeys the commandment of Jesus and His apostles by being publicly baptized. Why? Because the Bible tells us so and we have a desire put in our hearts to follow Jesus which includes obedience. We don’t obey in order to be saved, but because we are saved.

Jesus, the spotless lamb of God was not baptized for us, so we don’t have to do it; He did it as an example for us.

Finally, we cannot blame Jesus’ for eliminating the Ten Commandments or any other commandment by Him and His Father:

 Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5: 17-19

We still have heaven and earth, therefore not one jot (smallest letter) or tittle (smallest stroke of a letter) has been altered by Jesus. He goes on further to reveal His displeasure of those who break one of the least of the commandments and teach men to do so.

What commandment would you think you could change or alter? None! Jesus didn’t change even the smallest letter!

Nailed to The Cross?

So why has the church tried to “do away” with the law? It is a misunderstanding of certain passages and not understanding how obedience connects with Grace and Faith. Here is the most popular verse used to render the church lawless:

“…Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” Colossians 2: 14

If you start at the beginning of this chapter, you see Paul talking about spiritual circumcision (without hands) comparing with baptism and the resurrection of those who were “dead in… transgressions”.

Circumcision and baptism are not part of the Ten Commandments. The question is what is the “handwriting of ordinances (requirements) that was contrary (against) us?”

Let’ s get our answer from scripture:

The keywords are “handwriting“, “ordinances”, “against us”. A few questions to start: Are ordinances the Ten Commandments? Are they against us?

When we go back to when Moses on the mountain, God gave Moses two at least two sets of laws: 1.) The Ten commandments which were written on stone by the finger of God, and 2.) Ordinances that Moses wrote down with his own finger.

The Ten Commandments were so important that God wrote them clearly with His own finger on stone. Moses wrote the law contained in ordinances with his own hand on parchment and was told to put them beside the Ark while the Ten Commandments were put in the Ark. Two different sets of laws, written by two different entities and placed in two different places on two different mediums i.e. rock and a book.

Let’s look at the appropriate passages to end this study:

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18

So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished,  that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; Deuteronomy 31: 24-26

Did you notice that this book was a “witness against you.” The handwriting (Moses) was “against us.” The Ten Commandments did not need a book; it needs only two tablets and can be read in a matter of a few minutes.

The whole “book” of the law was to be read every seven years:

And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years,…you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.  Deuteronomy 31: 10, 11

Conversely, the Ten Commandments were to be constantly before the people and in their hearts;

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up Deuteronomy 6: 6, 7

So from this we can see that the handwriting of ordinances that were against us and nailed that to the cross, not the law that is called the law of liberty by James. By this standard all people will be judged:

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. James 2: 10-12

In summary: A society that is lawless can be found on the streets of America and even in our churches! This is a sign of the end! God’s law will be a sign of those who belong to Him and the object of Satan’s wrath in the final days:

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17

May God bless you as you consider these things.