Lawlessness – Part 1
Categories: Bulletin Articles
For years the town had been controlled by the outlaws. Cattle rustlers commonly preyed on unsuspecting cowboys as they worked hard to make a living. The local sheriff was in the back pocket of several known thieves and bandits. The town’s unofficial boss was the saloon owner who relished the opportunity to get a stranger drunk or sell the wares of his female employees. The U.S. Marshall knew coming into this town that he had a job cut out for him with the rampant lawlessness that seemingly oozed out of the cracks in the sidewalks.
The mystique of the Old West continues to linger in the consciousness of our society even though those ways are long past. Yet, when we think of the term “lawlessness” the above paragraph is exactly the way we picture the word. We may even conjure up memories of a Louis L’Amour or Zane Grey novel as we mull over the word. There wasn’t quite anything as lawless in our recent memories as the Old West! Yet today, we are living in a time of lawlessness.
The scriptures give us a somewhat different picture than the Old West. In Matthew 7:23, Jesus says, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'” (ESV). Both the King James Version and the American Standard Version of 1901 translate this word “iniquity.” But it is best translated “lawlessness” as the ESV does. The word comes from the Greek word ANOMIA. This word is composed of both the Greek word NOMOS meaning “law” and the prefix “A” which negates the meaning. The resulting word means one who disregards law or one who is lawless. So, in Matthew 7:23, one who is lawless works lawlessness.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley