Difference between revisions of "Law"

<p> <i> The Nature of Biblical Law </i> . The usual Hebrew term translated as "law" is <i> tora </i> [ <span> Exodus 20:17 </span> ; <span> 23:4-5 </span> ); is silent about state enforcement ( <span> Exodus 21:2-6 </span> ); or specifies God rather than the state as the enforcer ( <span> Exodus 22:21-27 </span> ). In addition, the label "law" seems inappropriate for certain ceremonial instructions. </p> <p> Biblical civil laws differ from the "positive law" of modern jurisprudence, which tries to legislate in exhaustive detail. Biblical laws are insufficiently comprehensive to be considered a "law-code, " but served as paradigmatic illustrations (not rigid rules) of justice that a judge could apply or modify according to circumstances. For example, whereas capital offenses state the maximum penalty for certain crimes, extenuating factors could lead a judge, legitimately, not to execute the offender. This is stated explicitly in the case of murder ( <span> Exodus 21:12-14 </span> ), and is implicit elsewhere. Thus, although <span> Exodus 21:15 </span> states "Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death" (NASB), it would be absurd to apply this rule to an angry toddler. </p> <p> Many biblical precepts are expressed as broad principles without legalistic detail. For example, "work" is prohibited on the sabbath yet is never defined legally. This ambiguity, which allowed for some flexibility, was considered a liability by Pharisaic Judaism. In an attempt to make sure the command proper was never violated, the rabbis created secondary, rigid rules which, if followed, would theoretically prevent a person from ever violating the biblical command itself. This was known as "putting a fence around the law." Such nonbiblical rules (e.g., the sabbath day's journey) are prescribed exhaustively in the Talmud, but this burdensome "tradition" is contrary to the spirit of biblical law ( <span> Matthew 15:3 </span> ; <span> 23:4 </span> ). </p> <p> An important law is the lex talionis, "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" ( <span> Exodus 21:22-25 </span> ; <span> Leviticus 24:19-20 </span> ; <span> Deuteronomy 19:15-21 </span> ), which is sometimes misunderstood as a barbaric justification of personal vengeance and maiming. On the contrary, it expresses the just principle that judicial punishments should fit the crime, thereby limiting permissible punishment. One who is responsible for the loss of another's eye deserves, in principle, to give up his own eye. In practice, however, the offender ordinarily would placate the aggrieved party by paying an amount proportional to the degree of the maiming to substitute for the infliction of literal <i> talion </i> . Note how such "ransoming" operates in <span> Exodus 21:29-30 </span> , and how literal <i> talion </i> fails to occur in 21:18-19,21:26-27 where it might be expected. The availability of ransom seems to be so prevalent that it must be explicitly prohibited to exclude it ( <span> Numbers 35:31 </span> ). Jesus, in accord with <span> Leviticus 19:18 </span> , teaches patient suffering instead of the misapplication of lex talionis for personal revenge ( <span> Matthew 5:38-42 </span> ). </p> <p> <i> Legal Corpora in the Old Testament </i> . The laws (traditionally 613 in number) are concentrated in certain passages in the Pentateuch. Some of these are given special names. </p> <p> The [[Decalog]] was given at Mount Sinai ( <span> Exodus 20:1-17 </span> ) and repeated in Moses' sermon over forty years later ( <span> Deuteronomy 5:6-21 </span> ). The formulation in the Decalogue (the traditional "thou shalt/shalt not") is apodictic, that is, unqualified; God as King imposes demands upon his subjects. These commandments represent the minimum moral and religious requirements for those in covenant relationship with God. </p> <p> The Book of the Covenant ( <span> Exodus 20:22-23:33 </span> ,; partially repeated in 34:10-26) consists of cultic, humanitarian, and civil regulations. Most of its civil regulations follow the casuistic formulation of cuneiform laws: "If X happens (protasis), then Y will be the legal consequences ( <i> apodosis </i> )." </p> <p> Deuteronomy has many regulations. [[Chapters]] 5-11 emphasize the general requirement to obey God; chapters 12-25 offer specifics in various areas of life (worship, festivals, officials of the theocratic state, manslaughter, warfare, sexuality, etc.). The structure of Deuteronomy follows that of second-millennium covenant treaties in which the laws correspond to stipulations within the covenant. The topical units of chapters 12-25 are arranged according to the order of the Ten Commandments. </p> <p> Cultic laws concerning the tabernacle, sacrifices, priests, ritual purity, festivals, and ethical and ritual holiness (especially in sexual and social matters; cf. <span> Leviticus 18-26 </span> , the so-called Holiness Code) are scattered throughout Genesis through Numbers, Leviticus consisting almost entirely of this kind of material. Some call these laws the Priestly Code on the dubious assumption that they once existed as an independent collection. </p> <p> <i> Biblical and [[Cuneiform]] Laws </i> . Scholars commonly compare biblical civil laws with contemporary laws found by archaeologists in the ancient Near East. Extrabiblical laws include those by Ur-Nammu of [[Ur]] (ca. 2112-2095 b.c.), Lipit-Ishtar of Isin (ca. 1925 b.c.), some ten Sumerian Laws (ca. 1800 b.c.) of unknown provenance, the Laws of Eshnunna (ca. 1800 b.c.), the Laws of Hammurapi (ca. 1750 b.c.), the [[Edict]] of Ammisaduqa (ca. 1650 b.c.), Middle [[Assyrian]] Laws (ca. 1100 b.c.), Hittite Laws (before ca. 1200 b.c.), and Neo-Babylonian Laws (seventh century b.c.). </p> <p> Biblical civil laws resemble extrabiblical laws in topics covered and formulation. For example, cases of striking pregnant women resulting in miscarriage (presumably an unusual circumstance) occur in HL 17, Sumerian Laws 1-2, LH 209-214, MAL A 21,50-52 as well as <span> Exodus 21:22-25 </span> . There are general parallels with laws on slaves and goring oxen, and in one ( <i> but only one </i> ) case, a cuneiform law's reading is identical with a biblical one: LE 53 and <span> Exodus 21:35 </span> . The parallels are insufficient to suppose biblical laws were simply borrowed from ancient Near Eastern ones. On the other hand, the parallels seem too close for chance. It is best to say that the [[Bible]] shows awareness of extrabiblical laws and often deliberately chooses type cases from such laws on which to make moral comment. Where an existing law is just, the Bible can happily adopt it (e.g., <span> Exodus 21:35 </span> ). Accordingly, comparison with cuneiform law is useful; nonetheless, the contrasts with cuneiform laws are usually more telling than the similarities. </p> <p> These contrasts reflect differences in ideology between Israel and Mesopotamia. Cuneiform laws are overwhelmingly secular whereas the Bible freely mixes moral, civil, and cultic laws, and more often includes religious motivations for compliance. It is true that Hammurapi receives authority to rule from the god Shamash, but Shamash is custodian of impersonal cosmic truth that Hammurapi uses to make his own laws that are only indirectly attributable to deity. In the Bible, however, the laws are directly from God; Moses is only a mediator. Biblical law is designed to educate the public, to mold the national character, and to glorify [[Yahweh]] as a just lawgiver; cuneiform laws are meant to glorify the kings who created them and lack pedagogic application, being placed in a temple outside public view in a script (cuneiform) only academics could read. </p> <p> Contrasting ideology is reflected in biblical law's setting limits on the authority of kings ( <span> Deuteronomy 17:14-20 </span> ), cuneiform laws reflect the unlimited authority of the king. Biblical laws elevate human life over property to a greater degree than do cuneiform laws. Hence, cuneiform laws required up to thirtyfold restitution for theft and the execution of the thief who could not pay (LH 8,265; HL 57-59,63, 67,69); biblical law limits restitution to no more than fivefold and prohibits the execution of a thief ( <span> Exodus 22:1-4 </span> ). Similarly, cuneiform laws make no sharp distinction between cases involving an ox goring a slave, and that of an ox goring an ox, both being property (LE 53-55); biblical law deliberately separates these cases ( <span> Exodus 21:28-31,35-36 </span> ), expressing by its structure the ideology that cases involving humans are of an entirely different category than those involving animals. </p> <p> Cuneiform law agrees with biblical law in condemning murder, adultery, and incest (LH 1,129, 157); however, biblical law differs by making many religious sins, so-called victimless crimes, and crimes against family capital offenses. </p> <p> <i> "Law" and "Covenant." </i> All biblical laws are placed in the context of God's covenant with Israel. Covenant, not law-keeping, establishes a relationship, just as signing a contract, rather than doing the specified Job, establishes an employment relationship. The covenant in <span> Genesis 15 </span> was not established by "law" but by God's gracious offer accompanied by Abram's faith (although he later in some sense kept "the law, " <span> Genesis 26:5 </span> ). Nor did Israel establish a relationship with God by keeping "law." The commandments are given to a people who are already "saved" ( <span> Exodus 20:2 </span> ) through a covenant relationship based on God's gracious love and despite Israel's lack of merit ( <span> Deuteronomy 7:7-9 </span> ; <span> 9:4-6 </span> ). "Legalism" that makes "law-keeping" a means of salvation is not taught in the Old Testament. </p> <p> The role of law is to administrate the covenant. Laws prohibit things destructive to a relationship with God (e.g., worshiping other gods). The law gives direction to what a loving response to God should be, and tells how to reap the full benefits of the relationship. [[Viewed]] from one perspective, the promises formalized by covenant were unconditional; but from an individual's perspective, benefits could be forfeited by disobedience. [[Disobedience]] does not automatically invalidate a covenant, any more than a husband's rudeness to a wife he vowed to cherish invalidates his marriage covenant. Yet disobedience mars the relationship, and may reduce its benefits. In the desert a whole generation of Israelites forfeited their covenant benefits (the promised land) through disobedience, yet the covenant continued. </p> <p> <i> The Law under the New Covenant </i> . The New Testament's statements about Old Testament law are difficult to harmonize. On the one hand, some New Testament statements indicate that under the new covenant the whole law is in some sense abrogated ( <span> Romans 6:14 </span> , "you are not under law" <span> Romans 10:4 </span> , "Christ is the end of the law" ). [[Direct]] application of cultic laws is clearly excluded in the New Testament. Food laws, circumcision, sacrifices, temple, and priesthood have been superseded ( <span> Mark 7:19 </span> ; <span> 1 Corinthians 7:19 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 7:11-19,28 </span> ; <span> 8:13 </span> ; <span> 10:1-9 </span> ). Christ has abolished in his flesh the commandments and regulations that separated Jew from Gentile ( <span> Ephesians 2:15 </span> ). Dispensationalism concludes from these statements that Christians are under no Mosaic laws, not even the Decalogue, but are instead under the law of Christ ( <span> Galatians 6:2 </span> ; <span> 1 Corinthians 9:21 </span> ). </p> <p> On the other hand, the law cannot be altogether invalid since the New Testament affirms its abiding applicability. "All Scripture is useful" ( <span> 2 Timothy 3:16-17 </span> ), including Old Testament laws. Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it ( <span> Matthew 5:17-20 </span> ). The law is the embodiment of truth that instructs ( <span> Romans 2:18-19 </span> ). It is "holy" and "spiritual, " making sin known to us by defining it; therefore, Paul delights in it ( <span> Romans 7:7-14,22 </span> ). The law is good if used properly ( <span> 1 Timothy 1:8 </span> ), and is not opposed to the promises of God ( <span> Galatians 3:21 </span> ). Faith does not make the law void, but the Christian establishes the law ( <span> Romans 3:31 </span> ), fulfilling its requirements by walking according to the Spirit ( <span> Romans 8:4 </span> ) through love ( <span> Romans 13:10 </span> ). When Paul states that women are to be in submission "as the Law says" ( <span> 1 Corinthians 14:34 </span> ) or quotes parts of the Decalogue ( <span> Romans 13:9 </span> ), and when James quotes the law of love (2:8 from <span> Leviticus 19:18 </span> ) or condemns partiality, adultery, murder, and slander as contrary to the law (2:9,11; 4:11), and when Peter quotes Leviticus, "Be holy, because I am holy" ( <span> 1 Peter 1:16 </span> ; from <span> Leviticus 19:2 </span> ), the implication is that the law, or at least part of it, remains authoritative. </p> <p> Part of the problem is that not all the "laws" are of the same order. Jesus designates justice, mercy, and faithfulness as "more important" matters in the law ( <span> Matthew 23:23 </span> ). A similar distinction was made by the prophets who indicate that cultic observance was less important than treating people decently, and ritual without repentance was ineffective. That these cultic regulations were, even in the Old Testament, considered of secondary value, prepares the way for their elimination in Christ. </p> <p> Covenant theologians have traditionally divided laws into three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial. [[Moral]] laws (e.g., the Decalogue), based on the unchanging character of God, are eternally binding. Civil laws (e.g., <span> Exodus 21-23 </span> ), although they may illustrate moral law, were limited historically to the theocratic state of Israel and are not binding on the church. Ceremonial laws (e.g., sacrifices) were intended to prefigure Christ, and ceased to be applicable upon his first advent. A problem with this approach is that the categories "moral, civil, and ceremonial" are artificial. There is often a mixture of these categories: the ceremonial sabbath among "moral" laws ( <span> Exodus 20:8 </span> ), ceremonial food regulations among "civil" laws ( <span> Exodus 21:28 </span> ; <span> 22:31 </span> ), "moral" motivations in civil laws ( <span> Exodus 22:21,26-27 </span> ) and in cultic laws ( <span> Exodus 20:26 </span> ). There is considerable subjectivity in labeling laws as "moral, " "civil, " or "ceremonial." </p> <p> Another approach is that of theonomy or Christian reconstructionism. Theonomists wish to work toward a theocratic state where Mosaic civil laws can again be instituted into modern society. However, this approach takes insufficient account of the new theological and cultural setting of the new covenant. Some laws became impractical and unenforceable if applied literally even in Old Testament times. The Year of Jubilee regulations, requiring the return of property to original families every forty-nine years, seem <i> never </i> to have been enforced as law because (among other reasons) by the time Israel controlled the land, there were no records of the original owners. Moreover, although Jubilee was a practical solution for a tribal, agricultural society, this model would already be somewhat antiquated under Israel's urbanization during the monarchy, and is certainly impractical in modern, mobile, urban societies. Some laws assume the existence of conditions such as debt slavery ( <span> Exodus 21:2-11 </span> ), specific species of animals ( <span> Exodus 29:22 </span> -fat; tail sheep ), or the climate of [[Palestine]] (feast held at end of harvest season, <span> Leviticus 23:33-39 </span> ), which make these laws inapplicable in other cultural environments. Some laws seem tied to the specific theological context of the Old Testament. The death penalty for cultic offenses was based on the special holiness of Israel with the tabernacle of God among them. Violation could bring immediate wrath upon the people. However, the church is not a nation, and does not camp around the tabernacle. </p> <p> Usage of Old Testament laws suggests that biblical authors sought out and applied the inherent religious and moral principles in the laws even when changed historical, cultural, and theological settings made literal application inappropriate. Ezra applied a law prohibiting marriage to Canaanites, who had ceased to exist historically, broadly to marriage with non-Canaanite foreigners, because <i> in that situation </i> the same principle (marriage to foreigners leads to religious assimilation) applied, even though the letter of the law could not ( <span> Ezra 9:1-2 </span> ; cf. <span> Deuteronomy 7:1-5 </span> ). </p> <p> The New Testament writers also apply the principles in the law. From <span> Deuteronomy 25:4 </span> ("Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain"), Paul derives a principle that workers ought to be rewarded for their labors and applies that principle in the case of Christian workers ( <span> 1 Corinthians 9:9-14 </span> ). In <span> 1 Timothy 5:18 </span> , Paul again quotes <span> Deuteronomy 25:4 </span> , this time in parallel with a saying of Jesus ( <span> Matthew 10:10 </span> ) as if both are equally authoritative. Likewise, the principle of establishing truth by two or three witnesses ( <span> Deuteronomy 19:15 </span> ), originally limited to courts, is applied more broadly to a church conference ( <span> 2 Corinthians 13:1 </span> ). The principle that believers are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers is derived from a law concerning the yoking animals ( <span> 2 Corinthians 6:14 </span> ; cf. <span> Deuteronomy 22:10 </span> ). </p> <p> In <span> 1 Corinthians 5:1-5,13 </span> , Paul affirms on the basis of <span> Leviticus 18:29 </span> that incest, a capital offense in the Old Testament, is immoral and deserves punishment. A person practicing incest in the church must be excommunicated to maintain the church's practical holiness. Paul maintains the law's moral principle, yet in view of the changed redemptive setting, makes no attempt to apply the law's original sanction. </p> <p> <i> The Law and the Christian Today </i> . Mosaic law is of value for the Christian in several ways. </p> <p> <i> The Law Prepares [[Sinners]] for the Gospel </i> . No one can receive eternal salvation by works of the law ( <span> Galatians 2:16 </span> ) because none perfectly keeps the law ( <span> Romans 3:23 </span> ), and violation of any part of it makes one guilty of the whole ( <span> James 2:10 </span> ; cf. <span> Romans 2:25 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:10 </span> ). Instead, salvation is a gift obtained by faith, not works ( <span> Romans 4:4-5 </span> ; <span> Ephesians 2:8-10 </span> ; <span> Philippians 3:9 </span> ). Nonetheless, the law was meant to lead us to Christ ( <span> Galatians 3:24 </span> ). It makes the sinner conscious of sin ( <span> Romans 3:20 </span> ; <span> 7:7 </span> ; <span> 1 John 3:4 </span> ). It provokes and incites rebellion ( <span> Romans 5:20 </span> ; <span> 7:13 </span> ), thereby making one fully accountable before God for violation of God's moral requirements ( <span> Romans 3:19 </span> ; <span> 4:15 </span> ; <span> 5:13 </span> ; <span> 7:8-10 </span> ). By this means, the law shows sinners their need for a mediator to redeem them from the law's condemnation ( <span> Galatians 3:13 </span> ). Hence, the law is an essential prerequisite in preparing sinners for the gospel. </p> <p> <i> The Law Is a Guide for Christian Living </i> . The believer, through the Spirit, keeps the righteousness requirements of the law ( <span> Romans 8:3-4 </span> ), following the principle of love which is the fulfillment of the law ( <span> Romans 13:8-10 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:14 </span> ; <span> Mark 12:31 </span> ,; cf. <span> Leviticus 19:18 </span> ). As the New Testament use of Old Testament laws shows, the moral aspect of the law continues to define proper and improper behavior for Christians. Old Testament laws supplement New Testament morality by addressing some issues not directly treated in the New Testament. God's commandments were intended to bring life ( <span> Romans 7:10 </span> ), and the promises of life associated with the law remain applicable ( <span> Ephesians 6:2-3 </span> ; cf. <span> Exodus 20:12 </span> ). </p> <p> <i> The Law Is of [[Value]] for Jurisprudence </i> . Law, when enforced by the state, serves to restrain evildoers ( <span> 1 Timothy 1:9-10 </span> ). Biblical civil laws, although not directly applicable under the new covenant, are at least suggestive for improving modern jurisprudence. The Bible treats theft and manslaughter as torts against the victim (or the victim's family) rather than crimes against the state, and requires monetary restitution to the victim's family rather than imprisonment or fines to the state. This is arguably superior to the modern system where victims often get nothing, and where incarceration is ineffective for rehabilitation and extraordinarily expensive. The capital offenses in the Bible are suggestive for what crimes might legitimately be permitted as capital offenses for today (e.g., intentional murder), and crimes that should never be capital offenses (e.g., crimes of property). </p> <p> <i> The Law [[Points]] Typologically to Christ </i> . The laws foreshadow Christ typologically in many ways. Moral and civil laws reflect the righteousness of Christ and his kingdom, while the cultic laws emphasize his holiness. The tabernacle prefigures the presence of Christ among his people; the sacrifices foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The priesthood anticipates Jesus' priestly function. The whole cultic system with tabernacle, sacrifices, and priests prefigures union with Christ through the atonement. The penalties in the law anticipate Christ's judgments; the annihilation of the [[Canaanites]] anticipates the judgment of hell. Commands concerning occupying the promised land anticipate the future kingdom of God, heaven and the blessings in Christ himself.Joe M. [[Sprinkle]] </p> <p> <i> See also </i> [[Commandment Command]]; [[Decrees]]; [[Ordinance]]; [[Requirement]]; [[Statute]]; [[Ten Commandments]] </p> <p> <i> Bibliography </i> . G. Bahnsen, <i> Theonomy in Christian Ethics </i> ; W. S. [[Barker]] and W. R. Godfrey, eds., <i> Theonomy: A [[Reformed]] Critique </i> ; H. J. Boecker, <i> Law and the [[Administration]] of Justice in the Old Testament and the [[Ancient]] Near East </i> ; U. Cassuto, <i> A [[Commentary]] on the Book of Exodus </i> ; D. A. Dorsey, <i> JETS </i> 34/3 (Sept. 1991): 321-34; H.-H. Esser, <i> NIDNTT </i> 2:438-51; M. Greenberg, <i> Yehezkel Kaufmann Jubilee Volume, </i> pp. 3-28; idem, <i> Studies in Bible: 1986, </i> pp. 3-28; idem, <i> [[Religion]] and Law, </i> pp. 101-12,120-25; H. W. House and T. Ice, <i> [[Dominion]] Theology: A Blessing or a Curse? </i> ; W. C. Kaiser, Jr., <i> Toward Old Testament Ethics </i> ; idem, <i> JETS </i> 33/3 (Sept. 1990): 289-302; G. E. Mendenhall, <i> Religion and Law, </i> pp. 85-100; [[Dale]] Patrick, <i> Old Testament Law </i> ; V. Poythress, <i> The [[Shadow]] of Christ in the Law of Moses </i> ; R. J. Rushdooney, <i> The Institutes of Biblical Law </i> ; R. Sonsino, <i> Judaism </i> 33 (1984): 202-9; J. Sprinkle, <i> A Literary [[Approach]] to Biblical Law: Exodus </i> 20:22-23:19. </p>

