Just Because It's Legal...

Articles

Jared Hagan
01/26/13 - Government

The elections results last November surprised me. I did not expect 55% of voting Coloradans to approve recreational marijuana use. This result got me to thinking about the difference between man’s law and God’s law.

The government and God are at odds. They do not agree. Divorce is legal for any cause and a person can get married again no matter how many times they have been married before. God does not agree with this (Mt. 19:9). The government has determined that unborn children are not alive. God does not agree with that either as John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit while still in the womb (Lk. 1:15). Colorado has deemed alcohol along with marijuana to be suitable recreational activities. On the other hand, God does not want us to get drunk, high, buzzed, or whatever else you want to call it (Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:18; I Pet. 4:3). Instead we are to be sober (I Cor. 15:34) and in control of ourselves (Gal. 5:22-23). The government has deemed blasphemy and filthy language to be appropriate in public and on television. God has a different law on this as well (Eph. 4:29; 5:3-5).

Marijuana was only the most recent issue that came up in the laws, and unless the world comes to an end soon, it will not be the last issue. How far behind will homosexual marriage be? We must remember and remind those around us that the laws of men are not the same as the laws of God and they definitely are not higher than the laws of God.

Consider the following points:

Just because the government says you can do something doesn’t mean you should. The government has been established by God (Rom. 13:1). That does not give it authority over God but rather means it must submit itself to God. It also means that we must choose to listen to God over the government (Acts 4:18-20; 5:29).
Our standards must be higher than man’s because our goal is to please God rather than men. It is not enough for us to be like everyone around us (Mt. 5:46-48). And we will not please God by seeking the approval of men (Mt. 6:1-2). In fact, that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Lk. 16:15).
The majority is not a good moral guide. We live under a government which gives great consideration to the thoughts of the majority. However, we should not be surprised that the majority of people do not understand the truth (Mt. 7:13-14). Unfortunately, the way to heaven will be found and occupied by the minority and not the majority

Drug use, abortions and homosexuality are still hot topics of discussion in this country… for now. There was a time when divorce was also scandalous. Those days are gone, however, and now divorce is considered to be normal. Not surprisingly, divorce is widely practiced and is a problem even in the churches. We would be foolish to assume that abortion, homosexuality and recreational marijuana will not follow a similar path. We must not let it slip into our lives once the public outcry dies down and the sins become normalized.