Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Salvation (7)

And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Acts 23:2, 3

According to the Law of God, a man could only be beaten for transgression once his guilt had been duly determined, and then only if beating was the proper punishment for his offense. The high priest was supposedly the embodiment of the Law of God to the nation of Israel, and yet he himself stood guilty of violating that law and acting as a law unto himself. Paul did not hesitate to point out the inconsistency.

Christians must demand consistency of their public officials, and of their religious and spiritual leaders. But we must do so from some basis, and the only holy and righteous and good basis which does not change is the Law of God.

The Law defines and exposes sin. The Law engages the Spirit of God and outlines the full scope of Christ’s saving work. The Law marks out the path of righteousness and blessing. And the Law of God remains in force until the Lord Jesus returns. If we wish our nations to be wise and understanding, and our societies to reflect justice and to provide a context in which the work of the Gospel can flourish, then we must not be reluctant to embrace, proclaim, teach, and practice the Law of God.

We must be consistent in this—as Paul showed himself to be in this situation (v. 5). Then we shall be in a proper position to demand consistency of those who lead us, whether in the church or in civil government. There can be no consistency without an unchanging standard of truth, and no such standard exists except the holy and righteous and good Law of God. Kingdom greatness—and the best hope of any nation for justice and salvation—rests within the framework of obedience to that Law (Matt. 5:17-19; Ps. 33:10-12).

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Goodness (6)

Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. Romans 13:3, 4

Ask any public official whether he wants to do what is good for the people, and he will certainly respond, “Of course.” But how can we know what is good? Do our public officials mean by this only what is expedient? What is economically feasible? What they consider to be good? Or what is “good enough” to keep them in office?

We must demand of our public officials that they commit publicly to a particular idea of what is good, explaining that, in God’s eyes, they are His servants to do good as He defines it.

The Law of God is good (Rom. 7:12). Since the Law of God is good, that public official who wishes to serve God for good must seek to learn the wisdom and understanding which that Law encodes. Ours is the duty to instruct them, by communicating openly and privately, recommending policies consistent with the teaching of God’s Law, setting forth candidates schooled in the wisdom and understanding of God, and expressing our opposition to all policies and all politicians whose views do not reflect the holy and righteous and good Law of God.

We must not be shy about this. We hue to a standard of goodness that is fixed and unchanging. Our contemporaries cannot say this. Instead, they trade on a general sense of “good” which seems to get them by, largely because it is never challenged, but which begs more precise definition. They may attack us for our forthright stance on the unchanging Law of God. But we must show them that they lash out at our position from the shifting and unstable sands of relativism, political expediency, or mere self-interest.

In the end, for the well-being of the nation, the only definition of “good” that matters is that which God has prescribed.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Salvation (5)

For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Matthew 14:3, 4

The paper currency of the the United States declares itself to be legal tender for all debts, public and private. The Law of God is of the same ilk. Not only should the public policies of public officials reflect agreement with the Law of God, but their private lives as well. And as it is the duty of the believer to augur for public policies in line with God’s Law, so we must not be reluctant to point out any private transgressions on the part of our public officials.

This is what John the Baptist did, as we saw in an earlier installment in this series. Herod, who was not a Jew, was living in violation of Leviticus 20:21, and that without any semblance of discretion. His transgression was public knowledge. Doubtless John began to assail the king in public, away from his presence. This may have been the occasion for his being arrested. But being arrested did not change his opinion or resolve, as he now had the opportunity to say to Herod that he was guilty of transgressing God’s Law.

The increasing popularity of the “town hall” format among American politicians means that the opportunity for publicly asserting the will and Word of God into political campaigns and policies is richer than it has been in many years. Christians must not fail to take advantage of such situations to offer counsel and advice to their public officials, but also to declare the Word of the Lord against any transgressions, public or private, of His holy and righteous and good Law.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Salvation (4)

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. Acts 12:23

Few vocations seem more designed to promote hubris on the part of men than that of political office. “Power corrupts,” Lord Acton declared, and that corruption begins in the heart which becomes lifted up and filled with its own high esteem.

God, we know, is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). Just as Herod brought the judgment of God down on himself through his haughty usurpation of God’s glory, so politicians in every age have, by their hubris, invoked judgment on themselves and their nations.

Over and over in the Law God justifies His demands with the simple declaration, “I am the LORD.” By this He intended to remind Israel that, as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of men, His Word is final, whether or not men agree or can tease out all the rationale for it. Whenever men presume to go beyond God’s Word, or when they fail to give it full obedience, they, in effect, put themselves in God’s place and declare that they are the final arbiters of matters concerning right and wrong, truth and error.