<p> The word ‘law’ is used in many ways in the Bible. It may be used of commandments or instructions in general, whether given by God, civil administrators, teachers or parents ( <span> Genesis 26:5 </span> ; <span> Exodus 18:20 </span> ; <span> Proverbs 3:1 </span> ; <span> Proverbs 6:20 </span> ; see also <span> GOVERNMENT </span> ). Frequently it is used of the written Word of God ( <span> Psalms 119:18-20 </span> ; <span> Psalms 119:57-61 </span> ), sometimes applying to the Old Testament as a whole and sometimes to part of the Old Testament, such as the five books of Moses ( <span> Matthew 5:17 </span> ; <span> Luke 24:44 </span> ; <span> John 1:45 </span> ; <span> John 15:25 </span> ; see <span> PENTATEUCH </span> ). Occasionally it means a principle of operation ( <span> Romans 7:21 </span> ; <span> Romans 7:23 </span> ; <span> Romans 8:2 </span> ). The most common usage of the term, however, concerns the law of God given to Israel through Moses at Mt Sinai ( <span> Exodus 24:12 </span> ; <span> Deuteronomy 4:44 </span> ; <span> Ezra 7:6 </span> ; <span> John 1:17 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:17 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:19 </span> ). This meaning of ‘law’ is the chief concern of the present article. </p> <p> <span> God’s covenant with Israel </span> </p> <p> In his grace God made a covenant with Abraham to make his descendants into a great nation and to give them Canaan as their national homeland ( <span> Genesis 17:1-8 </span> ). Over the next four hundred years God directed the affairs of Abraham’s descendants so that their numbers increased and they became a distinct people. They were then ready to be formally established as a nation and to receive the land God had promised them. At Mt Sinai God confirmed the covenant made previously with Abraham, this time making it with Abraham’s descendants, the nation Israel ( <span> Exodus 24:7-8 </span> ; see <span> COVENANT </span> ). </p> <p> God had chosen Israel to be his people, saved them from slavery in Egypt, and taken them into a close relationship with himself, all in fulfilment of his covenant promise made to Abraham. Everything arose out of the sovereign grace of God ( <span> Exodus 2:24 </span> ; <span> Exodus 3:16 </span> ; <span> Exodus 6:6-8 </span> ). But if the people were to enjoy the blessings of that covenant, they had to respond to God’s grace in faithful obedience. The people understood this and promised to be obedient to all God’s commands ( <span> Exodus 24:7-8 </span> ). </p> <p> The law that God gave to the people of Israel at Sinai laid down his requirements for them. Through obedience to that law the people would enjoy the life God intended for them in the covenant relationship ( <span> Leviticus 18:5 </span> ; cf. <span> Romans 7:10 </span> ; <span> Romans 10:5 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:12 </span> ). The ten commandments were the principles by which the nation was to live, and formed the basis on which all Israel’s other laws were built ( <span> Exodus 20:1-17 </span> ). </p> <p> <span> Characteristics of Israelite law </span> </p> <p> No part of the lives of the Israelites was outside the demands of the covenant. The law applied to the whole of their lives and made no distinction between moral, religious and civil laws. Laws may have been in the form of absolute demands that allowed no exceptions (e.g. ‘You shall not steal’; <span> Exodus 20:15 </span> ), or in the form of guidelines concerning what to do when various situations arose (e.g. ‘If a person borrows anything and it is hurt or dies . . .’; <span> Exodus 22:14 </span> ), but the two kinds were equally binding. </p> <p> Israel’s law-code was suited to the customs of the time and was designed to administer justice within the established culture. Unlike some ancient law-codes, it did not favour the upper classes, but guaranteed a fair hearing for all. It protected the rights of people who were disadvantaged or defenceless, such as orphans, widows, foreigners, slaves and the poor ( <span> Exodus 22:22 </span> ; <span> Exodus 23:6 </span> ; <span> Exodus 23:9 </span> ; <span> Exodus 23:12 </span> ). The penalties it laid down were not brutal or excessive, as in some nations, but were always in proportion to the crime committed ( <span> Exodus 21:23-24 </span> ). </p> <p> <span> Jesus’ attitude to the law </span> </p> <p> The covenant made with Israel at Sinai and the law that belonged to that covenant were not intended to be permanent. They were part of the preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, through whom God would make a new and eternal covenant ( <span> Galatians 3:19 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:24 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 9:15 </span> ). </p> <p> Jesus was born under the law ( <span> Galatians 4:4 </span> ) and was brought up according to the law ( <span> Luke 2:21-24 </span> ; <span> Luke 2:42 </span> ). He obeyed the law ( <span> Matthew 17:27 </span> ; <span> John 2:13 </span> ) and he commanded others to obey the law ( <span> Matthew 8:4 </span> ; <span> Matthew 23:1-3 </span> ; <span> Matthew 23:23 </span> ). Jesus did not oppose the law, though he certainly did oppose the false interpretations of the law that the Jewish leaders of his time taught. He upheld and fulfilled the law by demonstrating its true meaning ( <span> Matthew 5:17-19 </span> ; <span> Matthew 5:21 </span> ; <span> Matthew 5:27 </span> ; <span> Matthew 5:31 </span> ; <span> Matthew 5:33 </span> ; <span> Matthew 5:38 </span> ; <span> Matthew 5:43 </span> ). </p> <p> Frequently Jesus pointed out that the law was good and holy and that God gave it for people’s benefit ( <span> Matthew 22:36-40 </span> ; <span> Luke 10:25-28 </span> ; cf. <span> Romans 7:12 </span> ; <span> Romans 7:14 </span> ). By contrast the Jewish leaders used the law to oppress people, adding their own traditions and forcing people to obey them. In so doing they forgot, or even opposed, the purpose for which God gave the law ( <span> Matthew 23:4 </span> ; <span> Mark 7:1-9 </span> ; see <span> TRADITION </span> ). Jesus knew that the law, as a set of regulations, was part of a system that was about to pass away ( <span> Matthew 9:16-17 </span> ; cf. <span> Hebrews 8:13 </span> ). His death and resurrection would mark the end of the old covenant and the beginning of the new ( <span> Hebrews 9:15 </span> ). </p> <p> Under the new covenant people still have to respond to God’s covenant grace with obedience, but the expression of that obedience has changed. Instead of being bound by a set of rules, they have inner spiritual power to do God’s will. Instead of having to offer sacrifices repeatedly, they have their sins taken away once and for all. Instead of having to approach God through priests, they have direct fellowship with God ( <span> Jeremiah 31:31-34 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 8:8-13 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 10:1-4 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 10:16-18 </span> ). </p> <p> <span> [[Salvation]] apart from the law </span> </p> <p> People have never received forgiveness of sins through keeping the law. Under the old covenant, as under the new, they were saved only through faith in the sovereign God who, in his grace, forgave them and accepted them. Abraham, David and Paul lived respectively before, during and after the period when the old covenant and its law-code operated in Israel, but all three alike were saved by faith ( <span> Genesis 15:6 </span> ; <span> Romans 3:28 </span> ; <span> Romans 4:1-16 </span> ; <span> Romans 4:22 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:17-18 </span> ; <span> Ephesians 2:8 </span> ; <span> 1 Timothy 1:14-16 </span> ). Salvation depended upon God’s promise, not upon human effort. It was a gracious gift received by faith, not a reward for keeping the law ( <span> Galatians 3:18 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:21-22 </span> ; see <span> PROMISE </span> ). </p> <p> [[Contrary]] to popular Jewish opinion, the law was not given as a means of salvation ( <span> Romans 9:31-32 </span> ). It was given to show the standard of behaviour God required from his covenant people. As a set of official regulations, it was given solely to the nation Israel and was in force for the period from Moses to Christ. But as an expression of the character and will of God, it operated on principles that are relevant to people of all nations and all eras. It expressed in a legal code for one nation the principles that are applicable to people in general ( <span> Romans 2:12-16 </span> ; <span> Romans 13:8-10 </span> ). Through the law given to Israel, God showed the righteous standards that his holiness demanded. </p> <p> At the same time the law showed the extent of people’s sinfulness, for their behaviour repeatedly fell short of the law’s standards. The law therefore showed up human sin; but when sinners acknowledged their sin and turned in faith to God, God in his grace forgave them ( <span> Romans 3:19-20 </span> ; <span> Romans 3:31 </span> ; <span> Romans 5:20 </span> ; <span> Romans 7:7 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:11 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:19 </span> ). (Concerning the rituals of the law for the cleansing of sin see <span> SACRIFICE </span> .) </p> <p> Those who broke the law were under the curse and condemnation of the law ( <span> Deuteronomy 27:26 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:10 </span> ). Jesus Christ, however, lived a perfect life according to the law, and then died to bear the law’s curse. By his death he broke its power to condemn those who take refuge in him. [[Believers]] in Jesus are freed from the law’s curse. They have their sins forgiven and are put right with God ( <span> Romans 7:6 </span> ; <span> Romans 8:1-3 </span> ; <span> Romans 10:4 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:13 </span> ; <span> Ephesians 2:15 </span> ; <span> Colossians 2:14 </span> ). </p> <p> Jesus Christ is the true fulfilment of the law. The law prepared the way for him and pointed to him. Before his coming, the