An unjust law is no law at all, and the more that injustice becomes the law of the land, the more likely that chaos comes, too. Why? Because injustice begets more injustice. Most humans have an antenna that can distinguish right from wrong, but most humans also ignore this antenna to their detriment. It is far easier to accept the world as it is — even when it is drenched in depravity — than to rebel against majority opinion. It is far safer to stay silent in the sight of outrageous sin than to stand alone and say, “This is wrong.” As everyday wrongs pile up high, though, human antennae — even ones that have gone unused for too long — begin to twitch uncontrollably. Why are so many people today afflicted by sadness? Because sins are a heavy burden to carry. The mountains of evil rising in our world torment every soul. And only by actively fighting the resulting chaos can we hope to one day find salvation.
That idea — that the struggle against evil is worth any cost — is easier said than done. How can the actions of any one person make any meaningful difference? As Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, it seems more logical to ask: how can any person dedicated to making a difference ultimately not succeed? Christ came to Earth to seed a message of hope and redemption and died for our sins. His disciples spread that message across the world, suffering torture and death, so that we might live. Christians have been persecuted, imprisoned, and slaughtered ever since, so that we might be saved. Next to their sacrifices, our hardships pale.
I admit that there is a rebellious streak in me. I am fond of rule-breakers who stand unafraid against evil. Rebellion for rebellion’s sake can be just as detrimental as injustice. Yet rebellion against injustice so that one may remain obedient to God is surely righteous. And when you say it out loud in that way — will you choose man’s laws or God’s? — the answer is obvious. So, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for God’s devout and indefatigable troublemakers.
As evidence that any one of us can make a difference in the fight against evil, I want to recognize the efforts of Bible smugglers around the world. Did you know that men and women routinely risk imprisonment and execution by secretly delivering God’s Word to populations forbidden from receiving Christ’s message? Just as the apostles did two thousand years ago, followers of Christ still risk life and limb to spread His message today. In fact, the last century has been a busy one for God’s smugglers. They have navigated the Soviet Union’s Iron Curtain, the Chinese Communist Party, and Islamic supremacists intent on Christianity’s eradication. Yet God’s smugglers have persevered.
For decades, two Finnish men named Antti and Esko smuggled Bibles into the Soviet Union and throughout the Eastern Bloc. They moved through Finnish forests in the dead of night, hid Bibles in secret compartments within their vehicles’ gas tanks, and eventually began manufacturing prefabricated housing components that allowed them to move tens of thousands of Bibles through Leningrad, Moscow, Tula, Oryol, Kiev, Kishinev, Romania, and Bulgaria. They survived many security checks and many “impossible situations,” and several of their collaborators were imprisoned. Through all those years of danger, though, Antti and Esko found strength through Scripture: The Lord will protect your going and your coming, now and forevermore.