The Rule of Law is the restriction of inconsistent and arbitrary rules by establishing well-defined, equitable, and just laws that are strictly enforced.

Where the Rule of Law prevails, nobody is above the law.

Where the Rule of Law prevails, government executives, legislators, judges, and all elected and appointed government officials are strictly bound by the laws that are established.

It is vital to understand that even God operates by the Rule of Law and is always in complete conformity with the laws He has established. Nothing He does is arbitrary. Everything He does is righteous, calculated, and full of truth. Everything He does is for our best benefit.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change. His nature, character, and attributes do not change. The laws by which He operates do not change. His application of law may change, but everything He does is done in conformity with the higher laws governing His conduct.

One of the most damaging, ridiculous, and false assumptions many Christians make about God is the belief that because He is all-powerful, He can do anything He wants, as if He were some kind of cosmic genie god. This notion is utterly false.

They say that God is good and that God can do anything. If God is good, then He cannot do anything that is not good. If God did anything that was not good, He would cease to be God because God must be good in order to be God. Therefore, God cannot do anything.

God is not above the law. He is the giver of the law. He is the enforcer of the law. But like us, God is absolutely required to observe and faithfully honor those higher laws that govern His station in the universe. One of those higher laws is that God must be universally good. Another is that He must be universally just. Another is that He must possess and embody a fullness of truth. God cannot do anything that is not good, is not just, or does not reflect a fullness of truth. These attributes qualify Him to be God; anything else would disqualify Him.

Yes, God is all-powerful, but only in the sense that He has all righteous power. He cannot do anything with that power that is unrighteous or unjust, or He would cease to be God. In later chapters, I will carefully explain the laws of justice, mercy, accountability, and several other laws by which God willingly operates, because He must. God must be completely just; otherwise, He could not be universally honored, and we would not and could not have faith in Him. Without the justice of God, and without the confidence in God which God’s justice enables, nothing in the universe would or could operate properly, and everything would revert to utter chaos.

God’s work is to move chaos into creation. God’s justice, righteousness, goodness, and truth enable His work in creation. Without justice, and the rule of law, there could be no righteousness or goodness, and the truth would be rendered irrelevant.

There is only one thing more supreme than God, and that is the rule of law. Even God acknowledges this![1]

Without the rule of law, there could be no justice. Legally speaking, nothing is more important than this.

The rule of law is an operative imperative within every level and every sphere of creation. It is as important on earth as it is in heaven.

The righteous rule of law is imperative to ensure consistent protections for our fundamental rights and freedoms within earthly civilizations. In an effort to establish the rule of law in securing such protections, political philosophers have devised what we now call a Republican Form of Government. Within this model, the rule of law is fundamental and indispensable. Within this model, a nation is to be ruled by equitable and consistent laws, not by sporadic rules, arbitrary edicts, or tyrannical executive actions. Without just, equitable, and consistent laws, there can be no freedom and no predictable protections under the law.

In opposition to the Rule of Law, we find the Law of Man, which is characterized by a legal environment wherein the laws constantly change according to the petty whims, divisive edicts, and arbitrary dictates of government officials.

Under the Rule of Man, rights are not God-given, or even humanity-given, they are government given; they are arbitrary, and as such, they are arbitrarily given and arbitrarily taken away.

The Law of Man is what you get in a dictatorship, an oligarchy, or a democracy, wherein the laws are constantly shifting and changing, according to the dictates of either a ruling minority or a morally compromised majority. Either way, the laws are always changing and are routinely ignored whenever it is convenient to whoever is in charge.

Almost as bad is the Law of the Jungle, wherein there is no law, no government, and no governing power or authority; there is only anarchy. As such, there are no laws, no legal system, no government administration, no police protection, no legal deterrence for crime, no protected civil rights, no justice, and no equity under the law, because there is no law. Under these conditions, might makes right, which means the biggest fish will eventually take charge. In other words, anarchy always leads to dictatorship and tyranny. And so, we find that anarchy is never a permanent or perpetual condition; it is only a gap between tyrants.

Interestingly, when divisive individuals wish to overthrow a government or a system of government, a push toward anarchy is the method used to do it. If you wish to create a new thing you must first destroy whatever occupies that space. Anarchy and tyranny often go hand in hand. In other words, anarchy precedes tyranny, and tyranny is the ultimate act of anarchy where just law is completely disregarded and trampled upon.

God advocates just laws and the rule of law. When we submit to just laws and the rule of law, we are blessed with happiness, freedom, and prosperity. Otherwise, we become recipients of misery, slavery, destitution, and destruction.

At the end of the day, we really only have two choices: misery, slavery, and destitution without God; or happiness, freedom, and prosperity to the degree we honor God. Either we can follow the rule of man, or we can follow the rule of law.

The rule of law is best established by following God’s example by establishing equitable laws that honor and protect the dignity of man under the divine sovereignty of God. Or, if a society is not ready to openly acknowledge God and have Him as their king, they may attempt to set up a secular system of government, based on the rule of law, based on the arguments and rationale requiring the protection of fundamental rights. As we shall see, this never lasts long. There is no middle ground that offers a viable permanent solution. Without God, and the truth of God, forefront in the equation, nothing lasts long.

Happiness, freedom, and prosperity are derived only from truth. That truth reveals the law. That law enables the associated blessings requisite with the understanding and heed given to the law. So, let’s take a deep dive into gaining a better awareness and understanding of the law and the associated principles thereof.

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[1] Book of Mormon | Alma 42:1-28

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