people of Israel, being under the law, were like children under the control of a guardian. With his coming, the law had fulfilled its purpose; the guardian was no longer necessary. Believers in Jesus are not children under a guardian, but full-grown mature children of God ( <span> Galatians 3:23-26 </span> ; <span> Galatians 4:4-5 </span> ; cf. <span> Romans 10:4 </span> ; see <span> ADOPTION </span> ). </p> <p> <span> Christian life apart from the law </span> </p> <p> It was some time before Jewish Christians in the early church understood clearly that the law was no longer binding upon them. They still went to the temple at the set hours of prayer and possibly kept the Jewish festivals ( <span> Acts 2:1 </span> ; <span> Acts 2:46 </span> ; <span> Acts 3:1 </span> ). Stephen seems to have been the first Christian to see clearly that Christianity was not part of the Jewish system and was not bound by the Jewish law ( <span> Acts 6:13-14 </span> ). Then Peter had a vision through which he learnt that Jewish food laws no longer applied. He was harshly criticized by certain Jews in the Jerusalem church when they found he had been eating freely with the Gentiles ( <span> Acts 10:15 </span> ; <span> Acts 11:2-3 </span> ). </p> <p> These Jews later tried to force Gentile converts to keep the law of Moses ( <span> Acts 15:1 </span> ), and argued so cleverly that Peter tended to follow them, until Paul corrected him ( <span> Galatians 2:11-16 </span> ). When some of the leading Christians met at Jerusalem to discuss the matter, they agreed that Gentiles were not to be put under the law of Moses ( <span> Acts 15:19 </span> ). It was now becoming clear, and Paul’s teaching soon made it very clear, that there was no difference between Jews and Gentiles concerning requirements for salvation and Christian living. People were saved by faith alone, not by the law, and they lived their Christian lives by faith alone, not by the law ( <span> Romans 3:21-31 </span> ; <span> Galatians 3:28 </span> ). </p> <p> When he met opposition to his teaching, Paul pointed out the impossibility of being saved through keeping the law ( <span> Romans 9:30-32 </span> ; <span> Galatians 2:16 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:4 </span> ; <span> Philippians 3:9 </span> ). An equal impossibility was to grow in maturity and holiness through keeping the law, or even selected parts of it ( <span> Galatians 3:2-5 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:1-3 </span> ; <span> James 2:10-11 </span> ). </p> <p> The actions of Paul in occasionally observing Jewish laws were not for the purpose of pursuing personal holiness. They were for the purpose of gaining him acceptance among Jewish opponents whom he wanted to win for Christ. Such actions were purely voluntary on Paul’s part ( <span> 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 </span> ; cf. <span> Acts 15:19-21 </span> ; <span> Acts 16:3 </span> ; <span> Acts 21:20-26 </span> ). If people tried to force Paul to keep the law, he would not yield to them under any circumstances ( <span> Galatians 2:3-5 </span> ). </p> <p> Paul explained the uselessness of trying to grow in holiness through placing oneself under the law. He pointed out that the more the law forbids a thing, the more the sinful human heart wants to do it ( <span> Romans 7:7-11 </span> ). This does not mean that there is anything wrong with the law. On the contrary, the law is holy, just and good. The fault lies rather with sinful human nature ( <span> Romans 7:12-14 </span> ; see <span> FLESH </span> ). </p> <p> <span> Free but not lawless </span> </p> <p> Although the law aims at righteous behaviour, people cannot produce righteous behaviour by keeping the law. They can produce it only by claiming true Christian liberty and living by the inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit ( <span> Romans 6:14 </span> ; <span> Romans 8:3-4 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:13-23 </span> ; see <span> FREEDOM; HOLY SPIRIT </span> ). But the same Holy Spirit who empowers inwardly has given clear guidelines for behaviour in the written Word. It is not surprising, then, to find that those guidelines contain quotations from the law of Moses to indicate the sort of character and conduct that a holy God requires ( <span> Matthew 22:36-40 </span> ; <span> Romans 7:12 </span> ; <span> Romans 13:8-10 </span> ; <span> Ephesians 6:2 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 8:10 </span> ; <span> James 2:8-12 </span> ). </p> <p> Christians are not under law but under grace. Yet they are not lawless ( <span> Romans 6:15 </span> ). They have been freed from the bondage of the law and are now bound to Christ ( <span> Romans 7:1-4 </span> ). The law of Christ is a law of liberty, one that Christians obey not because they are forced to but because they want to. The controlling force in their lives is not a written code but a living person ( <span> 1 Corinthians 9:21 </span> ; <span> Galatians 6:2 </span> ; <span> James 1:25 </span> ; <span> James 2:12 </span> ). </p> <p> As Jesus demonstrated his love for the Father by keeping the Father’s commandments, so those who truly love Jesus will keep his commandments ( <span> John 14:15 </span> ; <span> John 14:21 </span> ; <span> John 15:10 </span> ; <span> 1 John 2:3-4 </span> ; <span> 1 John 2:7 </span> ; <span> 1 John 5:3 </span> ). And in so doing they will practise love, which itself is the fulfilment of the law ( <span> John 13:34 </span> ; <span> Romans 13:8-10 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:14 </span> ; <span> 1 John 5:2-3 </span> ). </p>

<div> <span> A — 1: Νόμος </span> <span> (Strong'S #3551 — Noun Masculine — nomos — nom'-os </span> ) </div> <p> akin to nemo, "to divide out, distribute," primarily meant "that which is assigned;" hence, "usage, custom," and then, "law, law as prescribed by custom, or by statute;" the word ethos, "custom," was retained for unwritten "law," while nomos became the established name for "law" as decreed by a state and set up as the standard for the administration of justice. </p> <span> Romans 2:12,13 </span> <span> Romans 2:14 </span> <span> Romans 3:27 </span> <span> Romans 4:15 </span> <span> Romans 5:13 </span> <span> Romans 7:1 </span> <span> Galatians 5:23 </span> <span> Galatians 5:18 </span> <span> Romans 7:21,23 </span> <span> Matthew 5:18 </span> <span> John 1:17 </span> <span> Romans 2:15,18,20,26,27 </span> <span> 3:19 </span> <span> 4:15 </span> <span> 7:4,7,14,16,22 </span> <span> 8:3,4,7 </span> <span> Galatians 3:10,12,19,21,24 </span> <span> 5:3 </span> <span> Ephesians 2:15 </span> <span> Philippians 3:6 </span> <span> 1 Timothy 1:8 </span> <span> Hebrews 7:19 </span> <span> James 2:9 </span> <span> Romans 2:14 </span> <span> 1 Corinthians 9:20 </span> <span> Galatians 2:16,19,21 </span> <span> 3:2,5,10 </span> <span> Philippians 3:5,9 </span> <span> Hebrews 7:16 </span> <span> 9:19 </span> <span> James 2:11 </span> <span> 4:11 </span> <span> Galatians 2:16 </span> <span> Matthew 5:17 </span> <span> 12:5 </span> <span> Luke 16:16 </span> <span> 24:44 </span> <span> John 1:45 </span> <span> Romans 3:21 </span> <span> Galatians 3:10 </span> <span> John 10:34 </span> <span> 15:25 </span> <span> John 12:34 </span> <span> Romans 3:19 </span> <span> 1 Corinthians 14:21 </span> <span> Galatians 6:2 </span> <span> John 13:14,15 </span> <span> 15:4 </span> <span> Matthew 20:28 </span> <span> John 13:1 </span> <span> Matthew 5:18 </span> <span> Matthew 5:21-48 </span> <span> Romans 3:27 </span> <span> Romans 7:23 </span> <span> Romans 7:23 </span> <span> Romans 8:2 </span> <span> James 1:25 </span> <span> 2:12 </span> <span> 1 Corinthians 9:21 </span> <span> Psalm 119:32,45,97 </span> <span> 2 Corinthians 3:17 </span> <span> James 2:8 </span> <span> Matthew 22:34-40 </span> <span> Romans 13:8 </span> <span> Galatians 5:14 </span> <span> Romans 8:2 </span> <span> John 6:63 </span> <span> Romans 9:31 </span> <span> Galatians 3:21 </span> <span> Hebrews 7:16 </span> <span> Hebrews 7:19 </span> <span> Hebrews 8:6 </span> <span> Galatians 5:3 </span> <span> Galatians 5:14 </span> <span> Romans 8:3 </span> Justification. <span> Acts 19:38 </span> [[Court]] <span> Luke 5:17 </span> <span> Acts 5:34 </span> <span> 1 Timothy 1:7 </span> Doctor. <div> <span> A — 2: Νομοθεσία </span> <span> (Strong'S #3548 — Noun [[Feminine]] — nomothesia — nom-oth-es-ee'-ah </span> ) </div> <p> denotes "legislation, lawgiving" (No. 1, and tithemi, "to place, to put"), <span> Romans 9:4 </span> , "(the) giving of the law." Cp. B, No. 1. </p> <div> <span> B — 1: Νομοθετέω </span> <span> (Strong'S #3549 — Verb — nomotheteo — nom-oth-et-eh'-o </span> ) </div> <p> (a) used intransitively, signifies "to make laws" (cp. A, No. 2, above); in the Passive Voice, "to be furnished with laws," <span> Hebrews 7:11 </span> , "received the law," lit., "was furnished with (the) law;" (b) used transitively, it signifies "to ordain by law, to enact;" in the Passive Voice, <span> Hebrews 8:6 </span> . See Enact. </p> <div> <span> B — 2: Κρίνω </span> <span> (Strong'S #2919 — Verb — krino — kree'-no </span> ) </div> <p> "to esteem, judge," etc., signifies "to go to law," and is so used in the Middle Voice in <span> Matthew 5:40 </span> , RV, "go to law" (AV, "sue ... at the law"); <span> 1 Corinthians 6:1,6 </span> . See Esteem. </p> <span> 1 Corinthians 6:7 </span> <div> <span> B — 3: Παρανομέω </span> <span> (Strong'S #3891 — Verb — paranomeo — par-an-om-eh'-o </span> ) </div> <p> "to transgress law" (para, "contrary to," and nomos), is used in the present participle in <span> Acts 23:3 </span> , and translated "contrary to the law," lit., "transgressing the law." </p> <div> <span> C — 1: Νομικός </span> <span> (Strong'S #3544 — Adjective — nomikos — nom-ik-os' </span> ) </div> <p> denotes "relating to law;" in <span> Titus 3:9 </span> it is translated "about the law," describing "fightings" (AV, "strivings"); see Lawyer. </p> <div> <span> C — 2: Ἔννομος </span> <span> (Strong'S #1772 — Adjective — ennomos — en'-nom-os </span> ) </div> <p> (a) "lawful, legal," lit., "in law" (en, "in," and nomos), or, strictly, "what is within the range of law," is translated "lawful" in <span> Acts 19:39 </span> , AV (RV, "regular"), of the legal tribunals in Ephesus; (b) "under law" (RV), in relation to Christ, <span> 1 Corinthians 9:21 </span> , where it is contrasted with anomos (see No. 3 below); the word as used by the Apostle suggests not merely the condition of being under "law," but the intimacy of a relation established in the loyalty of a will devoted to his Master. See Lawful. </p> <div> <span> C — 3: Ἄνομος </span> <span> (Strong'S #459 — Adjective — anomos — an'-om-os </span> ) </div> <p> signifies "without law" (a, negative) and has this meaning in <span> 1 Corinthians 9:21 </span> (four times). See [[Lawless]] , [[Transgressor]] , [[Unlawful]] , Wicked. </p> <div> <span> D — 1: Ἀνόμως </span> <span> (Strong'S #460 — Adverb — anomos — an-om'-oce </span> ) </div> <p> "without law" (the adverbial form of C, No. 3), is used in <span> Romans 2:12 </span> (twice), where "(have sinned) without law" means in the absence of some specifically revealed "law," like the "law" of Sinai; "(shall perish) without law" predicates that the absence of such a "law" will not prevent their doom; the "law" of conscience is not in view here. The succeeding phrase "under law" is lit., "in law," not the same as the adjective ennomos (C, No. 2), but two distinct words. </p>

