Second Law Post

Legal standards are and sometimes are not subject to the interpretation of each individual. I do mean to say that both are true (sometimes we ought to follow the law as it is, and sometimes we must NOT follow what the law says) because in our culture there are two types of law. Christians need to approach law through two perspectives: that of the Christian law as presented by God, and that of the governmental law that governs America and our representative democracy. That being said, God's law is superior to the governmental law, and as Christians, we are called to obey God's law and man's law, unless man's law contradicts the will of God.

There are times where the legal standards are not up to the interpretation of each individual. Evidence of this fact can be seen through the righteous laws that God has established to govern the universe, as well as through the laws from the government that resonate with the laws that God has already set in motion. For example, God explicitly tells us not to steal, or murder, and we obey these laws by not emulating this forbidden behavior--we are not at liberty to redefine what "murder" or "stealing" are, and therefore can not reinterpret this clear law. Furthermore, the government has put into place laws that govern our wellbeing as free citizens in a developed nation. An example of this is traffic regulations, such as a stop sign--as law abiding citizens, we are called to stop when we see this sign, in the name of traffic safety. This law also correlates with what God has planned, because He wants us to be led by a government that will uphold standards that will keep us safe. Therefore, not only should we be avid followers of God's perfect law, we also must follow the righteous standards that the government has put into place, that regulate something as important as our safety.

There are also instances where legal standards are up to our interpretation. This instance comes into play when the governmental law conflicts with God's law. We are called to uphold God's law above man's law, and therefore are at liberty to discern if a law man has made goes against something that God has put in place. For instance, if the government passes into law the right to have an abortion (which in many state is the case already), a Christian needs to evaluate this idea, and look at scripture in order to act on it. God has forbidden murder, which is explicitly stated in scripture, and since abortion is murdering a baby, abortion is therefore prohibited in the laws that God has established. Therefore, a Christian has the right to refrain from this behavior, and can determine that it is the wrong thing to do, because God's law is superior to the laws of man.

By interpreting the laws man has given, and weighing them against what God has commanded to see the veracity of each command, a Christian can accurately determine which laws to follow and which to not follow. That being said, God has put leaders in to place to govern our nation, and we are called to respect them and what they have to say. However, we must understand that man's law is flawed and corrupt, while God's law is perfect and will sustain us. Therefore, we must actively pursue and follow what God wants us to do, while also respecting the laws created by society that resonate with God's perfect law. We are not called to be isolated from the world, just because it is corrupt; instead, we should be actively pursuing justice in our society, by following God's law and being a light in a very dark world.