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People often wonder whether or not breaking a minor government law is a sin? This is a great question, and I recently seen a question of whether or not speeding is a sin. This is a basic question, but it addresses many important (but sometimes silly) laws we have today.
Is Speeding a Sin? Is it a Sin to Break the Law of Government?
First, it is true that the bible does say that we are to follow the laws of the land (assuming it doesn’t contradict one of God’s laws). Jesus taught us to pay taxes to Caesar (remember, He said “Who’s image is on the coin?” It was Caesar’s image. So Jesus said, “then give unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and to God that which belongs to God.”
Paul also tells us that we should follow the laws of government and the laws of the land for proper order. This means paying taxes, following rules, etc.
So let’s look at the issue in 3 parts. 1: is speeding a law of the land, and 2: Does it contradict God’s laws? 3: What constitutes speeding anyways?
So is speeding or speed limits a law of the land? Yes and no. It is true that it is a minor “law” that is given by governments to help maintain a safe speed. We must have rules of conduct on the road to keep everyone safe. But it is not a major law (such as felonies, etc.).
Yet at the same time, you have to ask what constitutes speeding. Is going 1 mph over the limit speeding? or .01 mph over the speed limit? Or is 10 mph over the limit speeding? It is nearly impossible to maintain consistent speeds in a vehicle. Going up hills and down hills, curves, etc. can easily cause speed fluctuations. I think it is unavoidable to go over the speed limit in some cases as much as 5-10 (not all cases). Many times people are speeding and do not even realize it.
I think that going a significant amount over the speed limit to drive recklessly could be considered a sin, simply because you are consciously putting other peoples lives in danger. An exception would be someone is dying and you have to drive really fast to get them to the hospital. But general speeding for the “thrill” is not good, since countless people have died that way. So for the “thrill seekers” flooring the gas pedal for a thrill, it isn’t right. Someone in our town died over a year ago due to this kind of scenario (one young girl died, and the other has severe burns that will basically prevent her from living a 100% normal life again)–all over other guys drag racing and losing control and smashing into them.
But in general, accidentally going 1-5 over or something, would not be considered a sin. Going excessively over or driving dangerously, however, would classify as a sin since it is selfish based motives and putting other’s lives at risk.
Sometimes you have to look at the spirit of the law, and not the letter of the law. The spirit of speed limits is to drive safely and maintain appropriate speeds. The law gives a number, but that number sometimes changes and fluctuates (they may change it from 60 to 70, and then 65), and it is impossible for a human to keep a car at exactly the same speed or less at all times.
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Posted under bible questions
This post was written by Revelation on October 17, 2008
