You Can’t Legislate Morality

“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. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” ROMANS 13:1-2

 

PONDER THIS

One reason God has given us human government is to restrain evil. Have you ever heard the phrase; “You can’t legislate morality”? That is absolutely true. You can’t legislate morality. There is not a law on earth that can make you moral. That’s the reason we must have laws that legislate against immorality. Law can’t make you good, only God can make you good. The government is not here to make you good.

There’s not a law on earth that can make you love me. So, I have to have one to keep you from killing me. There’s not a law on earth that can make you honest, so we have to have laws that keep you from stealing. There’s not a law on earth that can keep you from lying, so we have to have laws against perjury. Romans 7:7 says: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” The role of government and law has its place. We have all learned from it and are called to abide by it—not to get God’s favor but to glorify God in the way we live for Him.

What are the ways you have seen the law to be helpful?

How have you seen the truth that the law cannot make you good?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for God-honoring development and execution of laws in our country.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Sexual Immorality Destroys Nations

BIBLE MEDITATION

“…as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Jude 1:7

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

No society can long endure that takes a loose view of sex. That’s a proven historical fact. Edward Gibbon, in his book The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, listed the causes of the fall of Rome in order of their importance. Number one on the list was sexual immorality. In fact, it led to the downfall of Greece, Egypt, and Babylon. It may well be the sin that destroys America.

Immorality causes us to sin against society. You can put it down: People who treat sex lightly treat other human beings lightly also.

Immorality is the enemy of the home; and the enemy of the home is the enemy of the nation. Faith that doesn’t begin at home rarely gets a chance to begin. I’m concerned that in America we see the existence of a God-centered Christian home, the nuclear family as an institution, quickly disappearing.

None of us live to ourselves and none of us die unto ourselves. The Bible teaches, “You are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:16), and “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:17). When a member of a church lives in sexual immorality, he sins against the body of Christ. The Bible says, “How should this happen? God forbid.” This should cause us to fall on our faces and weep before Almighty God.

ACTION POINT

We need to both teach our children and warn them. This is clear, plain, and for their well being. And we need to demonstrate it, modeling this before our children.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How Are You Morally Guarding Your Children?

BIBLE MEDITATION

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

What has led to the moral impurity we see today? What has caused the situation that we find ourselves in? In the first place, the attitude of modern parents who cannot wait for their children to grow up.

We see boys and girls dating at the age of ten, going steady by the time they're thirteen, then we’re shocked when they’re in some sort of life-altering situation before they're old enough to vote.

Schools with sex education classes in kindergarten have done a lot of enabling here.

Unmonitored screen time is another culprit.

May God have mercy upon us.

ACTION POINT

We’re pushing young people into situations they’re not emotionally and mentally capable of handling. Young people today find themselves playing with matches in dry grass. And we as parents must take responsibility. Are we protecting them or asleep at the wheel?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers