THE VALUE OF THE NATURAL LAW

 THE VALUE OF THE NATURAL LAW

 

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by

Nathan Awad

[email protected]

May 2021

THE VALUE OF THE NATURAL LAW

God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in heaven and on earth by a word. For example, God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind” (Gen 1:24 NKJV). However, God did not create the first human being by a word, rather as the writer of the book of Genesis says, he “formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Gen 2:7 NKJV). So, the first man was formed by God’s hands (as we understand from the writer’s way of writing) and God breathed into his nostrils, then he became a living being. God brought life through his breath, and when someone is alive, he/she can think, understand, and act. Immediately, the reader of the Bible understands that the first human being and his offspring obtained their reason and way of thinking directly from God. That is a grace that was given by God to human beings. That way of thinking is called the natural law, which dwells in every human being regardless of his/her color, nationality, culture, or religion. In this paper, I will argue that the natural law is a blessing to all peoples, is rooted in the biblical material, and is applicable to society’s questions.  

The Natural Law as a Blessing for all Peoples

From the beginning, human beings were aware of their wrongdoings, and they were dissatisfied with its results even without law was imposed on them except the natural law. Here are examples, one example is murder; God did not command Adam, Eve, or their children to not murder; however, when Cain killed Abel, he said to God, “My punishment [iniquity] is greater than I can bear” (Gen 4:13, NKJV). So, he knew that what he did was wrong without a given law. God put the natural law in human beings to govern their conduct toward themselves, others, and toward the creation. A second example is lying, which is not justified by any culture. Going back into ancient history, in Athens the false witness was liable to a heavy fine, and if thrice convicted, a person lost all his civil rights. In Rome, by a law of the Twelve Tablets, a person was hurled headlong from the Tarpeian Rock for lying. In Egypt, the false witness was punished by amputation of the nose and ears.[1] So, governments set a punishment for lying not based on a special revelation from God to them, rather based on a law that was given to them in their hearts. The last example, homosexuality, is not accepted by all peoples, cultures, or religions. Unlike the opposite-sex relationship, homosexuality is not an accepted relationship by all societies. The Christian emperor Theodosius called for convicted homosexuals to be burned alive.[2] Here, obviously, it was a harsh punishment for the same sex relationship, but that punishment shows how society was disgusted by such an act was against the Natural law that they desired to live by it.

The Natural Law is Rooted in the Biblical Material

The natural law as an aspect of the general revelation from God to the human being is able to bring people to God. God gifted all nations by the natural law because he is just. Herman Bavinck says, “Although the heathen nations received no law, as the people of Israel did, and in the concrete sense therefore have no law, they nevertheless show by sometimes doing what is commanded by the law that in their moral nature they are a law to themselves, and have the law written in their hearts.”[3] God judged nations in the Old Testament like Sodom and Gomorrah Nineveh, Damascus, Gaza, and others based on the natural law that was given to them in their hearts. Also, God gave moral laws to Israel, but they could not keep them. That means the natural law does not change people’s hearts; however, the natural law reveals the sinful nature of human beings and works as a director to lead people to God. Therefore, the Bible shows the importance of the moral law, and it also shows its limitations as well. When people walk only by the natural law, they would be able to have a good relationship with each other, but they cannot have a relationship with the Lord by the natural law alone. J. Philip Wogaman and Douglas M. Strong say:

An unchristian social order can be known by the fact that it makes good men do bad things. It tempts, defeats, drains, and degrades, and leaves men stunted, cowed, and shamed in their manhood. A Christian social order makes bad men do good things. It sets high aims, steadies the vagrant impulses of the week, trains the powers of the young, and is felt by all as an uplifting force which leaves them with the consciousness of a broader and nobler humanity as their years go on.[4]

 Good works can create peace with one another but not with God. Paul declares, “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:9, NKJV). We as human beings can fully satisfy the Lord only by understanding our failure in breaking God’s law and the desperate need for a savior. Jesus was the only one who could please the Father. Therefore, we are perfect only through Jesus.         

The Natural Law is applicable to society’s questions

The natural law is essential to be known and understood. It can be applied in many areas in society. Firstly, the natural law can be applied in the political and judicial system. Everyone deserves to be treated equally in spite of his/her race. Many groups suffered from being subject to discrimination based on their race, but they settle when they comprehend and apply the natural law which guides them for equality. Before the court, everyone deserves to be judged by the same criteria, and that would be possible if there is a natural law that applies justice to all people. Secondly, the natural law can be applied at the level of relationship of family members and friends. At the moral law, Paul says, “Does not even nature itself teach you” (1Cor 11:14, NKJV). Accordingly, nature can teach us that children need to respect their parents. There are no parents who would like to be disrespected by their children because the natural law speaks in them and requires respect from their children. Furthermore, the relationship between friends requires loyalty. There is no friend who would be happy if he gets betrayed by his friend, and that would be true for every human being because they share the same law that was put in them. 

We as human beings stand amazed by the work of our great creator. God did not create human beings with blank brains to be filled by everyone and everything in his/her environment, rather, he threw the natural law seed in all of us. That natural law grants peace in our society, which includes a variety of people. Also, the Bible confirms the importance of following the natural law and obeying it when it leads us to him not for just a good life on earth but for a good life in eternity. Todays’ society needs to understand the reality and the importance of the natural law since it creates love, peace, equality, and loyalty.  

       

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bavinck, Herman. The Wonderful Works of God. Glenside, PA: Westminster Seminary Press, 2019.

Davis, John Jefferson. Evangelical Ethics: Issues Facing the Church Today. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2015.

Swaggart, Jimmy. Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary. Baton Rouge, LA: World Evangelism, 2004.

Wogaman, J. Philip, and Douglas M. Strong. Readings in Christian Ethics: A Historical Sourcebook. Louisville, KY: Westminster, 1996.

 

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[1] Jimmy Swaggart, Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary (Baton Rouge, LA: World Evangelism, 2004), 356.

[2] John Jefferson Davis, Evangelical Ethics: Issues Facing the Church Today (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2015), 127.

[3] Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God (Glenside, PA: Westminster) 36-37.  

[4] J. Philip Wogaman and Douglas M. Strong, Readings in Christian Ethics: A Historical Sourcebook, (Louisville, KY: Westminster, 1996), 240.