Q 23 How does the Law of God benefit nonbelievers?

A 23 The Law of God benefits nonbelievers by protecting them from the harmful effects of sin, teaching them to recognize sin, and causing them to look beyond themselves for righteousness. (Ps. 66.3; Ps. 81.15; Rom. 7.7; Rom. 3.21-31)

The Law of God restrains sin. Imagine if there were no civil laws in this or any nation against stealing, murder, or rape. The fact that such laws exist and are enforced conduces to the peace and order of society. Yet such laws have no basis, in a world dominated by an evolutionary and pragmatic worldview, except the lingering “memory” of the Law of God in the hearts of men.

The fact that such laws exist makes it possible for citizens, prosecutors, juries, and judges to recognize sinful behavior and to eschew it or, as necessary, enforce laws against it, thus maintaining a rule of law in society which conforms, if only to a certain extent, to God’s intentions and designs.

The Law functions in the souls of people as well as their consciences condemn their sinfulness and their inability to live up even to their own moral standards, thus making them aware of their need of a righteousness beyond what even they can define or attain. This righteousness is only available through Jesus Christ, as we have seen.

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