They Need to Know! – The Purpose of the Law

They Need to Know!

Matthew 14:3, 4

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

The nations need to know God’s displeasure.

One of the important purposes of the Law of God is to point out our sin. Now sin isn’t a malady limited to the people of God, the followers of Jesus Christ. Since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, all need to know that their behavior is offensive to God – whether they believe in Him or not is irrelevant, they still need to know. Just like John speaking to the pagan king, Herod. Herod had violated the Law of God, taking his brother’s wife, and John was quick to point out that this was not pleasing to God. In fact, he appears to have been saying it over and over. Sin has consequences (Herod: check with Nebuchadnezzar), and it was not out of meanness or spiritual arrogance that John preached the Law to the pagan government. It was out of concern for the wrath of God. Are we concerned that the wrath of God might fall on our nation? Probably not; or if we are concerned, we probably consider it a remote possibility. But it’s not a remote possibility. The wrath of God is even now being revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men (Rom. 1.18ff). If we see our nation mired in sin, we need to speak up. But, wait a minute, didn’t that cost John his freedom and ultimately, his head?

Are you willing to be looked at as a “religious nut” for insisting that the Law of God applies to our nation?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is 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.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.