Rule of Law 2

For two plus centuries the USA has operated under the “Rule of Law”.  This idea was declared by God about 1440 BC and written by His own “hand” in stone – the Ten Commandments!  It was a Rule of Law that every person needed to live in subjection and thankfulness to God and to treat others in love and only do to others what they would desire done to themselves (Matthew 7:12).

The USA was also heavily influenced by the Rule of Law as declared by a group of lords and agreed to by King John in 1215 – the Magna Carta.  This declaration was that all men, kings and lords alike, were to be in subjection to a written code – the Rule of Law!  No man was to be above or outside of the law.

The Rule of Law idea was radical and important to the ancient Israelites after centuries of living under a Pharaoh and the same was true of the Brits and Europeans after years of serfdom.  The Rule of Law was a cornerstone of “an experiment” in self government embarked upon in 1776 when a group of settlers declared their independence from a dictatorial king.

But somewhere along the line – maybe a hundred years ago with significant steps taken in the 1950’s or 60’s – the USA began a drift away from the Rule of Law.

As for the Ten Commandments, I don’t know of a particular case or have certain date but somewhere the Ten got scuttled.  I think this first happened in the church when the Ten was rejected for grace.  While the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Law were trumped after Jesus, the moral – the Ten – was not!  Throwing out the Ten left a moral vacuum that the world was quick to fill.

As for the Magna Carta, its demise was likely a slow death that came with college professors and liberals arguing that the Constitution is a “living document.”  Living meaning it needed to adjust to fit the times.  That philosophy undermined the “Charter’s” strength and set up its collapse.

So how is the USA ruled today?  Mostly by the Supreme Court.  After all, the Supreme Court decided in June of 2015 that marriage was no longer exclusive to one male and one female.  The Supreme Court has for the last 80 years or more taken the place of God and writing its own “Ten Commandments” or 613 Commandments or any other number as to dealings with Authority (Commandments 1-5) and Relationships (commandments 6-10).  In addition to SCOTUS replacing the Ten, a bureaucracy has replaced the Magna Carta.  Only in the past handful of years has the rule of the laws of agencies like the IRS emerged.

God has charged governments with a duty:  Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil, Romans 13:1-4.

Government, by God’s edict, is to promote and applaud good and be a threat and punishment to evil.  In days past, that meant those who lie, cheat, hurt, disobey and break the law were to fear the man with the gun – the government and its agents – the police and army.  But today, what is evil and what is good is nearly reversed of what the Bible declares in the Ten and what the Constitution, especially the first two Amendments, guarantees.  You know, freedom of speech, assembly, petition and to openly exercise one’s religion (not just worship).

Today our government is promoting good and putting down and putting away evil per its definitions of good and evil.  And those definitions are NOT historic!