Dear Matthew,
Have you ever wondered if it’s lawful for a believer in GOD or follower of JESUS to break the laws of their land? Have you faced a situation where you had to break the law to stay true to what you believe is right? Have you ever been convicted of a principle that would get you convicted if you didn’t let it go? Have you ever wondered, what if the law was wrong?
Truthfully, there’s never an easy way when ‘staying good’ and ‘doing good’ are at odds. How then do we navigate such conflicts between the culture of the world and the Word of GOD? Even when we want peace with everyone, we face dilemmas of loyalty, civility, and integrity.
Now history and records of faith are full of such moments; an example of such would be Nebuchadnezzar’s decree in Daniel chapter 3. The king built a magnificent image and commanded all to bow or die by fire (Daniel 3:1-7) but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused the unrighteous law that violated GOD’s command (Daniel 3:12-16). They chose to be lawbreakers for the sake of GOD’s Law against idolatry (Leviticus 26:1).
What do we learn from this? There’s precedence for the dilemma of upholding faith or facing a fate worse than death. Today, we face the same: obey GOD and risk losing what isn’t built on HIM, or abandon faith for temporary relief.
When the tough times are imminent, it is easy to justify keeping faith aside because your heart is right with GOD. However, “the heart alone” isn’t enough. If we say the heart is right with GOD and so actions don’t matter because we can repent later, we dig a pit while still in it. Why? Because the heart is deceitful, and actions or plans are tied to our hearts. So what we do or do not do is a direct result of the state of our hearts, whether we admit this or not.
With that out of the way, what is the assurance for sticking to what we know to be true according to GOD’s Holy Law? Well, GOD. You see, when we experience hardship, as a result of faith, it is important to remember that GOD is indeed mindful of us and that we are protected, preserved, and provided for by JESUS. Faith and grace in tormentous times perfect us. This is why the end of the story is only fitting when the three Hebrews are rescued (Daniel 3:24-29). The intervention of the fourth MAN in the fire shows us that GOD upholds those who are certain of HIS goodness.
Speaking of certainty, the three young men didn’t place earthly woes above eternal certainty. Even if GOD didn’t save them, they wouldn’t budge—this was their confession. Even if GOD doesn’t show up for us, we would show no sign of retreat from obeying HIS Law. That conviction isn’t rooted in circumstances—that’s the faith we should all hope to live by. Faced with lawless law, we should hold on to the eternal Lawgiver, our Maker and Keeper. What GOD says determines our response to life. And why not? Because HE called us out of darkness to live by HIS guidance. We are free when we listen to HIS voice.
Any law not derived from GOD’s Law should not be obeyed against it. How do we know GOD’s Law is good? It is the pillar on which creation rests—its protection, preservation, and fulfillment. So what do we do with lawless law? We stay with GOD; hard it may be. Our rest is that GOD is sovereign above the rest of the world.
For this course, I refuse to bulge or bow,
Olatunde
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