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jessemorrell
Registered Member
Date Joined Sep 2007
Total Posts : 77
| Posted 2/28/2008 12:36 PM (GMT -6) |   | THE MORAL GOVERNMENT OF GOD
Government is understood to be the governing of subjects. The Moral Government of God is the governing of God, in the realm of morality, over moral agents which who are subjects in this Government. The Bible describes God as a Governor (Matt. 2:6) who is the Sovereign of a Government (Isa. 9:6-7). The Scriptures also describes God as a King (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; Rev. 19:16) who is over a Kingdom (Ps. 45:6; Dan. 6:26; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 12:10). These different expressions of a King with a Kingdom or a Governor with Government are descriptions of the same concept. King and Kingdom relates to God’s rule or reigning, just as Governor and Government relates to God’s rule or reigning. The Kingdom of God is internal (Lk. 17:21) and relates to righteousness or morality (Matt. 6:33; Rom. 14:17).
Government consists in laws, courts, judges, punishments, prisons, and rewards. The Moral Government of God has the Law of Love (Deut. 6:5; Deut. 10:12; Matt. 22:35-40; Mk. 12:30-31; Lk. 10:27; Rom. 13:8; Rom 13:10; Gal 5:14; Jas. 2:8), the court of Judgment Day (Matt. 12:36; 2 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 3:7; Jude 1:6), the Judge of Jesus Christ (Gen. 18:25; Jn. 5:22; Rom. 2:16; 2 Tim. 4:1), the punishment of eternal death or hell fire (Matt. 25:46; Rom. 6:23; 2 Thes. 1:9; 2 Peter 2:9; Jude 1:7), the prison of the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:10; Rev. 20:14-15; Rev. 21:8), and rewards (Matt. 5:12; Matt. 6:4; Matt. 10:41; Matt. 16:27; Lk. 6:23; Lk. 6:35; 1 Cor. 3:8; 1 Cor. 3:14; Col. 3:24; 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Jn. 1:8; Rev. 11:18; Rev. 22:12).
Within the Government of God, all men are held accountable according to their knowledge (Matt. 10:15, Matt. 11:21-22, Matt. 11:24, Matt. 23:14, Mk. 6:11, Mk. 12:40, Lk. 10:12, Lk. 10:14, Lk. 12:47-48, Lk. 20:47, Lk. 23:34, Jn. 9:41, Jn. 15:22, Jn. 19:11, Rom. 1:18-20, Rom. 4:15, Rom. 5:13, Jas. 4:17, Jas. 3:1, Heb. 10:26, 2 Pet. 2:21), all men are responsible according to their ability (Deut. 6:5, Deut. 10:12, Deut. 30:6, Matt. 22:37, Mk. 12:30, Lk. 10:27, 1Cor. 10:13), no more and no less. The punishment of God is executed upon willful rebellion (Prov. 1:24-26; Hos. 9:9; Matt. 22:27; Lk. 10:27; Acts 3:23; Rom. 2:14-16; Heb 10:26-31; Eph. 5:6). All men are personally responsible for making themselves sinners (Gen. 6:12, Exo. 32:7, Deut. 9:12, Deut. 32:5, Jdg. 2:19, Hos. 9:9, Ps. 14:2-3, Isa. 53:6, Ecc. 7:29 Zep. 3:7, Rom. 3:23) and are responsible for their own condemnation (Rom. 2:5; Heb. 2:2; 2 Pet. 2:13).
