Nena Arias | March 7, 2022
“But if you do wrong, be afraid,”
(Romans 13:4)
The widespread crime wave rising in America among the citizenry is without precedent in our lifetime. Pockets of riots and looting are not new in this country as a result of protests, so, from time to time we have witnessed these uprisings. In the past, they were pretty much isolated incidents and were soon dealt with and law and order returned. The lawbreakers were met with proper sanctions that discouraged others from getting involved in these acts of lawlessness. That was the past.
But what we are seeing now of widespread crime has no precedent in America, at least in my lifetime of over seven decades.
It is important to note that in the natural, crime is no respecter of persons because an evil heart is innate in all humans. Only through the power of God and the will of people surrendered in repentance to the regeneration of the heart through Jesus Christ can there come real and lasting change. Otherwise, given the circumstances and pressure, sadly people will choose evil instead of good.
When freely allowed, evil is no respecter of persons. The preacher, policeman, lawyer, doctor, educator, and every other “respectable” profession is just as prone to evil as the common criminal and thug running the streets of our cities.
It is a tragedy that in the cities across America, crimes have soared due to liberal prosecutors and misguided laws. We have seen so-called bail reform and defunding the police as moves to supposedly make us a more kind and generous nation, but it is all backfiring on us. Violent criminals are allowed back on the streets sometimes within hours of having committed heinous crimes to continue offending and hurting innocent people repeatedly. The irony is that now our judicial system affords the criminal more rights than to their victims.
The concern for crime is now controlling our lives as we forcefully have to be more vigilant of our surroundings even while shopping for groceries and carrying out our errands. It has forced many to go out and buy guns and apply for a concealed carry permit to have a way of defending themselves against an attacker. This absurd notion we thought we would never see in this country is that crime and criminals don’t deserve to be justly punished. The foundation of our justice system has always been punishment that fits the crime. But apparently now it’s turning into crime without punishment.
This notion that criminals will change their evil ways if only they are given another chance is absurd and dangerous for our society. In some states, like California, the death row in San Quentin is being dismantled by the radical left Governor Gavin Newsome. A “positive healing environment” does nothing to reduce crime. Rather it has just the opposite effect since criminals know that no matter the degree of their violent, criminal acts there will be no equal punishment for them.
Do we think we are smarter than God when it comes to establishing order and punishing crime? We cannot live right without the proper authorities doing their duty. He tells us in Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
Criminals who do not fear proper retribution for their crimes will only keep committing them because evil is embedded in the hearts of unregenerated human. Only God’s power can transform and regenerate the heart.
If we do not meet crimes with the punishment they deserve, we will be run over by anarchy, where everyone does what they think is right in their own eyes. Freedom will totally be destroyed, and we will reap the severe consequences.