The elect no longer are governed by the Law of Moses; neither are they governed by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. They are divorced from Moses but they are not married to Jesus. They are without law. They are in the gap that exists between the Law of Moses and the law of the Holy Spirit.

Two kinds of civil law are as follows: externally imposed law, such as in a monarchy; and self-government based on self-control.

Two kinds of law of the Kingdom of God are as follows: the externally imposed Law of Moses; and the rule of the Holy Spirit who is dwelling in us.

In the case of the governments of the world, the presence of sin and self-seeking in the lives of the unsaved makes it impossible for their programs of self-government to succeed. Such programs often have worthy aspirations but the sin and self-seeking of the participants destroy the programs before they accomplish their goals.

The government of the United States is filled with lying and thievery. The United States capital, Washington D.C., is one of the most crime-ridden cities of the nation. Why isn't something done about the crime in the nation's capital? It is because the principles of democracy forbid the kind of actions that would be necessary to bring about righteousness and justice. The national capital lies in the gap of lawlessness. It is both morally and fiscally bankrupt.

In the case of the Christian churches the people have left the externally imposed standard of the Law of Moses but they have not made the transition to the rule of the Holy Spirit. In many instances the Holy Spirit is not governing the Christians of today. The churches are filled with every form of the sins of the flesh, including adultery, rage, drunkenness, and greed.

One reason for such lawlessness is that a number of Christian teachers interpret the Apostle Paul's doctrine that we are not under law but under grace to mean Christ continues to receive the believer whether he serves God or whether he does not. It is a wonder Paul has not arisen from his grave because of such a distortion of his gospel!

We understand, then, that there are two classes of people living in the gap of lawlessness. Numerous members of the self-governing nations are there and many Christians are there.

It is our point of view that a marriage will take place between these two groups of lawless individuals. A world government will be formed that will be an integration of civil lawlessness and Christian and religious lawlessness.

Many Christian people of today are confused concerning the total difference between the Kingdom of God and civil self-government. Christians are being drawn into the struggle for "human rights," the struggle for the opportunity to pursue happiness (not righteousness) according to one's own scheme.

Freedom from monarchy, from the rule of a king, or even from oppressive government, does not bring true freedom to people. The true freedom, that which the Lord Jesus brings to human beings, is freedom from the bondages of sin and self-will. It is freedom to be lawful in God's sight.

The revolutionary movements of the past few hundred years have not emphasized the Kingdom of God, the rule of God's Spirit, the lordship of Christ. People have fought for freedom from monarchy because of past abuses of monarchal power. But freedom from monarchal abuses is not God's principal concern. God's principal concern is our righteous conduct in His sight. This is the emphasis of the Scriptures. This must become our emphasis.

To be continued.