Friday, November 26, 2010

Law Breakers


Driving around San Diego County, I see many people texting and talking on their phones while driving. Although there is a law in California against texting while driving and talking on the phone without a hands free device, many choose not to obey that law. Doing so is distracting people and because of it, there have been many accidents in the past, some of them fatal. There is also a law against drinking and driving, but many choose not to obey that law. Many innocent people have been hurt or killed because of the disobedience of some. People are breaking the law of the land everyday, I am not excluded, not always keeping the speed limit of 65mph on the freeways for example. There is a law against using the car pool lanes for single drivers, yet some choose not to obey that law. People that break the law are called law breakers. There are consequences for breaking the law, most likely a fine, in some case even jail time. The governing authorities will persecute law breakers and a just judge will not let a person go unpunished for breaking the law. It make me wonder, if people cannot obey laws set by men, how can they possibly obey the laws given by God? People are breaking God's laws every single day. Just as we have laws given by the governing authorities, so has God given us laws to live by. The Ten commandments given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, sets the standard of God's law by which men will be judged. Many today would argue that the Ten commandments are outdated and do not apply to today's modern society. I tend to disagree with that and I believe that God's law is perfect. The Ten commandments can be grouped in two categories, the first four, man's relationship to God and the remaining six, man's relationship to the community. By these Ten commandments, true theology and true worship, the name of God and the sabbath, family honor, life, marriage and property, truth and virtue are well protected. Many people when asked if they are a good person would answer, Yes I am a good person. Just as the self righteous religious leadership of Jesus' day thought that they were good and obeyed the law of God. Jesus proved them wrong, they thought that they had kept the law perfectly. Jesus showed them how God looks at the law versus how man looks at the law. Jesus actually, put a much higher standard on the law, pointing to man's heart rather then the outward appearance of keeping the law. Jesus said:"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." Mat 5:17, 18 Jesus fulfilled the law and kept it perfectly, He was without sin and He showed the Pharisees of His day what the law really meant.  The Pharisees thought themselves to be righteous and perfect before God, but their supposed righteousness was nothing more than self righteousness and pride.  "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Mat 5:20
The religious leadership thought they obeyed the law and thus were ok with God, and Jesus pointed them to the last six commandments. "You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment." The leadership would have answered Jesus that they never murdered anybody. Jesus went on to say: "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." Mat 5:22 Jesus was saying that if someone hates another person, that they have already committed murder in their heart. The religious leadership of the Jews hated for example the Gentiles, the Samaratian or any others that were not of Jewish descend, they thought that God created the Gentiles for heating up Hell fire. He went on to say: "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery." Mat 5:27 Again, the leadership would have said, "we never slept with another women, we have not committed adultery." Jesus: "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Mat 5:28. Again Jesus points to the heart of man, they may not had any adulterous relations but they by just lusting after a woman, committed adultery in their hearts. Jesus went on with some other examples, showing them that it is a heart issue and that they all had broken the law. So even today many call themselves good from an outward perspective, not considering that God looks at the heart. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Mat 15:19
If people cannot obey simple laws like not texting and talking on the phone while driving, how can they think that they are ok with God when their day of judgment will come? None of us can keep the law perfectly, Christ has set the believers free from the law that was a tutor to bring us to Christ, He did what we could not do. As believers we are forgiven of all transgressions by the shed blood of Christ on the cross, he died for the sin of the world. By receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior by faith saves the believer from the wrath of God that will come upon all law breakers. If you are not a believer and you either think that God does not exist or that you can defend yourself on the day of judgment, please think again. A just judge must judge just and fair and cannot allow lawbreakers to go free, a price/fine needs to be rendered. Jesus has paid the price, He took the punishment of our transgressions. By believing and asking for forgiveness, a person is declared justified before God, because God has imputed the righteousness of Christ on the believer. Think of what will happen when the day of judgment comes and God declares you guilty and the punishment is eternal separation from God. Why did I refuse to believe? God loves every person, but He cannot allow sin in His kingdom, Jesus cleanses a person from all sin and unrighteousness. God does not want anybody to perish, but it is a choice that you have to make, God does not force Himself on anybody, He has given every man a free will to choose. Eternity is a long time, forever and ever, being tormented, thinking why did I not listen?


"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16




 

2 comments:

  1. Linked here from JT's. Good post. I like your emphasis on the 10 Comm. being a matter of the heart. When we realize God wants these principles in our heart, they certainly apply today! Good job.

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  2. Thank you Warren for your input and nice comment, much appreciated.

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