The Bible on Trial

Legal vs. Lawful~

When you jay walk, you have brokent the law; but which law have you broken?  Or if you run a stop light you are breaking the law; but what kind of law are you breaking? If you run that stop light and cause an accident, you are breaking the law; but what type of law are you breaking? Is it different from jay walking or just sliding through an intersection on a yellow light that turns red when you cross the limit line? If you run that light and hit someone that is legally crossing in front ot you, you have broken the law; but what type of law? If you run that light as you speed away from robbing a bank, where you shot a guard, and are being chased by the police, you are breaking the law; but is that law of a different quality than the previous broken laws?

What I have described is traffic laws that have been broken, that have gone from getting a warning ticket for crossing a street outside of the lines, to felony evasion with assault with the intent to do bodily harm. The 'laws' governing these human behaviors are categorised as either 'Legal' or 'Lawful' and they are not the same.  When humans define 'law' it is either legislated in an elected body of people, or it is declared by a magistrate. These laws are codified into statutes, and are adjudicated by a judge and (possibly) a jury, that decide guilt or innocence. 

The other type of Law is often called Common Law or The Law of God, AKA the 10 Commandments. All law is based in Common Law, but all Common Law is not statute law. The 10 Commandments are the Law of the Kingdom of God. Statute Law is the law of the Kingdom of the world. To exist in a civilized world one must abide by Statute laws. To lawfully enter the Kingdom of God one must do two things; keep the Commandments of God, and hold only to the testimony of Jesus (Rev.12:17). 

Being Legal is not always Lawful.