<p> LAW, n. L. lex from the root of lay. See lay. A law is that which is laid, set or fixed, like statute, constitution, from L. statuo. </p> 1. A rule, particularly an established or permanent rule, prescribed by the supreme power of a state to its subjects, for regulating their actions, particularly their social actions. Laws are imperative or mandatory, commanding what shall be done prohibitory, restraining from what is to be forborn or permissive, declaring what may be done without incurring a penalty. The laws which enjoin the duties of piety and morality, are prescribed by God and found in the Scriptures. <p> Law is beneficence acting by rule. </p> 2. Municipal law, is a rule of conduct prescribed by the supreme power of a state, commanding what its subjects are to do, and prohibiting what they are to forbear a statute. <p> Municipal or laws are established by the decrees, edicts or ordinances of absolute princes, as emperors and kings, or by the formal acts of the legislatures of free states. Law therefore is sometimes equivalent to decree, edict, or ordinance. </p> 3. Law of nature, is a rule of conduct arising out of the natural relations of human beings established by the Creator, and existing prior to any positive precept. Thus it is a law of nature, that one man should not injure another, and murder and fraud would be crimes, independent of any prohibition from a supreme power. 4. Laws of animal nature, the inherent principles by which the economy and functions of animal bodies are performed, such as respiration, the circulation of the blood, digestion, nutrition, various secretions, &c. 5. Laws of vegetation, the principles by which plats are produced, and their growth carried on till they arrive to perfection. 6. [[Physical]] laws, or laws of nature. The invariable tendency or determination of any species of matter to a particular form with definite properties, and the determination of a body to certain motions, changes, and relations, which uniformly take place in the same circumstances, is called a physical law. These tendencies or determinations, whether called laws or affections of matter, have been established by the Creator, and are, with a peculiar felicity of expression, denominated in Scripture, ordinances of heaven. 7. Laws of nations, the rules that regulate the mutual intercourse of nations or states. These rules depend on natural law, or the principles of justice which spring from the social state or they are founded on customs, compacts, treaties, leagues and agreements between independent communities. <p> By the law of nations, we are to understand that code of public instruction, which defines the rights and prescribes the duties of nations, in their intercourse with each other. </p> 8. Moral law, a law which prescribes to men their religious and social duties, in other words, their duties to God and to each other. The moral law is summarily contained in the decalogue or ten commandments, written by the finger of God on two tables of stone, and delivered to Moses on mount Sinai. <p> <span> Exodus 20 </span> . </p> 9. [[Ecclesiastical]] law, a rule of action prescribed for the government of a church otherwise called canon law. 10. [[Written]] law, a law or rule of action prescribed or enacted by a sovereign, and promulgated and recorded in writing a written statute, ordinance, edict or decree. 11. Unwritten or common law, a rule of action which derives its authority from long usage, or established custom, which has been immemorially received and recognized by judicial tribunals. As this law can be traced to no positive statutes, its rules or principles are to be found only in the records of courts, and in the reports of judicial decisions. 12. By-law, a law of a city, town or private corporation. See By. 13. Mosaic law, the institutions of Moses, or the code of laws prescribed to the Jews, as distinguished from the gospel. 14. Ceremonial law, the Mosaic institutions which prescribe the external rites and ceremonies to be observed by the Jews, as distinct from the moral precepts, which are of perpetual obligation. 15. A rule of direction a directory as reason and natural conscience. <p> These, having not the law, as a law to themselves. <span> Romans 2 </span> . </p> 16. That which governs or has a tendency to rule that which has the power of controlling. <p> But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. <span> Romans 7 </span> . </p> 17. The word of God the doctrines and precepts of God, or his revealed will. <p> But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. <span> Psalms 1 </span> . </p> 18. The Old Testament. <p> Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? <span> John 10 </span> . </p> 19. The institutions of Moses, as distinct from the other parts of the Old Testament as the law and the prophets. 20. A rule or axiom of science or art settled principle as the laws of versification or poetry. 21. Law martial, or martial law, the rules ordained for the government of an army or military force. 22. Marine laws, rules for the regulation of navigation, and the commercial intercourse of nations. 23. Commercial law, law-merchant, the system of rules by which trade and commercial intercourse are regulated between merchants. 24. Judicial process prosecution of right in courts of law. <p> Tom Touchy is a fellow famous for taking the law of every body. </p> <p> Hence the phrase, to go to law, to prosecute to seek redress in a legal tribunal. </p> 25. Jurisprudence as in the title, Doctor of Laws. 26. In general, law is a rule of action prescribed for the government of rational beings or moral agents, to which rule they are bound to yield obedience, in default of which they are exposed to punishment or law is a settled mode or course of action or operation in irrational beings and in inanimate bodies. <p> Civil law, criminal law. See Civil and Criminal. </p> <p> Laws of honor. See Honor. </p> <p> Law language, the language used in legal writings and forms, particularly the Norman dialect or Old French, which was used in judicial proceedings from the days of [[William]] the conqueror to the 36th year of [[Edward]] III. </p> <p> Wager of law, a species of trial formerly used in England, in which the defendant gave security that he would, on a certain day, make his law, that is, he would make oath that he owed nothing to the plaintiff, and would produce eleven of his neighbors as compurgators, who should swear that they believed in their consciences that he had sworn the truth. </p>

<p> A rule of action; a precept or command coming from a superior authority, which an inferior is bound to obey. The manner in which God governs rational creatures is by a law, as the rule of their obedience to him, and which is what we call God's moral government of the world. He gave a law to angels, which some of them kept, and have been confirmed in a state of obedience to it; but which others broke, and thereby plunged themselves into destruction and misery. He gave, also, a law to Adam, and which was in the form of a covenant, and in which Adam stood as a covenant head to all his posterity, <span> Romans 5:1-21 </span> : <span> Genesis 2:1-25 </span> : But our first parents soon violated that law, and fell from a state of innocence to a state of sin and misery, <span> Hosea 6:7 </span> . <span> Genesis 3:1-24 </span> : </p> <p> See FALL. Positive laws, are precepts which are not founded upon any reasons known to those to whom they are given. Thus in the state of innocence God gave the law of the Sabbath; or abstinence from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, &c. Law of nature is the will of God relating to human actions, grounded in the moral differences of things, and, because discoverable by natural light, obligatory upon all mankind, <span> Romans 1:20 </span> ; <span> Romans 2:14-15 </span> . This law is coeval with the human race, binding all over the globe, and at all times; yet, through the corruption of reason, it is insufficient to lead us to happiness, and utterly unable to acquaint us how sin is to be forgiven, without the assistance of revelation. Ceremonial law is that which prescribed the rites of worship used under the Old Testament. </p> <p> These rites were typical of Christ, and were obligatory only till Christ had finished his work, and began to erect his Gospel church, <span> Hebrews 7:9 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 7:11 </span> . <span> Hebrews 10:1 </span> . <span> Ephesians 2:16 </span> . <span> Colossians 2:14 </span> . <span> Galatians 5:2-3 </span> . Judicial law was that which directed the policy of the Jewish nation, as under the peculiar dominion of God as their [[Supreme]] magistrate, and never, except in things relative to moral equity, was binding on any but the Hebrew nation. Moral law is that declaration of God's will which directs and binds all men, in every age and place, to their whole duty to him. It was most solemnly proclaimed by God himself at Sinai, to confirm the original law of nature, and correct men's mistakes concerning the demands of it. It is denominated perfect, <span> Psalms 19:7 </span> . perpetual, <span> Matthew 5:17-18 </span> . holy, <span> Romans 7:12 </span> . good, <span> Romans 7:12 </span> . spiritual, <span> Romans 7:1-25 </span> . exceeding broad, <span> Psalms 119:96 </span> . Some deny that it is a rule of conduct to believers under the Gospel dispensation; but it is easy to see the futility of such an idea; for as a transcript of the mind of God, it must be the criterion of moral good and evil. It is also given for that very purpose, that we may see our duty, and abstain from every thing derogatory to the divine glory. It affords us grand ideas of the holiness and purity of God: without attention to it, we can have no knowledge of sin. </p> <p> Christ himself came not to destroy, but to fulfil it; and though we cannot do as he did, yet we are commanded to follow his example. Love to God is the end of the moral law, as well as the end of the Gospel. By the law, also, we are led to see the nature of holiness, and our own depravity, and learn to be humbled under a sense of our imperfection. We are not under it, however, as a covenant of works, <span> Galatians 3:13 </span> . or as a source of terror, <span> Romans 8:1 </span> . although we must abide by it, together with the whole preceptive word of God, as the rule of our conduct, <span> Romans 3:31 </span> Laws, directive, are laws without any punishment annexed to them. Laws, penal, such as have some penalty to enforce them. All the laws of God are and cannot but be penal, because every breach of his law is sin, and meritorious of punishment. Law of honour is a system of rules constructed by people of fashion, and calculated to facilitate their intercourse with one another, and for no other purpose. Consequently nothing is adverted to by the law of honour but what tends to incommode this intercourse. Hence this law only prescribes and regulates the duties betwixt equals, omitting such as relate to the Supreme Being, as well as those which we owe to our inferiors. In fact, this law of honour, in most instances, is favourable to the licentious indulgence of the natural passions. </p> <p> Thus it allows of fornication, adultery, drunkenness, prodigality, duelling, and of revenge in the extreme, and lays no stress upon the virtues opposite to these. Laws, remedial, a fancied law, which some believe in, who hold that God, in mercy to mankind, has abolished that rigorous constitution or law that they were under originally, and instead of it has introduced a more mild constitution, and put us under a new law, which requires no more than imperfect sincere obedience, in compliance with our poor, infirm, impotent circumstances since the fall. I call this a fancied law, because it exists no where except in the imagination of those who hold it. </p> <p> See NEONOMIANS, and JUSTIFICATION. Laws of nations, are those rules which by a tacit consent are agreed upon among all communities, at least among those who are reckoned the polite and humanized part of mankind. Gill's Body of Div. vol. 1: p. 454, oct. 425, vol. 3: ditto; Paley's Mor. Phil. vol. 1: p. 2; Cumberland's Law of Nature; Grove's Mor. Phil. vol. 2: p. 117. Booth's Death of Legal Hope; Inglish and Burder's [[Pieces]] on the Moral Law; Watts's Works, vol. 1: ser. 49. 8vo. edition, and vol. 2: p. 443. &c. Scott's Essays. </p>

