Is it ever OK to break the Law?

OK, first off let me apologize. I've been looking at this thing for a couple of hours now and I still haven't articulated what I want. So, if you have questions, please email me and be specific with your questions. I hope this article helps you think a little deeper, but more importantly I hope it makes you examine your own motives for asking such a question. That seems to be more at the heart of this question than the actual answer. And now...off we go.

The "Law" can mean two things in this question. It could mean spiritual Laws or it could mean governmental laws. In some cases these overlap. For example: do not steal, do not murder, etc. We will look at this from the perspective of both. For God gives us guidance about both.

When we ask this question, we must ask ourselves why are we asking it. If you are asking it just to try to get away with something, then the answer is irrelevant. If you have a legitimate concern, then please approach this with an open mind.

Let's look at a classic example: David and Goliath. The account can be found in 1 Samuel 17. David, the classic good guy, goes out to fight the evil giant Goliath. Goliath has mocked God and David goes to defend God's honor. To do this, David out and out murders Goliath. Keep in mind this is after God has sent His commandments including: "Thou shall not murder." So how does David get away with this?

First it should be noted that David taking on Goliath is looked on favorably in Bible by implication. God had previously sent Samuel to anoint David as the new king when God rejected Saul. God has examined David's heart and finds it worthy to be king. (1 Sam 16:7) Before this act of death David clearly states that God will be one responsible for delivering him from Goliath. (1 Sam 17:37,45-47) We can make the assumption that God truly was behind David's victory and therefore say that David had God's endorsement to kill Goliath. So God "OK'ed" breaking the law. Kinda.

If David was "in the clear" for killing Goliath (and everyone else he killed) then wouldn't God be violating His own Law? Yes, when God says something, He means it. This includes the command to not murder. David killed people, there is no way around that one. David is guilty. But that is why David can exclaim with such emotion his sinfulness and need for God throughout the Psalms. You see, David was acting on God's will, but he was still held accountable by the Law. This just shows again that man needs a savior.

There are layers to God's will. God's general will is to not murder, however many times in Scripture we see Godly people committing murder. (Another example is Ehud in Judges 3:12-30) God sometimes has a more specific will. In the the case of Goliath, it was God's will that Goliath die for his affront to God, however God never commanded it. This came about through David's own actions. So, God's wrath came upon Goliath in the form of David, but David is still accountable for his actions because of the Law.

At first glance this may seem unfair, but let's think a little deeper and look at an example a little closer to home. Everyone agrees that we had to go to war in World War 2. Hitler had to be stopped. But during the course of the war we killed many more people besides Hitler himself. Does this mean we shouldn't have gone to war? No, of course not! We couldn't stand back and let Hitler take over the world and continue to senselessly kill millions of people, but we are still accountable for the sin of killing people.

Even little laws, like the speed limit (guilty...), God asks us to follow. Romans 13:1 "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." This clearly says: "Follow the law of the land!"

Sometimes breaking the law, like in the case of war, is necessary to accomplish God's will. However we are still accountable for that sin. This DOES NOT give us a free license to break the law whenever we can make a case that it is God's will! Even in the case of David and Ehud, God never told them to commit those murders. They chose to do that themselves. God uses situations for His glory and His will, including our sin. Again, this is not free license to sin.

If there is some specific way that you feel the law needs to be broken, talk with a pastor before ever coming close to doing it. Murder is an extreme example, but even stealing "for the greater good" or running a red light to catch up with someone so you can share gospel with them are examples of breaking the law. Notice that the latter two example are probably just people rationalizing to get what they want. That's why we have to ask ourselves why are we worried about breaking the law? Most of the time it is our own selfishness that we are trying to satisfy under the guise of a godly purpose.

In conclusion, DON'T BREAK THE LAW! Most times it is NOT God's will, God uses our ill choices to bring about His glory. Never break the law simply on your own thought process. ALWAYS seek Biblical counsel from many people but always your pastor.