T. M. Moore

Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment…” Amos 1.3

We have frequently observed in this column that “transgression”, in Biblical language, indicates any violation of the Law of God (cf. 1 Jn. 3.4). Nations and peoples who do not know the Lord nevertheless have the works of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences either confirm or accuse them according to the degree of their faithfulness in obeying what they know to be right (Rom. 2.14, 15).

Thus, even those nations and peoples who do not know the Lord through the Gospel of Jesus Christ are accountable before God for the works they do and the laws by which they live. It is a consistent message of the Old Testament prophets – as represented in our text from Amos – that the ground for God’s pouring out His wrath on the nations is transgression of His Law. The formula “three transgressions and four” probably has a twofold significance. On the one hand, it represents repeated and accumulating sin for which no repentance has been offered. On the other, it suggests, through the use of the Scriptural numbers for God and man, transgression of both tablets of the Law. Nations which do not obey the Law of God heap up His judgment against themselves. They must therefore be made to know that, in His time and way, God will hold them accountable for their disobedience.

Knowing that such judgment awaits those nations that disregard the Law of God, the Christian should be eager to spare his own nation such wrath by working diligently, through all lawful means, to help bring the laws of his own nation, and the practices of her citizens, into conformity with the Law of God. This alone will not achieve the salvation of the nation or our neighbors. However, it will free up space for the blessings of God to flourish, rather than His wrath, and will establish a framework in which goodness, justice, and truth have objective significance, thus facilitating greatly conversation about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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.

T. M. Moore

“Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and you 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.’” Deuteronomy 4.6

From the beginning of God’s giving His Law He intended that His people should bear witness to the surrounding nations of the wisdom and understanding of God by their obedience to His Law (cf. vv. 7, 8). God is determined to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory (Num. 14.21; Hab. 2.14), and it is the calling of His people to pursue that objective through their good works and faithful witness (1 Cor. 10.31; 1 Pet. 3.15). These, as we have seen, are intimately bound up in the Law of God.

Because all people are made in the image of God, with the works of the Law written on their hearts (Rom. 2.14, 15), they have an inherent sense of right and wrong, of what is good and proper, what contributes to wisdom and understanding. The Law of God is the primary locus whereby the nations may see reflected both what is written on their own souls and God’s purpose for loving and just societies. Further, because it points men to Christ, the Law of God establishes a framework and foundation on and within which the work of the Gospel must proceed.

To the extent that the Law of God is observed within any given culture, therefore, we may expect the blessings of God to be present amid that people, and the way for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be open and free. Christians strive, in the power of the Holy Spirit and for the confirmation of their redemption, to do those good works which God has before ordained for them in His Law (Eph. 2.10). But they must not be content merely to practice and foster obedience to the Law of God within the pale of the believing community. If wisdom and understanding, and a foundation for justice and salvation, are to exist in any society, that society must be taught the virtues and benefits that accrue to it through obedience to God’s Law.

But let me be clear: Any nation which conforms its laws and statutes to the teaching of God’s Law has no grounds to expect that such statutory conformity will in any way ensure salvation for it or its people. Salvation is of the Lord, through faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, God is faithful, and the blessings which men and nations may know in this life are the fruit of His grace. When a nation’s laws and statutes line up with the teaching of God’s Laws, we may expect that there His blessings will flow more freely and abundantly, and the prospects of salvation through Jesus Christ will be more readily available and apparent.

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.

The Gospel is incomplete without the Law.

When it comes to cultural choice, learn to choose wisely.

We are the light of the world.

The citizens of the Kingdom of God will make and use culture.

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