It is Settled!

A series of lessons from the Bible

by Howell Lasseter

God's Law First!

Why is it so difficult for man to understand correctly the Word of God? Does he attempt to do with God's Word what some in our nation attempt to do with the laws that govern our land? An Alabama judge has suffered much criticism because he placed a placard with the "Ten Commandments" on it on the walls of his courtroom. While the law under which the "Ten Commandments" were given, that being the "law of Moses," or "the old covenant" (Hebrews 8:13), is not the law to which we are responsible today, nine of the "Ten Commandments" are included in the New Testament. In most Bibles, the cover page before Genesis 1 states "The Old Testament," and before Matthew 1, "The New Testament." The "Ten Commandments," given in Exodus 20:1-17, are not "binding" on us today; that law was for the Jewish nation, and was in force from 1493 B.C. to 33 A.D. Yet, nine of these "Ten Commandments" are binding on us today because they are found in the "New Testament." Understanding that the "New Testament" is contained in that portion of scripture from Acts 2 to Revelation 22, which one of the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20 is not found in the New Testament? Watch for the answer to this question in next week's article.

The laws of our land change. Currently, the speed limit for most of US Rt 35 through our county is 65 MPH. Yet, many paid fines for speeding when the speed limit was 55 MPH. Does that make their fines illegal? No. At the time they were fined, 55 MPH was the legal speed limit.

Your writer at one time worked in law enforcement. At that time, a warrant of arrest could be served on a man and a woman for adultery. It is doubtful that the law forbidding adultery still exists in that state. But, it is still a law - a higher law than the law of any state, or nation. It is still the law of God (Galatians 5:19). God defines very specifically "adultery." If a man or a woman has been married before, has divorced their mate for any grounds other than adultery, and re-married, God says the new marriage is adulterous (Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12).Today, not only do the laws of our land permit adultery; they permit the murder of the unborn. So far, the law does not permit the murder of a child who is already born. But, God's law condemns the killing of the unborn as well as the born.

We who are children of God have a responsibility to obey the laws of our land (Romans 13:1-7). Yet, when the nation's laws contradict God's law, Christians obey God. In addition to laws permitting the murder of the unborn and the marriage of adulterers, consider the example of "lying under oath." Does that mean that, as long as one is not under oath, lying is acceptable? We close today with Revelation 21:7,8: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (emphasis mine-HL).