<p> In the Bible, signifies sometimes the whole word of God, <span> Psalm 19:7-11 </span> <span> 119:1-176 </span> <span> Isaiah 8:20 </span> ; sometimes the Old Testament, <span> John 10:34 </span> <span> 15:25 </span> , and sometimes the five books of Moses, which formed the first of the three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures, <span> Luke 24:44 </span> <span> Acts 13:15 </span> . The Pentateuch was probably "the law," a copy of which every king was to transcribe for himself and study, and which was to be made known to young and old, in public and in private, <span> Deuteronomy 6:7 </span> <span> 17:18,19 </span> <span> 31:9-19,26 </span> . In other places the Mosaic institutions as a whole are intend by "the law," in distinction from the gospel, <span> John 1:17 </span> <span> Acts 25:8 </span> . </p> <p> When the word refers to the Law of Moses, careful attention to the context is sometimes requisite to judge whether the civil, the ceremonial, or the moral law is meant. The ceremonial or ritual laws, concerning the forms of worship, sacrifices, priests, purifications, etc., were designed to distinguish the Jewish nation from the heathen, and to foreshadow the gospel dispensation. They were annulled after Christ's ascension, <span> Genesis 3:24 </span> <span> Ephesians 2:15 </span> <span> Hebrews 9:1-28 </span> <span> 10:1-22 </span> . The civil laws, <span> Acts 23:2 </span> <span> 24:6 </span> , were for the government of the Jews as a nation, and included the Ten Commandments. The whole code was adapted with consummated wisdom to the condition of the Jews, and has greatly influenced all wise legislation in later years. Its pious, humane, and just spirit should characterize every code of human laws. The moral law, <span> Deuteronomy 5:22 </span> <span> Matthew 5:17,18 </span> <span> Luke 10:26,27 </span> , is more important than the others, from its bearings on human salvation. It was written by the Creator on the conscience of man, and sin has never fully erased it, <span> Romans 1:19 </span> <span> 2:12-15 </span> . It was more fully taught to the Hebrews, especially at Mount Sinai, in the Ten Commandments, and is summed up by Christ in loving God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves, <span> Matthew 22:37-40 </span> . It was the offspring of love to man, <span> Romans 7:10,12 </span> ; required perfect obedience, <span> Galatians 3:10 </span> <span> James 2:10 </span> ; and is of universal and perpetual obligation. Christ confirmed and enforced it, <span> Matthew 5:17-20 </span> , showing its demands of holiness in the heart, applying it to a variety of cases, and supplying new motives to obedience, by revealing heaven and hell more clearly, and the gracious guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some have argued from certain passages of Scripture that this law is no longer binding upon Christians; that they "are not under the law, but under grace," <span> Romans 6:14,15 </span> <span> 7:4,6 </span> <span> Galatians 3:13,25 </span> <span> 5:18 </span> ; and the perversion of these passages leads men to sin and perish because grace abounds. [[Rightly]] understood, they harmonize with the declarations of the Savior, <span> Matthew 5:17 </span> . To the soul that is in Christ, the law is no longer the arbiter of doom; yet is still comes to him as the divinely appointed teacher of that will of God in which he now delights, <span> Psalm 119:97 </span> <span> Matthew 5:48 </span> <span> 11:30 </span> . </p> <p> The word "law" sometimes means an inward guiding and controlling power. The "law in the mind" and the "law in the members," mean the holy impulses of a regenerated should and the perverse inclinations of the natural heart, <span> Romans 7:21-23 </span> . Compare also <span> Romans 8:2 </span> <span> 9:31 </span> <span> James 1:25 </span> <span> 2:12 </span> . </p>

<p> <span> A. Noun. </span> </p> <p> <em> Tôrâh </em> ( <span> תֹּרָה </span> , Strong'S #8451), “law; direction; instruction.” This noun occurs 220 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. </p> <p> In the wisdom literature, where the noun does not appear with a definite article, <em> tôrâh </em> signifies primarily “direction, teaching, instruction”: “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death” (Prov. 13:14), and “Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart” (Job 22:22). The “instruction” of the sages of Israel, who were charged with the education of the young, was intended to cultivate in the young a fear of the Lord so that they might live in accordance with God’s expectations. The sage was a father to his pupils: “Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father” (Prov. 28:7; cf. 3:1; 4:2; 7:2). The natural father might also instruct his son in wise living, even as a Godfearing woman was an example of kind “instruction”: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (Prov. 31:26). </p> <p> The “instruction” given by God to Moses and the Israelites became known as “the law” or “the direction” ( <em> ha- </em> <em> tôrâh </em> ), and quite frequently as “the Law of the Lord”: “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Ps. 119:1), or “the Law of God”: “Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, [Ezra] read in the book of the law of God” (Neh. 8:18), and also as “the Law of [given through] Moses”: “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in [[Horeb]] for all Israel …” (Mal. 4:4). The word can refer to the whole of the “law”: “For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children” (Ps. 78:5), or to particulars: “And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel …” (Deut. 4:44). </p> <p> God had communicated the “law” that Israel might observe and live: “And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?” (Deut. 4:8). The king was instructed to have a copy of the “law” prepared for him at his coronation (Deut. 17:18). The priests were charged with the study and teaching of, as well as the jurisprudence based upon, the “law” (Jer. 18:18). Because of rampant apostasy the last days of [[Judah]] were times when there were no teaching priests (2 Chron. 15:3); in fact, in Josiah’s days the “law” (whether the whole Torah, or a book or a part) was recovered: “And [[Hilkiah]] … said to [[Shaphan]] the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord” (2 Chron. 34:15). </p> <p> The prophets called Israel to repeat by returning to the <em> tôrâh </em> (“instruction”) of God (Isa. 1:10). Jeremiah prophesied concerning God’s new dealing with His people in terms of the New Covenant, in which God’s law is to be internalized, God’s people would willingly obey Him: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33). The last prophet of the Old Testament reminded the priests of their obligations (Mal. 2) and challenged God’s people to remember the “law” of Moses in preparation for the coming Messiah (Mal. 4:4). </p> <p> The [[Septuagint]] gives the following translations: <em> nomos </em> (“law; rule”); <em> nomimos </em> (“conformable to law; lawful”); <em> entole </em> (“command[ment]; order”); and <em> prostagma </em> (“order; commandment; injunction”). </p> <p> <span> B. Verb. </span> </p> <p> <em> Yârâh </em> ( <span> יָרָא </span> , Strong'S #3384), “to throw, cast, direct, teach, instruct.” The noun <em> yârâh </em> is derived from this root. The meaning “to cast” appears in Gen. 31:51: “And [[Laban]] said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee.” <em> Yârâh </em> means “to teach” in 1 Sam. 12:23: “… but I will teach you the good and the right way.” </p>

<p> The subject of 'law' is not restricted in scripture to the law given by Moses. God gave a commandment (or law) to Adam, which made Adam's subsequent sin to be transgression. Where there is no law there is no transgression ( <span> Romans 4:15 </span> ), though there may be sin, as there was from Adam to Moses: "until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed [or put to account] when there is no law." <span> Romans 5:13 </span> . This doubtless signifies that specific acts were not put to account as a question of God's governmental dealings, when there was no law forbidding them. Men sinned, and death reigned, though they "had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression" ( <span> Romans 5:14 </span> ), for no definite law had been given to them. The nations that had not the law were however a law unto themselves, having some sense of good and evil, and their conscience bore witness accordingly. It is not a true definition of sin, to say that it is "the transgression of the law," as in the A.V. of <span> 1 John 3:4 </span> . The passage should read "Sin is lawlessness:" that is, man doing his own will, defiant of restraint, and regardless of his Creator and of his neighbour. </p> <p> 'Law' may be considered as a <i> principle </i> in contrast to 'grace,' in which sense it occurs in the N.T., the word 'law' being often without the article (though the law of Moses may at times be alluded to in the same way). In this sense it raises the question of what <i> man </i> is for God, and hence involves works. "The <i> doers </i> of [the] law shall be justified," <span> Romans 2:13 </span> ; but if, on the other hand, salvation be "by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace." <span> Romans 11:6 </span> . The conclusion is that "by the deeds of [the] law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." None can be saved on that principle. In opposition to it "the righteousness of God without [the] law is manifested." The believer is "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." <span> Romans 3:20-24 </span> . 'Law' a principle stands also in scripture in contrast to 'faith.' "The just shall live by faith: and the law is not of faith; but the man that doeth them shall live in them." <span> Galatians 3:11 </span> . </p> <p> The word 'law' is also used for a fixed and unvarying principle such as 'a law of nature:' thus we read of the 'law of faith,' 'law of sin,' 'law of righteousness,' 'law of the Spirit of life,' etc.; cf. <span> Romans 7:21 </span> . </p> <p> The term 'law' is occasionally used in the N.T. as a designation of other parts of the O.T. besides the Pentateuch. The Lord said, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods ?" when the quotation was from the Psalms. <span> John 10:34 </span> : similarly <span> 1 Corinthians 14:21 </span> . </p> <p> The LAW OF LIBERTY, <span> James 1:25 </span> ; <span> James 2:12 </span> , implies that, the nature being congruous, the things enjoined, instead of being a burden, are a pleasure. Doing the commandments of the Lord is the fruit of the divine nature: they are therefore both law and liberty. </p>

