“It’s only wrong if you get caught.”
We’ve all likely heard these statements before in our lives and it is possible we have even agreed with them to some extent. But Paul’s comments in his letter to the Roman church go against these sentiments. What are we to do as members of our society? Why? What is said of those who do not obey the rules of society?
Sometimes we may find the many rules of our culture, the laws within our communities and within our nation, to be a bit inconvenient. But if we believe that God is Lord of all and ruler of all things then it makes sense that the cultures and societies that have emerged are under the control of God.
If God has had a hand in creating our culture then God has been a guiding influence on the laws which have been enacted. With this logic what Paul has written must be true. God has established the authorities which govern our society. And if God has established them, then going against these rules and disobeying the law means we are disobeying God.
In the past few years I have been invited in to our local schools as a pastor to offer counseling and comfort following the deaths of at least five teen-agers. (It may be more. Honestly, I have lost count.) These deaths were the result of drug abuse, drunk driving and reckless driving. In these times of counseling I have been told by many, many others that most people knew the drinking and drug use was taking place. Most people were familiar with the reckless way the teens would drive. But no one said or did anything to stop it.
The prevalent thinking has always been that this is just the way things are. Some have said that it isn’t that wrong because lots of people are doing it.
It may in fact be the way things are and there may be a lot of people who are involved in this, but it is still wrong. It is still sinful and harmful behavior. These are destructive decisions being made repeatedly.
As Christians and followers of Jesus Christ it is our responsibility to work to stop these wrong behaviors and poor decisions. We will meet with resistance and scorn, but we will be doing what is right and holy, and ultimately what is beneficial to our society.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you help others obey the laws God has established?
