THE RISE OF LAWLESSNESS
THE MORAL DECLINE OF AMERICA
Lawlessness appears to be the norm in our nation and is a clear demonstration of our moral and spiritual condition. Lawlessness in a person is a progressive tendency that leads to breaking more and more laws. Practicing lawlessness means you place your own selfish wants or presumed needs above the law so that your life is perceived as being more important than what the law requires. Continued lawlessness produces a greater tolerance for immorality and sin.
Compare lawlessness with righteousness, the quality God wants in our lives. Lawlessness means defiance of the law; habitually and routinely breaking established laws; having no regard for any specific law. Lawlessness is SIN:
1 John 3:4 – Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
Righteousness means right doing and right standing; being and doing right; being lawful; living a godly and moral life as a representative of Christ and the Kingdom of God. The purpose of law is to regulate human behavior as the Bible explains:
1 Timothy 1:8-10 – But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers (abortionists), for fornicators, for sodomites (homosexuals), for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,
Our national lawlessness so flagrant that most people even fail to recognize it as it has become so commonly practiced by so many people, including Christians. A prime example of lawlessness is seen on our nations roadways by the way people drive. This writer spends a lot of time on the road and I am amazed at what I see on the highways, both on local roads and Interstates. Nearly everyone passes me as I drive lawfully at the speed limit. (Note that “Speed Limit” means the maximum limit for speed – not a suggested speed.)
People drive at ten, twenty and even thirty miles an hour above the posted speed limit. This is not some people, but nearly everybody. I do encounter a few who drive at or even sometimes below the speed limit from time to time, and most other drivers consider them to be an annoyance, an impediment to their effort to get someplace.
Speeding seems to be the “natural” thing to do since so many are doing it; “just join the crowd” and do as they are doing. It’s so easy to be like a Lemming, after all, whose going to stop you when everyone is doing it. However, all are going down the highway of LAWLESSNESS! How can I say this? One day while on the road watching cars speeding by, I asked God why people drive at such speed and arrogantly break the laws. God placed the answer in my spirit by revealing that the way people drive is an indication of their bent for “lawlessness” (refusing to abide by the law) and doing their own thing.
What really troubles me is when I’m on the road and see, by the bumper stickers and other decals or signs, that the car that just passed me doing 75 or 80 in 55 MPH zone belongs to a Christian. Christians ought to be the ones to set the example of submission to law and authority according Romans 13:1-5. In many cases the worst speed violators are pastors and ministers who should be examples of righteousness and right doing.
Many clergy drive as though they are exempt from or above the law. I had a very upsetting personal experience when I was a young teen riding in the back seat of a family member’s car who was recently ordained as a Baptist minister. He got pulled over by a cop for speeding. When the officer asked him for his driver’s license he said, “You don’t give clergymen tickets do you?” I was so ashamed that I slid down in my seat trying not to be seen in the presence of this “minister”; something I’ll never forget.
Those who routinely or habitually break the law, driving being just one example, are prone to push the envelope and break more laws since they seem to get away with it. These people become a law unto themselves; they choose what laws they want to comply with and what ones they feel exempt from.
From scripture we know that the last days will be punctuated with tremendous amounts of lawlessness. Nevertheless, it grieves me to see it actually happening because it tells where mankind is on God’s timetable. It also points out the dire need of society and also shows the deaf ear that is turned to heeding the law. If only our population could step back and see the overall picture of what is happening to our society and the pathway we are on.
The lawlessness of our society is paraded daily before us on our news broadcasts. It seems that our local nightly news spends the first ten minutes entirely on crime stories, one right after another. We are a nation of lawless people. Even our “alleged” lawmakers (congressmen and other government leaders) have utter contempt for law and authority which they so obviously disregard or use for their own personal benefit. They think their ideas and laws are superior to God’s laws. Is it any wonder that our society, who is subject to their law-breaking, also has contempt for the law.
Obviously we now have ungodly people in positions of power and authority making laws that are contrary to God’s laws. Our government and courts have ruled against God and His Word and imposed their ungodly laws instead.
Proverbs 29:2 – When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
Thus America has become a godless and lawless nation and the truly righteous see it and feel the oppression of it. Our leaders have a total disregard for what God said in His Word and we, as a nation, are reaping the results.
Proverbs 14:9 & 34 – Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor. …Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
Our nation is in severe decline due to lawlessness and sin that has been orchestrated by our decayed educational agenda and immoral laws. One result of our unrighteousness and sin is the loss of our material prosperity. This explains our current economic crisis and is not going to improve until we repent and ask God for forgiveness and truly change our ways.
Proverbs 28:13 – He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Our national, and some local, leadership has turned from their God intended positions of responsibility as listed in scripture.
Romans 13:1-5 – Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
Instead of governing or ruling for righteousness, they now rule for wickedness, calling good (righteous) evil, and evil (lawlessness) good.
Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
This is why in Psalms we read that it is better to put our trust in God rather than in human rulers or the government of man.
Psalm 118:9 – It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
The die is cast, the pattern is deeply established. The consequences of our lawlessness is now being experienced as we go on breaking moral and righteous laws and follow man’s moral decline into greater sin. More and more we will find ourselves victims of a culture that has no moral values, no respect for righteous authority, no regard for right laws, and no restraint on anti-social behavior. We will reap what we are sowing to the flesh – CORRUPTION. We already see great corruption in our government. As the saying goes, “what goes around, comes around”.
True godly, moral and righteous people will cry out for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness to come! But redemption and godliness is available NOW through faith and obedience in Jesus and His Word. Our society needs Jesus now more than ever; yet Christians seem to be joining in the lawlessness of the land by way they drive and act. Where is righteousness to be seen?
The lawlessness we are experiencing is the result of our national rejection of Him and His Word. Are you LAWLESS, or LAW ABIDING. Can Jesus be seen in you by your actions and words? We will all give account to Him for how we lived in this world!
SELAH – think on that!
