Lawless

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

What would the highways and byways be like without the law? How would traffic conduct itself without policemen working to enforce safe passage of all vehicular traffic?

It’s hard to imagine automobile traffic functioning properly without a law in effect. What does traffic law accomplish? Has it always been in place? Well, the answer to that question is: No. Traffic law only came into being after traffic came into existence, and after traffic safety became an issue.

I can’t remember the story exactly, (but I think it is true,) that in some state like West Virginia, (or somewhere like that,) that when cars were first invented, there were only two cars in the whole state - and they ran into each other.  

And inherently we understand that. If cars are on the road without a law, crashes and mayhem will result. It doesn’t seem to matter how many cars there are, (although certainly more cars means more probability of accidents and mayhem.) The problem is the flawed nature of the drivers. Some want to go too fast, some want to be first, some want to text while driving. There is no end to the failure present in human nature that will lead to accidents if left unabated. And, even with a very constrictive law in place these things still happen – so our thought is: What would it be like if there was no law? Could we even make it home from church? (You’d really be taking your chances at that very first intersection out there.)

So, even though we hate speed limits, and waiting on red lights, we also understand they are required – because of all those other folks out there who drive like idiots. You can’t trust those people without a law to protect…me. So I have a kind of grudging respect for the law, and I admit its necessity. Now comes along a preacher named Paul who says there is no longer any need for the law. Can you believe that? He says the Holy Spirit inside of us will govern our conduct to such an extent an external law is not needed.

-  Pastor Bill