<p> In connexion with this problem we must also consider the peculiar relation of the Jewish Christians to the Law. According both to Acts and to the [[Pauline]] Epistles, the Apostle maintained that the Law had a peculiar binding force upon Christians belonging to the race of Israel. As regards Acts, we need refer only to <span> Acts 21:21-26 </span> ; <span> Acts 16:3 </span> ; <span> Acts 18:18 </span> . When St. James spoke to St. Paul of the rumour that he taught the [[Diaspora]] to forsake Moses, St. Paul promptly gave the required practical evidence for the falsity of the report, and for his own allegiance to the Law ( <span> Acts 21:21 </span> ff.). He even circumcised Timothy, a semi-Gentile ( <span> Acts 16:3 </span> ). According to his own Epistles, again, he was to the Jews as a Jew ( <span> 1 Corinthians 9:19 </span> ), and he counsels the Jewish members of the Church in [[Corinth]] not to undo their circumcision ( <span> 1 Corinthians 7:18 </span> ), since every man should remain in the condition in which he was called ( <span> 1 Corinthians 7:20 </span> ). In <span> Galatians 5:3 </span> he solemnly declares that every one who receives circumcision is under obligation to keep the whole Law-an assertion designed to traverse the foolish idea which the [[Judaizers]] had tried to insinuate into the minds of the Galatians, viz. that circumcision was a matter of no great importance. This declaration, no doubt, was made from the stand-point of those who believed that justification was to be obtained by the works of the Law. At all events, where higher issues are at stake, the Apostle assumes that he is absolved from the strict letter of the Law, as, <i> e.g. </i> , for the sake of brotherly intercourse with the Gentile Christians (cf. <span> 1 Corinthians 9:21 </span> with <span> Galatians 2:12-14 </span> ). There is another fact that points in the same direction. In Romans 11 St. Paul asserts that the Chosen People are to occupy a permanently distinct position in the Divine process of history. But the persistence of the distinctively religious character of Israel would seem to involve their permanent retention of circumcision and the Law.* <span> [Note: on this point generally, A. Harnack, Neue Untersuchungen zur Apostelgeschichte, Leipzig, 1911, p. 21ff.] </span> <span> <p> <span> Copyright Statement </span> These files are public domain.Text [[Courtesy]] of Biblesupport.Com. Used by Permission. </p> <p> <span> Bibliography Information </span> Hastings, James. Entry for 'Law'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/l/law.html. 1906-1918. </p> </span> </p>

<p> <span> (1): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament. </p> <p> <span> (2): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice. </p> <p> <span> (3): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; - including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law. </p> <p> <span> (4): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) Any edict, decree, order, ordinance, statute, resolution, judicial, decision, usage, etc., or recognized, and enforced, by the controlling authority. </p> <p> <span> (5): </span> <span> ( </span> interj.) An exclamation of mild surprise. </p> <p> <span> (6): </span> <span> ( </span> v. t.) Same as Lawe, v. t. </p> <p> <span> (7): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) An oath, as in the presence of a court. </p> <p> <span> (8): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) [[Trial]] by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law. </p> <p> <span> (9): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation. </p> <p> <span> (10): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community. </p> <p> <span> (11): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist. </p> <p> <span> (12): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) In matematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence. </p> <p> <span> (13): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts. </p> <p> <span> (14): </span> <span> ( </span> n.) In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature. </p>

<p> <span> Law. </span> The word is properly used, in Scripture as elsewhere, to express a definite commandment laid down by any recognized authority; but when the word is used with the article, and without any words of limitation, it refers to the expressed will to God, and in nine cases out of ten, to the Mosaic law, or to the Pentateuch of which it forms the chief portion. The Hebrew word, <span> torah </span> (law) lays more stress on its moral authority, as teaching the truth and guiding in the right way; the Greek <span> nomos </span> (law), on its constraining power as imposed and enforced by a recognized authority. The sense of the word, however, extends its scope and assumes a more abstracts character in the writings of St. Paul. </p> <p> <span> [[Nomos]] </span> , when used by him with the article, still refers in general to the law of Moses; but when used without the article, so as to embrace any manifestation of "law," it includes all powers which act on the will of man by compulsion, or by the pressure of external motives, whether their commands be or be not expressed in definite forms. The occasional use of the word "law" (as in <span> Romans 3:27 </span> , "law of faith") to denote an internal principle of action does not really mitigate against the general rule. It should also be noticed that the title "the Law" is occasionally used loosely to refer to the whole of the Old Testament, as in <span> John 10:34 </span> referring to <span> Psalms 82:6 </span> in <span> John 15:25 </span> referring to <span> Psalms 35:19 </span> and in <span> 1 Corinthians 14:21 </span> referring to <span> Isaiah 28:11-12 </span> . </p>

<p> Also called testimony, commandments, statutes, precepts, judgments, the Word, and words. </p> <p> Called "Law of Moses" <span> 1 Kings 2:3 </span> </p> <p> Called "Law of the Lord" <span> 2 Kings 10:31 </span> </p> <p> Called "Law of God" <span> Romans 7:22 </span> </p> <p> Called "Law of the Spirit" <span> Romans 8:2 </span> </p> <p> Called "Law of Righteousness" <span> Romans 9:31 </span> </p> <p> Called "Law of Liberty" <span> James 2:12 </span> </p> <p> <span> James 2:12 </span> (a) This is the law that operates when there is no restraint nor hindrance. We judge a lion by the way he would act if free, and not by the way he acts in the cage. So GOD will judge people by the way they act when they are free to do as they please, and no one sees or knows of their actions. </p> <p> GOD's law is like a light <span> Psalm 119:130 </span> </p> <p> GOD's law is like a lamp <span> Psalm 119:105 </span> </p> <p> GOD's law is like a hammer <span> Jeremiah 23:29 </span> </p> <p> GOD's law is like a fire <span> Jeremiah 23:29 </span> </p> <p> GOD's law is like a seed <span> Luke 8:11 </span> </p> <p> GOD's law is like water <span> Ephesians 5:26 </span> </p> <p> GOD's law is like a sword <span> Hebrews 4:12 </span> </p>

<p> <span> Law, The. </span> This term is applied in the New Testament to the old covenant and revelation, in distinction from the new; the dispensation under the law in distinction from the dispensation under the gospel; that by Moses and the prophets in distinction from the dispensation by Christ. <span> John 1:17 </span> ; <span> Acts 25:8 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 10:1-18 </span> . It was the title applied by the Jews to the first five books of the Bible. The law, the prophets, and the psalms, <span> Luke 24:27 </span> ; <span> Luke 24:44 </span> ; <span> Acts 13:15 </span> , thus designate the entire Old Testament. The term often refers more specially to the Mosaic legislation, including the moral, <span> Matthew 6:17 </span> , the ceremonial, <span> Ephesians 2:15 </span> , and the political, but particularly the first. Sometimes Paul uses the word "law" (without the article) in a wider sense—of principle, rule of moral conduct—and speaks of the heathen as having such a law written on their conscience or being a law to themselves. <span> Romans 2:14-15 </span> . </p>

<li> Moral positive laws are commanded by God because they are right. <div> <p> <span> Copyright Statement </span> These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> <span> Bibliography Information </span> Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Law'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/l/law.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> is usually defined as a rule of action; it is more properly a precept or command coming from a superior authority, which an inferior is bound to obey. Such laws emanate from the king or legislative body of a nation. Such enactments of "the powers that be" are recognized in Scripture as resting upon the ultimate authority of the divine [[Lawgiver]] ( <span> Romans 13:1 </span> ). We propose in this article to discuss only the various distinctions or applications of the term, in an ethical sense, reserving for a separate place the consideration of the Mosaic law, in its various aspects, ceremonial, moral, and civil. </p> <p> <span> I. </span> <span> Classification of Laws as to their interior Nature. </span> <span> — </span> </p> <p> <span> 1. </span> <span> "Penal Laws" </span> are such as have some penalty to enforce them. All the laws of God are and cannot but be penal, because every breach of his law is sin, and meritorious of punishment. </p> <p> <span> 2. </span> <span> "Directing Laws" </span> are prescriptions or maxims without any punishment annexed to them. </p> <p> <span> 3. </span> <span> "Positive Laws" </span> are precepts which are not founded upon any reasons known to those to whom they are given. Thus, in the state of innocence, God gave the law of the Sabbath; of abstinence from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, etc. In childhood most of the parental commands are necessarily of this nature, owing to the incapacity of the child to understand the grounds of their inculcation. </p> <p> <span> II. </span> <span> [[Certain]] Special Uses of the Term. <span> — </span> </span> </p> <p> <span> 1. </span> " <span> Law of Honor" </span> is a system of rules constructed by people of fashion, and calculated to facilitate their intercourse with one another, and for no other purpose. Consequently nothing is adverted to by the law of honor but what tends to incommode this intercourse. Hence this law only prescribes and regulates the duties betwixt equals, omitting such as relate to the Supreme Being, as