Morality and Legality – Two Guiding Lights

Part One

Once upon a time, God established a grand light (imagine the Sun) to enlighten our paths on the Earth. The light revealed what was true and exposed what was evil. It shall be called Morality. Men began to hide from this light, living in shadows and doing what they knew was contrary and perverse.

God chose a people to lead, and bestowed on them a secondary guiding light (imagine the Moon), by which they could exercise judgment and order. This is what the Israelites received as the Law.  It was borne from Morality.  Where Morality was not easily discerned, the Law was a clear standard for justice.

In other lands, men also, perceiving the need for such a legal framework, created lights of their own to help them exercise justice. For certainly, all could not live up to the glorious light, which set a standard too high for any to be justified!

The secondary lights, which are called Legality, are similar but different in all the lands where they are established. However, they were all borne from the primary, grandiose light. (Imagine a big circle of Morality, then small overlapping circles of Legality within it).

In the beginning, the lights were made to complement one another, for Morality and Legality both guided the actions of civilizations. Some strove to abide by Morality only, and rejected Legality as man-made and man-serving. However, where the lesser light of Legality shone, judgments of life and death were made only by it... Where it did not illuminate, men judged and killed one another in accordance with their perception of the greater light of Morality.

Part Two

However, those who judged by Morality were no more united than those who lived by a legal framework. Their judgments were unequal at best or unjust at worst, and were as diverse as the many different legal frameworks. So the regard due to Morality was diminished as Legality proved a better tool for unifying those who submitted to it.

Legality grew bigger and wider, and many forms of it merged to become one. However, in light of those who rejected this new force and continued to exercise their judgments based on Morality alone, the civilized met to agree to dissociate from Morality altogether as a guiding principle for Legality.

Slowly but surely, the lesser light moved away from the confines and rays of the grand light. Where they overlapped, there was unity among all people.  But where there was no overlap, bitter disagreements and fighting ensued, that plunged the people into misery.  Defendants of Morality refused to be led by the proponents of Legality, who refused to draw upon the wisdom of Morality in their framework, which sought to impact on all the world.

As the tide turned against Morality, the God who established this great light, and put an awareness of it in the heart of His creation was rejected.  Many denied that He ever existed at all.  Men were puffed up in their own wisdom and trusted only in themselves to decide what was right or wrong, and to make judgments of life and death.

Because they would not retain the knowledge of Him in their minds, God gave them over to a depraved mind (Rom 1:26-32), to will and to do all the evil their hearts could conceive of.  Soon the time would come when there is no more correlation between Morality and Legality.  Woe unto the inhabitants of the world at such a time.

Part Three

"But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt 6:23).

At the end of time, the world is plunged into darkness, for with the relegation of Morality to enlighten judgments, and to construct fair legal frameworks, Legality is perverted.   The wisdom of man is found to be foolishness, as their short-sighted judgments leave repercussions for the new generation to face, from which there is no deliverance.  Having never known Morality, being born into the dim light that was Legality, their greatest good is despicably evil.

Of this time, it is written: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim 3:1 -7).

The time is upon us.  This is a time when those who still hold to Morality will be heavily persecuted, for the inhabitants of the world hate this great light, which constantly reminds them of their wretchedness.  Wherever the light is shining, they seek to put it out.

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

The Supreme Light came to reveal Himself long ago, and to call all men from darkness into His glorious light (John 1:9-14)...such that all who would believe and hold fast to Him would be saved from the coming judgment of the Creator. [ctt_hbox link="ccown" via="yes" ]By His resurrection power, His light now shines through all who believe in Him; and though they may die, yet they shall live. #GraceandTruth @UfuomaeeA !ref[/ctt_hbox]

The time of tribulation for the Saints of God is at hand.  We are called to shine forth His light within us (Matt 5:16), boldly, knowing that we will be hated as He was (John 15:18).  Stand firm and hold fast to your great reward.  Do not be discouraged; "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal 6:9-10).

Photo credit: www.pixabay.com