We’re watching our culture unravel, confusion about right and wrong, growing disorder and a sense that the ground beneath us is shifting.
But for those of us who believe in a higher moral authority, this shouldn’t come as a shock. When a society turns its back on the idea that law comes from something greater than ourselves, something unchanging and true, we can expect things to fall apart.
The Bible teaches that God is the ultimate source of truth and justice. His laws aren’t just spiritual guidelines; they reflect His character and give us a clear standard for how we’re meant to live. They’re not meant to burden us, but to bring peace, order and human flourishing.
But when we reject that standard, when we treat law as something we invent on our own, it becomes whatever the loudest voices or those in power say it is. What used to be called right or wrong gets rewritten, and those changes often come quickly. We see it in debates over life, marriage, gender and even how we protect our children. Without a fixed moral compass, everyone starts doing what feels right in their own eyes.
That’s where lawlessness creeps in, not just in the courts or the streets, but in the hearts of people. When there’s no anchor, we drift. The Bible describes this kind of time in Israel’s history, saying, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The result wasn’t freedom; it was chaos.
When law is no longer grounded in something unchanging, it becomes inconsistent and often unjust. One year a law protects life; the next, it doesn’t. One court decision upholds religious liberty; another undercuts it. This isn’t just confusing, it’s dangerous. When people lose confidence that the law is fair, they stop trusting it. And when they stop trusting it, they stop following it. That’s how disorder is birthed, not just politically, but socially, spiritually and morally.
The philosopher Nietzsche once warned that removing God from the picture would open the door to nihilism, the belief that nothing has meaning. And in many ways, we’re seeing the fallout of that now. If there’s no ultimate truth, leaving justice to subjectivity, law turns into a tool used for control rather than protection.
But there’s another way
When a society recognizes God as the source of law and lives by His principles, people thrive. The Apostle Paul said that government and law exist to restrain evil and reward good. That only works when law is rooted in something higher than shifting public opinion.
As Christians, we aren’t called to force our beliefs on others. But we are called to live them out boldly, speak the truth, stand for justice and be a steady, united light in a confused world. We point to a better way—not one we made up, but one God gave us.
As we see lawlessness growing around us, we shouldn’t be surprised. Likewise, we also shouldn’t lose hope. God’s truth hasn’t changed, and it still offers the only real foundation for peace, justice and an upheld society.
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