There Ought To Be a Law

I track with local news in multiple cities and am often looking at the headlines.What I’ve noticed about the comments that follow tragic events is a call for more or tighter laws or stiffer penalties.

There is a certain wisdom that goes along with this, and the comments emerge from people of different political opinions about the blessing or curse of government in our lives.

This article above was posted when a 97-year-old man (!) drove his car into a the front window of a McDonald’s in Grand Rapids, MI. My first thoughts were gratitude that no one was injured and embarrassment for the man. Who knows what his story is? Maybe he lives along and a trip to McDonald’s for a burger was going to his only meal that day?

But in the comments are the typical snarky comedians and wisdom-of-the-people in asking, “Why is that man even driving?” “Every human should be required to be tested every 5 years…”

This reaction of increasing legislation in the wake of error or tragedy is another place where our hearts and minds echo God’s Story, where the original tragic event of disobedience had to be met with increasing legislation.

The first couple broke God’s single law; not to eat the fruit of the tree for which they weren’t ready for (or it ready for them). This act of disobedience necessitated increasing rules and regulations about how a sinful people were to live under a God who would have no tolerance for imperfection.

Just like laws and penalties of today’s justice system, the law of God was given to serve as a deterrent and just penalty for living unrighteously. Yet, like our laws, just because they’re written doesn’t mean that the people will obey.

All the more amazing that Jesus came to fulfill all the law by radical obedience to God’s will, even to the point of surrendering his life for us so that we could be declared righteous.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [Colossians 2:13-14]