This problem is especially pronounced when it becomes the practice of a government, for then all the citizens of the nation are led into the path of stumbling as well. Christians must not hesitate to explain to their political leaders that God is still on the job, that His Word is still in force, and He still refuses to be mocked by the prideful presumptions of sinful and disobedient men.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Salvation (3)

“Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Daniel 4:27

That a nation conforms its statutes, and their enforcement, to the teaching of God’s Law is no guarantee that the saving blessings of God will redound to that nation. Nor does it guarantee that the prosperity and peace of that nation will continue indefinitely, or even that it will know prosperity and peace at all. The Christian, in working to bring the laws of his own nation into conformity with the Law of God, must not hold out obedience to the Law of God as a sure means to political success or material prosperity.

At the same time, there is more ground to hope for such on the part of any nation which chooses to bring its laws and practice of justice into line with God’s Law, than if that nation continued in willful disobedience to His holy and righteous and good statutes and commands. This, at least, seems to have been Daniel’s hope in confronting Nebuchadnezzar with his own transgressions.

Let us also note Daniel’s approach to the king: Not only was he faithful in his own civic duties and responsibilities, but he brought counsel to the king, rather than threats or political pressure. If we cannot persuade our government to embrace the statutes of the Lord, we must not try to do so by means that would compromise the integrity of our witness or the truth of that very Law. As long as lawful means are available to us for affecting the laws of our nation, we must make use of them, in the hope that God will honor our faithfulness and withhold His wrath, giving us time to do the work of making known the Gospel of the Kingdom to our neighbors.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Salvation (2)

Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment….” Amos 1:3

We have noted previously in this series that “transgression,” in Biblical language, indicates any violation of the Law of God (cf. 1 John 3:4). Nations and peoples who do not know the Lord nevertheless have the works of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences either confirm or accuse them according to the degree of their faithfulness in obeying what they know to be right (Rom. 2:14, 15).

Thus, even those nations and peoples who do not know the Lord through the Gospel of Jesus Christ are accountable before God for the works they do and the laws by which they live. It is a consistent message of the Old Testament prophets—as represented in our text from Amos—that the ground for God’s pouring out His wrath on the nations is transgression of His Law. The formula “three transgressions and four” probably has a twofold significance. On the one hand, it represents repeated and accumulating sin for which no repentance has been offered. On the other, it suggests, through the use of the Scriptural numbers for God and man, transgression of both tablets of the Law. Nations which do not obey the Law of God heap up His judgment against themselves. They must therefore be made to know that, in His time and way, God will hold them accountable for their disobedience.

Knowing that such judgment awaits those nations that disregard the Law of God, the Christian should be eager to spare his own nation such wrath by working diligently, through all lawful means, to help bring the laws of his own nation, and the practices of her citizens, into conformity with the Law of God. This alone will not achieve the salvation of the nation or our neighbors. However, it will free up space for the blessings of God to flourish, rather than His wrath, and will establish a framework in which goodness, justice, and truth have objective significance, thus facilitating greatly conversation about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: A Foundation for Justice and Salvation (1)

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and you understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Deuteronomy 4:6

From the beginning of God’s giving His Law He intended that His people should bear witness to the surrounding nations of the wisdom and understanding of God by their obedience to His Law (cf. vv. 7, 8). God is determined to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory (Num. 14:21; Hab. 2:14), and it is the calling of His people to pursue that objective through their good works and faithful witness (1 Cor. 10:31; 1 Pet. 3:15). These, as we have seen, are intimately bound up in the Law of God.

Because all people are made in the image of God, with the works of the Law written on their hearts (Rom. 2:14, 15), they have an inherent sense of right and wrong, of what is good and proper, what contributes to wisdom and understanding. The Law of God is the primary locus whereby the nations may see reflected both what is written on their own souls and God’s purpose for loving and just societies. Further, because it points men to Christ, the Law of God establishes a framework and foundation on and within which the work of the Gospel must proceed.

To the extent that the Law of God is observed within any given culture, therefore, we may expect the blessings of God to be present amid that people, and the way for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be open and free. Christians strive, in the power of the Holy Spirit and for the confirmation of their redemption, to do those good works which God has before ordained for them in His Law (Eph. 2:10). But they must not be content merely to practice and foster obedience to the Law of God within the pale of the believing community. If wisdom and understanding, and a foundation for justice and salvation, are to exist in any society, that society must be taught the virtues and benefits that accrue to it through obedience to God’s Law.

