A nation can suffer no greater loss than the loss of respect for law. With every increase in lawlessness, our nation grows weaker.
The Bible says that part of being a good Christian is being a good citizen, and part of being a good citizen is obedience to the law. In the 13th chapter of Romans we are told that government is of God, for our good, and for the punishment of evildoers.
Therefore every Christian ought to honor and obey all laws and at the same time demand an impartial enforcement of the law. Every law is important. To disregard any law weakens respect for every law. Probably the most often violated laws are traffic laws. These laws, like all others, are made for our general good and should be strictly observed.
Parents should teach their children respect for law. This requires both child-discipline and self-discipline. The parent who teaches a child to obey the law and then speeds on the highway is a hypocrite. The parent who sides with a child against law enforcement officials is tearing down respect for all authority.
Preserving respect for law is every Christian’s responsibility. Therefore, in the words of Lincoln, “Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in schools and colleges. Let it be preached from the pulpit. Let it be proclaimed in legislative halls. Let it be enforced in courts of justice. Let it become the political religion of the nation. And let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, of both sexes and of all tongues and colors, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.”