Slade wrote: > For those of you who think you can speed and not > be committing sin, read the following (Romans 13).
I'm not sure if you are directing this toward me or not, but I'm responding because I feel that I might not be understood on this subject. This speeding subject is a very good one to help us distinguish between "the written word / being legalistic" and "the living word / being led of the Spirit." I hope you make an effort to grasp what I am teaching on this subject. First, we must understand that most traffic violations are not crimes. They are civil infractions. It would be illegal for the authorities to punish you with incarceration or other penalties that are used for crimes. A fine is the most that can be imposed. Ask yourself why our authorities do not consider it a crime. Note that some traffic violations are crimes, such as "reckless driving," but simply exceeding the speed limit is not a crime, unless it endangers someone when you are doing it. Second, try to see the relationship between sin and crime. Sin is something that damages someone else, either your neighbor or God. For example, sins are things like stealing, murder, adultery, idolatry, taking the Lord's name in vain. Civil crimes are generally those actions which damage your neighbor or yourself. In our society, we don't have crimes against God much anymore. Therefore, crimes are things like stealing and murder. Are you starting to see the overlap here? Third, I believe that the traffic laws need to be followed. They maintain order in our society and prevent sin. They prevent damage from happening. For example, if someone runs their car into another person's car, they have sinned against that person. Stop signs, traffic lights, and speed limits help prevent these sins from happening. I do not own a radar detector, nor do I exceed the speed limit because nobody is getting hurt by it. I accept whatever the rules that the authorities have put into place, and I submit myself to these rules. Fourth, understand that there are exceptions to speeding laws. If you were bringing someone to the hospital in an emergency, and a policeman pulled you over, he would not write you a speeding ticket. He would give you a police escort and help you speed safely to the hospital. The fact that such exceptions exist tells you that the laws are not precise enough to define true righteousness in every situation. Police exercise a certain level of judgment when they enforce traffic rules, because the rules are meant to promote safety. The goal of what the rules are meant to accomplish is what is in sight, not the idea that the rule must be followed at all costs. A legalist might think it immaterial that police officers exercise some level of judgment, but I think his mind is in the wrong place if that is the case. He is like the Pharisees always accusing Jesus and not being able to judge righteous judgment. We ought to be able to see the overall good and right in any situation and not be dependent upon written rules and regulations. I'm not saying that written laws are not needed, but they only serve as a guideline to help us find our way, until we are able to make good judgments ourselves about right and wrong. Some people in this category may find themselves being put in positions of authority to create these laws themselves, as part of our legislature. The point that I was trying to make before was that only a legalist would call it a sin for someone to slip over the speed limit accidentally for a few seconds. Why? Because he is concerned with what is written and abiding by what is written. Clearly, the traffic law has been violated if we take this perspective. I brought up Matthew 12 to show how Jesus's apostles also violated laws in this technical way, but Jesus said that the Torah scholars who pointed this out had condemned the guiltless. Therefore, Jesus reveals to us a righteousness that is greater than the Torah. It is this kind of righteousness that we need to grab a hold of, because it is what distinguishes the righteousness that comes through Christ from the righteousness that comes from observing Torah. This kind of righteousness is scary to some people, because it sounds "liberal," but when we find that the righteousness that comes through Christ exceeds the righteousness of the letter of the law, and that those who are righteous through Christ fulfill the righteousness that the law points to, then we become confident that this is not some fake righteousness, but righteousness in deed and in truth. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
