Since Judge Roy Moore posted the Ten Commandments in his Alabama court room, the argument has raged over whether he had violated the fictitious "separation of church and state." With two local judges joining Judge Moore, in the face of the ACLU suit against him, the discussion has entered the pages of the Telegraph-Forum. I would like to contribute to the discussion.
Some think that it is a good thing to have them posted; others think it may be good, but it is illegal. Some think that society may be improved by posting them; others believe that it is not necessary because mankind has the tenets of the commandments written in their hearts.
If the tenets of the Commandments are written in men’s hearts, why do we have an increase in almost every category of sin condemned by the Commandments? Why are so many people willing to accept that moral decline without a whimper of protest? If men naturally know better, why do they not do better? Could it be that they don’t really know better and don’t want to know better because they don’t want to do better?
The Bible says, ". . . for where no law is, there is no transgression" (Romans 4:15). If I am not confronted by the posted Commandments, maybe I won’t have to admit that I am a sinner before God. The Bible says further, "Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). If I don’t know the law, maybe I won’t be judged by the law. No. I can drive as fast as I wish until there is a legal posted limit. Then I am accountable for the speed at which I drive. And "ignorance of the law is no excuse." God has posted the limit, whether it is duplicated in the courtroom of a judge, or not. I am accountable whether I read them or not.
God did not intend that you should use the Commandments as a means of earning merit points toward entrance into Heaven. He intended that you see them, hear them, note them and conclude by them that you have sinned and come short of the glory of God. He never intended that you should attempt to justify yourself by them, but that you should acknowledge your need of His Son as your Savior from sin.
The Ten Commandments are not a key chain charm to make you a better person. They carry no magic power to improve a sinful society. But having said that, I do believe that they should be visible in a court room, a school room, or any other facility, public or private, as an arrow pointing men to God’s salvation provided by the atoning death of Jesus Christ. I do not believe that the government should legislate their placement, but if a judge, or a principle, or the janitor, even, wishes to place them there, society may well be directed toward conviction, acknowledgment and repentance of sin. In God’s sight, that is a necessary thing for deliverance from sin.