Where there are consequences there is law.

Cause

It’s hard to imagine a world without consequences. In fact, the act of imagining that state is itself a consequence of the question being posed. And the act of stating that is another step in a chain of many links. Thinking in these terms and seeking to find the reason behind it all is like coming upon a circle and tracing it to find where it begins and where it ends. Philosophers over the ages have stopped at one point claiming the origin and others starting at another point have claimed to have found the end. The truth? All things presuppose the existence of God. Without Him nothing is. Where nothing is no thing exists. To start within ourselves as the source of reason and truth is to reject, passively at least, that Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). If we consider one of the basic laws of physics taught to us as children we know that every for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction—Newton’s third law. Hitting a ball with a stick will put the ball in motion, all things considered. And this is reliable not because we have exhaustively demonstrated such, or that the probability is extremely unlikely that it would not happen, but because God himself has ordered the world and all that it contains and he is reliable. “The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Ps. 24:1). This might seem reasonable enough for the Christian but where we get confused on law is in the case of morality. Sure enough, those truths laid forth in the Ten Commandments are readily agreed upon as standards of morality for all men by believers. God’s word as revealed to the Israelites told them “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Theft has consequences. But consequences are not like those of the stick hitting the ball. It's not exactly a one-for-one comparison. If a thief were the stick and a victim the ball there may be some cases where the ball is left with a painful sting and the stick merrily whizzes on to find the next ball to smack. “Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph” (Psalm 94:3)? The prosperity of evil men is not an indication of a relativity of morality, aka postmodernism. Remember, it is God’s patience and purposes that dictate the reasons behind what we may deem as injustices in the land (Deut. 29:29; Rom. 9:17; 2 Pet. 3:15). If we did leave it to man to determine what was justice what would that world look like? Might it look like a world that imprisons men for misdemeanors and murders children in the womb? In other words, might it look much like our society today? Christians often decry the thought that we should seek a Biblical government while every year they complain of the atrocities gone on in our country. So, they settle for a candidate who attempts to trim the fat from a living beast, sometimes settling for trimming its nails. Thus we ignore that word spoken of by God: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Gen. 9:4). In other words, we allow the machine to run under the pretense that if we loosen a bolt here or there on a few outer shields it just might let us in deeper and deeper into its very mechanics. We can seek to change gear ratios all the day long and we can throw bundles of rags in the cogs but such a powerful machine keeps spewing its plumes of billowing smoke high into the firmament mocking us and our Creator.

Effect

God’s word tells us that he himself is the originator of governments (Rom. 13). He tells us the governing authorities are given the duty to execute his wrath upon the evildoer (Rom. 13:11; 1 Pet. 2:13, 14). Being the case that it is ‘his wrath’ that is to be executed, what standard might we expect men in governing authorities to uphold? Is it not easy enough of an answer? “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Js. 1:20). I’m not suggesting that God doesn’t work out his wrath, he most certainly does (Pr. 21:1). However, if we truly trust that God’s word is sufficient to equip us for every good work how is it that when we come to the issue of government our eyes are blind to all his word has to offer? I am not without excuse. Only recently have I had this log removed and still do I have many chunks of wood and splinters clouding my vision. I do see the need to mention these things though. Perhaps I’m like the blind man receiving sight and seeing people as trees. Hopefully my voice will be heard by others that they might start seeing some trees also (Mk. 8:24). But does the Bible really give us much instruction about handling civil disputes? Governance? Punishments? Yes, it does. “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward…” (Heb. 2:2). Within the Mosaic Law are treasures of God’s divinely inspired word concerning such! Do not misunderstand me here. All this must be sought and applied through New Covenant eyes. Indeed things have changed. The stone has become water but murder is still murder, theft is still theft, bestiality is still bestiality. God’s word tells us that ‘every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense’ under the Mosaic Law. It’s not unreasonable, then, to seek to understand the principles of governance and causes worthy of God’s wrath and discipline. It’s easy enough for us to recognize an evil like abortion, and I pray we see its end, but what about other evils? Is it just to have a man spend up to 3 months in jail for violating a city ordinance? Is it just to have a man spend time in prison for theft? As Greg Bahnsen stirred a controversy asking, “By what standard?” Since God is the originator of justice itself, wouldn’t we think it wise to seek to understand and apply his standards that he has revealed to us? If certain actions result in certain consequences are there not specific standards, dare we say laws, which God desires men to uphold? If the conscience of man is imbued with a sense of right and wrong and fallen as he is would we think the wisdom of man superior to the wisdom of God to determine just weights and measures? "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor" (Rom. 11:34)? It seems the answer is plain enough.