well as those which we owe to our inferiors, and in most instances is favorable to the licentious indulgence of the natural passions. Thus it allows of fornication, adultery, drunkenness, prodigality, duelling, and of revenge in the extreme, and lays no stress upon the virtues opposite to these. </p> <p> <span> 2. </span> " <span> Laws of Nations" </span> are those rules which, by a tacit consent, are agreed upon among all communities, at least among those who are reckoned the polite and humanized part of mankind. </p> <p> <span> 3. </span> <span> "Laws of Natures." </span> <span> — </span> "The word law is sometimes also employed in order to express not only the moral connection between free agents of an inferior, and others of a superior power, but also in order to express the <span> nexus causalis, </span> the connection between cause and effect in inanimate nature. However, the expression <span> law of nature, lex naturae, </span> is improper and figurative. The term law implies, in its strict sense, <span> spontaneity, </span> or the power of deciding between right and wrong, and of choosing between good and evil, as well on the part of the lawgiver as on the part of those who have to regulate their conduct according to his dictates" (Kitto, s.v.). Moreover, the powers of nature, which these laws are conceived as representing, are nothing in reality but the power of God exerted in these directions. Hence these laws may at any time be suspended by God when the higher interests of his spiritual kingdom require. Viewed in this light, miracles not only become possible, but even probable for the furtherance of the divine economy of salvation. (See Bushell, Nature and the Supernatural.) (See [[Miracle]]). </p> <p> <span> III. </span> <span> Forms of the Divine Law. </span> <span> — </span> The manner in which God governs rational creatures is by a law, as the rule of their obedience to him, and this is what we call God's moral government of the world. At their very creation he placed all intelligences under such a system. Thus he gave a law to angels, which some of them have kept, and have been confirmed in a state of obedience to it; but which others broke, and thereby plunged themselves into destruction and misery. In like manner he also gave a law to Adam, which was in the form of a covenant, and in which Adam stood as a covenant head to all his posterity (Romans 5). But our first parents soon violated that law, and fell from a state of innocence to a state of sin and misery ( <span> Hosea 6:7 </span> ). (See [[Fall]]). </p> <p> <span> 1. </span> The <span> "Law of Nature" </span> is the will of God relating to human actions, grounded in the moral difference of things, and, because discoverable by natural light, obligatory upon all mankind ( <span> Romans 1:20 </span> ; <span> Romans 2:14-15 </span> ). This law is coeval with the human race, binding all over the globe, and at all times; yet, through the corruption of reason, it is insufficient to lead us to happiness, and utterly unable to acquaint us how sin is to be forgiven, without the assistance of revelation. This law is that generally designated by the term <span> conscience, </span> which is in strictness a capacity of being affected by the moral relations of actions; in other words, merely a <span> sense </span> of <span> right and wrong. </span> It is the judgment which intellectually determines the moral quality of an act, and this always by a comparison with some assumed standard. With those who have a revelation, this, of course, is the test; with others, education, tradition, or caprice. Hence the importance of a trained conscience, not only for the purpose of cultivating its susceptibility to a high degree of sensitiveness and authority, but also in order to correct the judgment and furnish it a just basis of decision. A perverted or misled conscience is scarcely less disastrous than a hard or blind one. History is full of the miseries and mischiefs occasioned by a misguided moral sense. </p> <p> <span> 2. </span> <span> "Ceremonial Law" </span> is that which prescribes the rites of worship under the Old Testament. These rites were typical of Christ, and were obligatory only till Christ had finished his work, and began to erect his Gospel Church ( <span> Hebrews 7:9 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 7:11 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 10:1 </span> ; <span> Ephesians 2:16 </span> ; <span> Colossians 2:14 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:2-3 </span> ). </p> <p> <span> 3. </span> <span> "Judaicia Law" </span> was that which directed the policy of the Jewish nation, under the peculiar dominion of God as their supreme magistrate, and never, except in things relating to moral equity, was binding on any but the Hebrew nation. </p> <p> <span> 4. </span> <span> "Moral Law" </span> is that declaration of God's will which directs and binds all men, in every age and place, to their whole duty to him. It was most solemnly proclaimed by God himself at Sinai, to confirm the original law of nature, and correct men's mistakes concerning the demands of it. It is denominated perfect ( <span> Psalms 19:7 </span> ), perpetual ( <span> Matthew 5:17-18 </span> ), holy ( <span> Romans 7:12 </span> ), good ( <span> Romans 7:12 </span> ), spiritual ( <span> Romans 7:14 </span> ), exceeding broad ( <span> Psalms 119:96 </span> ). Some deny that it is a rule of conduct to believers under the Gospel dispensation; but it is easy to see the futility of such an idea; for, as a transcript of the mind of God, it must be the criterion of moral good and evil. It is also given for that very purpose, that we may see our duty, and abstain from everything derogatory to the divine glory. It affords us grand ideas of the holiness and purity of God; without attention to it, we can have no knowledge of sin. Christ himself came, not to destroy, but to fulfill it; and though we cannot do as he did, yet we are commanded to follow his example. Love to God is the end of the moral law as well as the end of the Gospel. By the law, also, we are led to see the nature of holiness and our own depravity, and learn to be humbled under a sense of our imperfection. We are not under it, however, as a covenant of works ( <span> Galatians 3:13 </span> ), or as a source of terror ( <span> Romans 8:1 </span> ), although we must abide by it, together with the whole perceptive word of God, as the rule of our conduct ( <span> Romans 3:31 </span> ; Romans 7). (See [[Law Of Moses]]). </p> <p> <span> IV. </span> <span> Scriptural Uses of the Law. </span> <span> — </span> The word "law" <span> (תּוֹרָה </span> , torah', <span> νόμος </span> ) is properly used, in Scripture as elsewhere, to express a definite commandment laid down by any recognized authority. The commandment may be general or (as in <span> Leviticus 6:9 </span> ; <span> Leviticus 6:14 </span> , etc., "the law of the burnt- offering," etc.) particular in its bearing, the authority either human or divine. It is extended to prescriptions respecting sanitary or purificatory arrangements ("the law of her that has been in childbed," or of those that have had the leprosy, <span> Leviticus 14:2 </span> ), or even to an architectural design ("the law of the house," <span> Ezekiel 43:12 </span> ): so in <span> Romans 6:2 </span> , "the law of the husband" is his authority over his wife. But when the word is used with the article, and without any words of limitation, it refers to the expressed will of God, and, in nine cases out of ten, to the Mosaic law, or to the Pentateuch, of which it forms the chief portion. </p> <p> The Hebrew word (derived from the root <span> יָרָה </span> , <span> yarah', </span> "to point out," and so "to direct and lead") lays more stress on its moral authority, as teaching the truth, and guiding in the right way; the Greek <span> νόμος </span> (from <span> νέμω </span> , "to assign or appoint,") on its constraining power, as imposed and enforced by a recognized authority. But in either case it is a commandment proceeding from without, and distinguished from the free action of its subjects, although not necessarily opposed thereto. </p> <p> The sense of the word, however, extends its scope, and assumes a more abstract character in the writings of the apostle Paul <span> Νόμος </span> , when used by him with the article, still refers in general to the law of Moses; but when used without the article, so as to embrace any manifestation of " law," it includes all powers which act on the will of man by compulsion, or by the pressure of external motives, whether their commands be or be not expressed in definite forms. This is seen in the constant opposition of <span> ἔργα </span> <span> νόμου </span> ("works done under the constraint of law") to faith, or "works of faith," that is, works done freely by the internal influence of faith. A still more remarkable use of the word is found in <span> Romans 7:23 </span> , where the power of evil over the will, arising from the corruption of man, is spoken of as a "law of sin," that is, an unnatural tyranny proceeing from an evil power without. The same apostle even uses the term "law" to denote the Christian dispensation in contrast with that of Moses ( <span> James 1:25 </span> ; <span> James 2:12 </span> ; <span> James 4:11 </span> ; comp. <span> Romans 10:4 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 7:12 </span> ; <span> Hebrews 10:1 </span> ); also for the laws or precepts established by the Gospel ( <span> Romans 13:8 </span> ; <span> Romans 13:10 </span> ; <span> Galatians 6:2 </span> ; <span> Galatians 5:23 </span> ). </p> <p> The occasional use of the word "law" (as in <span> Romans 3:27 </span> , "law of faith;" in <span> Romans 7:23 </span> , "law of my mind" [ <span> τοῦ </span> <span> νόος </span> ]; in <span> Romans 8:2 </span> , "law of the spirit of life;" and in <span> James 1:25 </span> ; <span> James 2:12 </span> , "a perfect law, the law of liberty") to denote an <span> internal </span> principle of action does not really militate against the general rule. For in each case it will be seen that such principle is spoken of in contrast with some formal law, and the word "law" is consequently applied to it "improperly," in order to mark this opposition, the qualifying words which follow guarding against any danger of misapprehension of its real character. </p> <p> It should also be noticed that the title "the law" is occasionally used loosely to refer to the whole of the Old Testament (as in <span> John 10:34 </span> , referring to <span> Psalms 82:6 </span> ; in <span> John 15:25 </span> , referring to <span> Psalms 35:19 </span> ; and in <span> 1 Corinthians 14:21 </span> , referring to <span> Isaiah 28:11-12 </span> ). This usage is probably due, not only to desire of brevity and to the natural prominence of the Pentateuch, but also to the predominance in the older covenant (when considered separately from the new, for which it was the preparation) of an external and legal character. <span> — </span> Smith, s.v. </p> <p> It should be noted, however, that <span> νόμος </span> very often stands, even when without the article, for the Mosaic law, the term in that sense being so well known as not to be liable to be misunderstood. (See Greek Article). </p>