“Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers.”
1Timothy 1:9
To be lawless is to be contrary to the law or act without regard to the law.
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
1 John 3:4
When a society ignores the law, lawlessness is the result, and chaos ensues. In the Book of Judges, in the Bible, it is recorded that there was a time of upheaval, oppression, and general disorder after Joshua’s death. The reason for the tumult: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25).
God has a purpose for establishing human government: “to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:14). Rulers are God’s appointees to maintain order and promote righteousness in a civil society. “Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:2). In other words, lawlessness is condemned in Scripture.