This is a mystery.

Has the faith of Christ arrived at a defining moment?

Just--The scale is an excellent symbol for justice, which helps us to understand why it is so universally employed.

Uses of the Law: Make Known the Character of God (7)

T. M. Moore

“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” Deuteronomy 32.4

The scale is an excellent symbol for justice, which helps us to understand why it is so universally employed. Justice is served when wrongs are set right and “balance” is restored to a community. Where justice obtains, evil is kept in check, good is rewarded, and benefits abound.

Within Himself, in the Persons of the Godhead, God is just and upright; all His ways are justice. He is completely “in balance” within Himself, and His Law shows us how we may know uprightness, balance, and justice in our relations with one another.

God is without sin – He is holy. Justice is thus related to holiness; a holy people sustains communities where justice is the norm. Justice is also related to love. Where justice does not exist among sinful men, danger and chaos must obtain, as the book of Judges makes clear. For our just God to reveal the way of justice, therefore, is a most loving thing.

Justice also enables us to realize the goodness and wisdom of God. As we work for justice we work to preserve a society in which wickedness is restrained, goodness prevails, and wisdom is practiced all around. God is One, and all His attributes are one in Him. His Law makes known to us the character of God so that, as we hear, fear, obey, love, and serve Him, we escape the corruption of the world, claim His promises, and partake of His very being (2 Pet. 1.4).

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 Book Store.

Wise--The wisdom of God is revealed in His Law; by obeying that Law, God’s people display wisdom to the surrounding world – God’s wisdom, not theirs.

Uses of the Law: Make Known the Character of God (6)

T. M. Moore

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your 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.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to is as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?” Deuteronomy 4.6, 7

The wisdom of God is revealed in His Law; by obeying that Law, God’s people display wisdom to the surrounding world – God’s wisdom, not theirs.

The wisdom of God is manifest in His Law on practically every page, as He reveals simple matters of neighbor-love that are intended to allow His people to flourish and prosper. The fact that the Law of God continues to shape the protocols of human society, in nations and communities all over the world, demonstrates both its enduring wisdom and the wisdom of Him Who gave it. Nations and peoples may not acknowledge the divine provenance of the laws by which they live, but this does not negate the fact of it.

Wisdom is simply “skill in living,” knowing how to co-exist in such a way as to reflect the communion, love, interdependence, and respect of the Persons of the divine Godhead. As the Trinity is one, existing in perfect unity and love, so God desires for His people to have the knowledge and skill – wisdom – to enjoy that unity and love in their own experience. His Law and all His Word provide the revelation we need to understand and refract the character of God and His wisdom to one another.

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 Book Store.

Good--The very meaning of “good” inheres in the character of God.

Holy and Loving--The eternal, self-existing, self-revealing God, the Creator of worlds and the Redeemer of His people, the altogether sovereign Lord of heaven and earth is holy, and He commands the people He has chosen for Himself to be holy as well (Lev. 11.44)

Sovereign--The people of Israel were made to understand, by the revelation God made to them in His Law, that He has all authority and power to accomplish whatever He commands.

Unique and Only--In His Law God reveals that His people are to worship Him only.

The Self-revealing God--The Law of God defines sin, as we have seen; thus, it is lawful to use the Law of God to help us pursue lives of holiness, righteousness, and goodness ...

What will seeking the Kingdom of God look like for you today?

The battle is over in Wisconsin. Or is it?

We must both speak and live the Gospel.