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Sin is Lawlessness
"Fools say to themselves, "There is no God." They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right." (Psalm 53:1 NET)
"And the Lord said to me: Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their ancestors of old, who refused to heed my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant that I made with their ancestors. Therefore, thus says the Lord, assuredly I am going to bring disaster upon them that they cannot escape; though they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they will never save them in the time of their trouble. For your gods have become as many as your towns, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars to shame you have set up, altars to make offerings to Baal.
As for you, do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done vile deeds? Can vows and sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? The Lord once called you, “A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit,” but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal." (Jeremiah 11: 9-17, NRSV)
As reiterated earlier, Sin is Lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Laws throughout civilizations change depending on the culture, time period and circumstances. What was once considered lawful before may eventually be considered lawless later. Similarly, what was once considered lawless before may eventually be considered lawful or at the very least benign later on.
In the Bible, murder (Exo 20:13, Mat 10:19), false testimony (Exo 20:16, Mat 10:19) and stealing (Exo 20:15,17, Mat 10:19) have been consistently considered lawless acts-- these are acts of sin.
Acts of sin are remedied by admission of guilt, restitution to the injured and prevention of the same injury in the future (Numbers 5:6-7). It is expected for the offender to not repeat sin to be considered obedient to the LORD. (John 8:10-11). Forgiveness alone is also a valid way to free yourselves from the burden of prosecuting sins (Luke 17:24)-- but it is not the only way to be obedient to the LORD.
Overall, we should treat others how we would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12) and enforce laws in line with this spirit of righteousness.
"The Pharisees (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him. But Jesus said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in men's eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God's sight." (Luke 16:14-15 NET)
"The expert in the law said to him, "That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Then no one dared any longer to question him." (Mark 12:32-34 NET)
"Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling things there, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of robbers!" (Luke 19:45-46 NET)
Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Evil One Baal are Not The Same God.
When officials fail to prosecute crimes, lawlessness becomes acceptable in society. Heinous crimes such as rape and murder become justified by apathy. In order to practice your discernment for enforcing ancient and modern laws, follow the age old addage...
"In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12 NET)
Also keep in mind, that you cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). Stand up for the most vulnerable beings in society. Take action to relieve them of their suffering in a compassionate and merciful way. Do not follow people who use godliness as a means of profiteering (1 Timothy 6:5) who also cosign others to the destruction (1 Timothy 6:9).
"Jesus answered, "I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father - and yet you [pharisees and authorities] dishonor me." (John 8:49 NET)
You cannot create sound laws under Duress.
Most of the time, people tend to agree on many things (Luke 9:49-50). We all want peace, happiness, sustinance and rest. We all want a world where we can thrive and live our lives to the fullest. However, there are people who like to exaggerate things in order to artificially create wealth or because of personal problems. Stated plainly, you cannot create sound laws under the threat of imminent death.
"And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets." (Matthew 23:30-31 NET)
"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it." (Matthew 11:12 NET)
1 Clement similarly tells us that, "Righteous men were persecuted, but it was by the lawless; they were imprisoned, but it was by the unholy. They were stoned by transgressors: they were slain by those who had conceived a detestable and unrighteous jealousy." (1 Clement 45:4)
The sacred texts let us know that-- people used violence to receive a title they were uniquely unqualified for. These unqualified people used their title to abuse others in the kingdom of God-- as means of access to wealth and because of jealousy. Jesus Christ tells us, we are not to emulate murderers (Matthew 26:52), nor abusers (Luke 11:11-13), nor liars or thieves (John 8:44).
"How else can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house." (Matthew 12:29 NET)
Laws are to be applied for mutual enforcement.
Jesus Christ also lets us know, "For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive." (Matthew 7:2 NET)
The LORD similarly attests, "...You must have the same statute for the resident foreigner and for the one who was born in the land.'" (Numbers 9:14 NET)
The spirit of the law is meant to be enforced mutually for all parties involved with no exceptions. To do otherwise is to be labeled as a hypocrite and an evildoer.
Evildoers are people who are "knowers" of the law and not "doers" of the law. In this case, the commandments of not murdering people, not stealing from people and consistently bearing false witness (1 Timothy 1: 8- 10) -- without admission to their crimes nor restitution for them!
"For those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh." (Galatians 6:13 NET)
Practice Right Judgement.
Right judgement is determined by faith, not by the works of the law. We are given immense grace by God to create and enforce laws in a way that is just and fair for all people.
"Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. But the law is not based on faith, but the one who does the works of the law will live by them." (Galatians 3:11-12 NET)
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us ...so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith." (Galatians 3:13-14 NET)
The Spirit that the biblical author is referring to is the Spirit of Righteousness that our Lord Jesus Christ exhibited. When we emulate the righteousness of Jesus (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23), we in turn receive the promised spirit in order to create and interpret laws in a righteous way. To do otherwise is to enforce the Spirit of Destruction, of apathy and sin (evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, Matthew 15:19-20), as sin is lawlessness.
I am praying that the righteous authorities heed the warning about the works of the evil one. Jesus Christ is without sin (1 John 3:5) and has saved us from sin by faith (John 5:46, John 14:1, Ephesians 2:8-9) so that we do not fall into the trap laid out by the evil one (Matthew 13:38-39). Prosecute criminals and do not associate with the wicked!
"Keep your distance from a false charge - do not kill the innocent and the righteous, for I will not justify the wicked. You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and subverts the words of the righteous." (Exodus 23:7-8 NET)
"I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one... I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me." (John 17:20-21 NET)
"... Many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:10-13 NET)
