“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7
A committee convened by President Biden earlier this year by Executive Order to “study” the pros and cons of expanding the Supreme Court has released its findings. We thought this offered a great opportunity to review some critical truths about life.
First, the President’s EO was designed, as we understand it, to provide political cover to the outlandish attempt to change a court he and his allies don’t like. The previous president, as Providence had it, was able to appoint three justices during his one term. As it goes, therefore, the cherished right to unrestricted abortion could be under fire now. Yes…Roe might actually get overturned and the Democrats loathe that possibility so much that they’re seriously considering adding justices to the court. It’s like the NBA so not liking the team that will likely win the title that year that before the Finals, they unilaterally decide that Steph Curry can’t score 3’s.
Consider that for a generation now, opponents to the terrible ruling of Roe, which came down in 1973 and has cost over 60 million lives, have engaged in trying to change minds in order to change the law. The makeup of the Supreme Court right now is, by the grace of God, largely due to that effort. Many Christians voted for Donald Trump in 2016, despite his considerable personal deficits, on the sole basis of his promise to appoint exactly the kind of judges he later chose. Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Comey weren’t accidents. They are the direct results of millions of Americans loathing, not the law, but what they saw as the perversion of it.
The contrast of this with what the Democrats are now engaged in is instructive. For almost 50 years, enemies of abortion have tried to work within the law to change it. They’ve engaged their opponents in debate. They’ve tried, as Christians should, to save lives by respectfully changing minds. Now, with the possibility of the court reversing that dreadful decision, the Democrats have no intention to return the favor. Their first thought isn’t to change minds, but to change the court. In other words, raw power, not ideas, truth and debate are their first thought. Consider this next year in the event that a decision comes down that they disagree with. By their fruits we shall know them.
And this brings us to the true problem. Because America has jettisoned God’s law and replaced it with secular law, we have chaos. Unless our laws are based on God’s transcendent moral law, the only thing that truly matters is who has power. Unless our moral law is unchanging, we can have no peace. The debate over “what’s right and wrong” is, in the end, meaningless unless there’s an ultimate right and wrong. The problem is that no one gives this much thought. What’s ultimate? Who is ultimate? Every debate over right and wrong has at the bottom of it, whether we like it or not, this essential question. Our modern strife is the result of going our own way and forgetting God. We’re like warring siblings having a fight in our bedroom over every little thing. If God’s perfect and unchanging law/word isn’t our standard then there is no standard…except for power.
This is the logic of Mr. Biden’s action. The fact that he seeks “legal cover” for it shows the wisdom of the Founders. They knew that sin would tempt rulers to grab raw power for themselves. This is the logic behind the separation of powers, after all. The reality of sin demands that human authorities be limited. An unlimited human authority is hell on earth and the separation of powers is a gift from God known only to nations influenced by God’s word. The true Christian can’t imagine a life without his/her Bible; the state-idolater can’t imagine a world without big government.
With that said, Christians can rest securely in the knowledge that they live by the law of faith. We take comfort in seeing the inexorable logic of sin work itself out in the culture around us. The so-called freedom from God that the secular humanists have sought has only given them bondage and conflict. Each election grows more and more acrimonious because the king they serve isn’t the true King. But we know that we have a Ruler and a Kingdom that can’t be shaken. We know that no earthly president can pack the court of Heaven. We know Psalm 2! We know that the wages of sin are bringing men to war with each other and we should rejoice in the peace we have with God through faith in Christ.
Do you know this peace? Have you come to trust so much in Christ that His holy and life giving word is your greatest treasure? If not, how much more do you need to see from this world’s wisdom before you recognize the folly of unbelief? Do you still trust in the sinful powers of the world? Is your hope in Christ or in the fallen institutions of America – the tottering towers of education, medicine and politics? How many more lies do you need to hear from the wolves before you look past their sheep’s attire? Come to the Lord and rest in Him. Come…His Kingdom is eternal…true…and righteous.
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