But let me be clear: Any nation which conforms its laws and statutes to the teaching of God’s Law has no grounds to expect that such statutory conformity will in any way ensure salvation for it or its people. Salvation is of the Lord, through faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, God is faithful, and the blessings which men and nations may know in this life are the fruit of His grace. When a nation’s laws and statutes line up with the teaching of God’s Laws, we may expect that there His blessings will flow more freely and abundantly, and the prospects of salvation through Jesus Christ will be more readily available and apparent.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: To Guide Us in Doing Good (7)

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.… Psalm 78:5-7

Every year, a significant proportion of teenagers, who have been raised in church all their lives, go off to college and begin the process of abandoning their childhood faith. And every year this nation, host to a burgeoning “Bible-believing” church population, loses its grip a bit more on whatever remains of the good works of God’s Law.

Meanwhile, the same churches that have failed their youth and the nation are reluctant or negligent when it comes to helping their members learn the Law of God so that they can live lives devoted to good works, motivated by love for God and neighbor.

Asaph, the writer of Psalm 78, understood God’s intention. Each generation is to study, learn, and practice the Law of God, then to teach it to the generation that is to succeed them. They are to teach it so well, that not only will that generation learn to be devoted to good works, but they will teach their children who will, in turn, also grow up to fulfill this purpose of our redemption.

Today’s generation of church leaders cannot read the passage quoted above and say that they have fulfilled what Asaph requires of us. We have not. And the loss of our youth and the continuing corruption of our nation are just the most obvious indicators of our studied ignorance of the Law of God.

God intends that we should use His Law to learn how to do the good works for which we have been redeemed. When we fail to do so, we fail not only ourselves but our children, our nation, and the progress of the Kingdom of God.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: To Guide Us in Doing Good (6)

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. James 2:26

I laugh every time I hear Billy Crystal, in The Princess Bride, explain that Wesley is only “mostly dead.” I think a lot of Christians might want to say they’re “mostly saved” but maybe not “completely saved.” They’re mostly saved because they profess to believe in Jesus, feel certain that their sins are forgiven, and are assured that they’re going to heaven when they die.

But they don’t manifest the kind of devotion to good works that Paul says is the reason we have been redeemed and saved. And they aren’t much interested in learning to be so devoted, either, for they just don’t have (read: aren’t willing to devote) the time, interest, or inclination to meditate day and night in God’s Law or to have a regular, daily time of reading and meditating in the Word of God (Ps. 1). They believe the fundamentals, are sure they’ve “tasted” of the Lord, and are faithful at church and Sunday school, sitting under the showers of the Word preached and taught (Heb. 6:1-8). But they’re not really “into” good works as a way of life. So the absence of any real zeal for good works perhaps means that they’re only “mostly” saved, no?

Well, I’m not so sure. “Mostly” saved, according to the writer of Hebrews, could well mean “still dead in trespasses and sins.” What pertains to salvation, as James, Paul, and John also insist, is the “work of love” that we do each day in living out our faith before others (Heb. 6:9). Truly alive believers understand that they have been saved to do good works, and they get busy learning all they can and being alert to the opportunities around them so that their devotion to good works can come to light as the manifestation of their being “completely saved.” This is the only way to make the most of every opportunity for doing good (Gal. 6:9; Eph. 5:15-17).

Are you completely saved or only “mostly” saved?

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Uses of the Law: To Guide Us in Doing Good (5)

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.… Titus 3:1

When I played college football we spent an awful lot of time preparing for contingencies, based on what we understood about the particular opponent we were going to play. If your opponent did this, you had to be ready to adjust; if he went that way, or tried this formation, then you had to be able to respond appropriately. So we studied play books and films, had team meetings, and practiced, practiced, practiced.

If only Christians took doing good works as seriously! Paul says we are to be a people who are “devoted” to good works (Titus 3:8) and that we must “learn” to be such people (v. 14). Doing good as a way of life will not come naturally to us; it will not blossom in us simply as a result of spending time in church. If we are going to be ready with whatever good work the people around us might need on any occasion, we’re going to have to prepare well.

That means getting to know people, being a good conversationalist, listening well, and praying faithfully for the people God puts around us day by day. The better we know them—like my opponents in college—the better we will be able to respond to whatever situation might arise in their lives.

But we also need to pore over the “playbook”—the Law of God as given by Moses and interpreted through the Prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles. Hiding the Law of God in our hearts is the only way to ensure that it will be there when we need it in order to show the love of God to our neighbors.

It you’re not a student of God’s Law, you can’t “learn” to do good works. And if you don’t learn to do them, you will not be ready when the opportunity arises. This is not the way for us to be a people who are defined by and devoted to good works. It is, however, a very excellent way for the salt of our faith to lose its savor.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Bookstore, then Church Issues.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.