The Lure of Lawlessness

" But, of course, what mattered most of all was my deep-seated hatred of authority, my monstrous individualism, my lawlessness.  No word in my vocabulary expressed deeper hatred than the word interference.  But Christianity placed at the centre what seemed to me a transcendental interferer.  If its picture were true then no sort of 'treaty with reality' could ever be possible.  There was no region even in the innermost depth of one's soul ( nay, there least of all which one could surround with a barbed wire fence and guard with a notice ' no admittance'.)  And that was what I wanted; some area, however small, of which I could say to all other beings, 'This is my business and mine only'."
                                                                                                                                      C.S. Lewis



     In our society, it is more normal to rebel than it is to submit.  Especially to the boundaries and standards established for us by the authority and will of God.  Lawlessness abounds and the trajectory for more lawlessness is increasing.

     We do not have to search at all to find examples of this lawlessness: crime rates are increasing, drug use is increasing, terror attacks are increasing, destructive riots are increasing, mass shootings are increasing, as are the legalization of previously illegal activities.  We have people in positions of authority that are re-writing laws and even historical occurrences.  The Supreme Court is now known for ignoring the true intent and meaning of our Constitution.  And, the worst part of all, is that we are losing religious liberties and monuments with every passing day.

     There are two Greek words in the Bible used for modern society: Kosmos and Aion.  The word kosmos means " the present world order". When the Bible uses this word it means that this world is not submitted to the righteous government of God.  It is an order that is completely in rebellion against God.

     The word aion means " an age". It is a measurement of time.  This Greek word gives us the English word eon.  God's kingdom calendar consists of ages that follow one another.  The strongest phrase in the Bible is " forever and ever", which means "to the ages of ages".  ( ex. 1 Chronicles 29:10 and Revelation 22:5).

     God's Word tells us that this age will one day come to an end.  It is God's purpose, through the cross, to deliver us from this present evil age.  Here is the way it appears in the book of Galatians:
" [Christ] gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age." ( Galatians 1:4).

     The more dysfunctional our society becomes, the easier it is to point fingers at the plethora of injustices we see. But, if we only focus on the societal aspect of lawlessness, we lose the message that God would speak to us individually.  The apostle, John, explains, " Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness ( the breaking, violating of God's law by transgression or neglect- being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will)."
 ( 1 John 3:4).

     The Greek word anomia is the word used for lawlessness.  It means " a condition of being without the law because of ignorance of it or because of violating it."  It means not submitting to the law or the authority of God.

     At this point, it would be easy to assume that lawlessness only comes from people who do not know Christ.  But this assumption is false.  Jesus tells us the following parable:
" A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.  At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
But they all alike began to make excuses.  The first said, ' I have just bought a field and I must go and see it.  Please excuse me.'
Another said, ' I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out.  Please excuse me.'
Still another said, ' I just got married, so I can't come.'
The servant came back and reported this to his master.  Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ' Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame..'
'Sir', the servant said, ' what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
Then the master told his servant, ' Go out into the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.  I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"  ( Luke 14:16-23).

     This is a very sobering parable because this parable is about the Church.  Jesus is the servant and He is extending invitations to the marriage supper of the Lamb.  None of the original people invited were doing anything overtly sinful but their priorities were skewed.  They cared more about what they were doing than about obeying divine authority.

     These were not people who questioned the status of their salvation.  And yet, it was questionable.  Without submission to the Lordship of Christ, we miss the fundamental aspect of Christianity.  Most people decide they will submit only if they agree.   True Biblical submission doesn't even begin until there is disagreement.

     As the apostle Paul wrote, they have " a form of godliness but deny its power".  ( 2 Timothy 3:5).  This is the power that transforms us from being ungodly to godly.  It changes us from unholy to holy. It morphs us from being unthankful to being thankful.  It moves us from being a lover of self to a lover of others.

     The apostle Paul also tells us that " the secret power of lawlessness is already at work" ( 2 Thessalonians 2:7).  In other words, there is a mysterious seduction that lures us to do the bidding of lawlessness.  Deception first worked with Eve in the Garden of Eden, and it is actively at work today.

     The root cause of deception is found in the book of James.  He says, " Be doers of the Word [ obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [ into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]. "  ( James 1:22). The reason deception ( lawlessness) will run rampant in the last days is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:10. It says, " they did not welcome the Truth but refused to love it that they might be saved."

     The first chapter of Romans shows a downward progression in the deterioration of human character, individually and in society.  Each person is given an opportunity to choose the path of righteousness or choose the path of destruction.  If we continue on the path of destruction, eventually we will be given over to a depraved mind.  The anecdote is to not be ashamed of the Gospel and to choose to submit and honor Him.  Then, our hope becomes secured to the throne of God.

     Psalm 97:2 tells us that " righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne."  We must settle it in our hearts that there is no good thing for us outside the authority and will of God.  That must be established as part of the foundation of our existence.

     Our trust cannot be in governments, civilizations, or cultures.  We put our trust in the One who stands above institutions, history, and time- by whose power and permission they exist. We are determined to obey His precepts regardless of the backlash.  This is what will protect us from the seductive lure of lawlessness that fills our land today.


" Because of the increase of wickedness , the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."                                                                                Matthew 24:12-13