The turmoil in our land and in the whole world raises the question, why would anyone desire to live without law? When you come to a red light, in our country, for your safety and the safety of others, you stop. It is not lawful for you to go into your neighbor’s garage and steal his lawnmower. We all pay monthly premiums for health, car and home insurance to provide coverage in case of damage to ourselves or to our property. People should not be driving a car without insurance. All of these cases indicate we should appreciate living in a lawful society. Why then when men come to religion do they suddenly stop thinking as if the idea of man without law is acceptable to God.
Twice in the book of Judges we are told that every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25). Neither statement declares there was no law. Instead the matter in both verses was there was no king, that is no one to enforce the law. They had the ten commandments, statutes and judgments from the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus and priests to teach the law. Law was present but there was no one to enforce the law and make men accountable for their choices. Under those conditions every man became his own law and made choices based on himself. The prophet Jeremiah stated that man cannot direct his own steps (Jer. 10:23). God said about the days of Noah, that the thoughts of man were on evil continually (Gen. 6:5).
Do children raise themselves? God provided for parents in the home to help guide the thinking and the choices of children growing up in the home. When we come to the two passages in Judges all we have are adults trying to guide themselves. Such conduct does not work with a child nor does it work when they cross over to become adults. There has never been a time when God did not place before mankind, law. A world that did not have written revelation before the law of Moses, knew the judgment of God that certain conduct would result in spiritual death (Rom. 1:32). They may not have “known” God but they understood their conduct was beyond moral consideration. Who did they want for their friends? Those who shared the same view about lawless behavior, even from a moral position.
God have given all humanity moral truths that will bless any neighborhood where people strive to live moral lives. God’s spiritual laws rise higher than morality alone. God speaks about the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The things produce, cited in both verses 22,23, refers to Christians who strive to obey the law of Christ. Many years have passed in which the religious world tried to promote the idea of faith only. We then, in the church, had preachers who drank from those wells far too long and arrived at the conclusion that we are saved by grace alone. Grace alone is just the old warmed up doctrine of faith alone.
Paul raised the question, should we continue in sin that grace may abound (Rom. 6:1). The answer came in verse 2 by explaining that is not what God desires for us. People foolishly go to John 1:17 to say that the law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus. I say go to foolishly because they attempt to convey the idea we are today under grace and not under law. Bear in mind that man cannot live without law that both blesses and restricts him.
The restrictions are in place to prevent one from making moral and spiritual choices that will lead men from God. Grace and truth are also called, “the law of the Spirit (Rom. 8:2); the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2); the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25); and the law of faith (Rom. 3:27). Those who spout off about grace only will find perfect friendship with denominational preachers and they will not lead men to Christ and His law.