Within the Government of God there are loyal citizens (Rom. 15:18; 2 Cor. 2:9; 1 Pet. 1:14; 1 Jn. 3:22; 1 Jn. 4:17) and rebellious citizens (Isa. 14:13-14, Isa. 30:9, Isa. 30:15-16, Isa. 31:6, Isa. 42:24, Neh.9:29, Lk.19:14, Lk.19:27). The loyal citizens are those who obey the law of God (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 2:3; 1 Jn. 3:22; Rev. 12:17; Rev. 14:12), who allow God to govern their moral actions. Rebels are those who reject the law of God (Rom. 10:21; 1 Tim. 1:9; 1 Jn. 3:4), who resist the reigning of God over their moral actions (1 Sam. 8:7; Lk. 19:14), who “despise” the Lord’s “government” (2 Pet. 2:10). Christians are those who were formerly disobedient (Tit. 3:3; 1 Pet. 3:20) but are no longer (Rom. 6:17; Php. 2:12). All men are under obligation to the Moral Government of God, under obligation to the Law of Love, especially Christians (Acts 5:29; Rom. 13:8). But sinners are bit willing to being governed by God, they want to govern their own lives (2 Pet. 2:10).
THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT & THE DESIGN OF LAWS
The purpose of Government is to protect society from harm, to promote the well-being of the community. The design of laws is to protect the subjects from what is detrimental and to promote what is beneficial. Well-being is what is good and ill-being is what is evil (Lk. 16:25).
The purpose of human government is to promote the well-being of the community (Rom. 13:4). Likewise, the purpose of God’s government, the design of His laws, is to promote the highest well-being of all (Deut 5:29; Deut. 6:3; Deut. 6:24; Deut. 10:13; Jer. 7:23; Jer. 32:39; Lk. 6:9; Eph. 6:3), His own glory supremely (Matt. 22:37; Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27) and the well-being of neighbors equally (Matt. 19:19; Matt. 22:39; Mk. 12:31-33; Lk. 10:27; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; Jas. 2:8). God commands love because it promotes the well-being of all, and God forbids sin because it demotes the well-being of all. Love is the commitment of the will to promote the well-being of another (Jn. 15:13; 2 Thes. 3:13) while sin is essentially selfishness (Isa. 14:13-14, Matt. 23:5). God commands the means (love) which are relatively good because of their relation to an intrinsically good end (well-being) and God forbids the means (sin) which are relatively evil because of their relation to an intrinsically evil end (ill-being). God’s Law is love because God loves His subjects.
Laws do not originate right and wrong (Rom. 5:13) but Laws declare right and wrong (Rom. 3:20; Rom. 7:7). The Laws of God are derived from His Divine Mind (Gen. 3:22), declaring what He knows to be good and forbidding what He knows to be evil. God’s knowledge of reality is infinite (Ps. 147:5) so He knows what is truly beneficial and what is truly detrimental. His Laws therefore are truth; they are expressed truths of reality (Ps. 119:142). What God commands, He commands because it is right (Isa. 45:19). To question the Law of God is therefore to question the Intelligence and Character of God.
God’s moral legislation is always in accordance with His wisdom (Prov. 3:19-20; Prov. 8:12; Prov. 8:22-30; Prov. 20:18; Prov. 24:3) and goodness (1 Jn. 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:16). Therefore God cannot abrogate His Laws without going contrary to His wisdom and without setting aside His love for His people. But God cares about the entire world (Jn. 3:16) and therefore His Laws will never pass away (Ps. 119:44; Matt. 5:18; Lk. 16:17), His “government” is “forever” (Isa. 9:7), since He always acts according to His Wisdom and Love. God will not set aside His Laws to allow lawlessness to reign, since He is Benevolent and Wise, since He loves Himself and His subjects.
THE PURPOSE OF PUNISHMENT
The purpose of punishment is law enforcement (Dan. 6:14-16; Ester 1:15-22). Laws consist of precepts (commands) and sanctions (punishments). A precept without a sanction is mere advice but not Law. Laws are not upheld, or enforced, unless there are punishments designed to enforce or uphold them. When punishments are not executed to enforce the laws, lawlessness and rebellion result (Ecc. 8:11). Punishments are designed to be public examples unto others (1 Cor. 10:5-6; Jude 1:7) that the severity of them will cause others to fear to follow in their example of disobedience (Rom. 11:20-22).
Justice requires that the punishment fits the crime. The degree of punishment declares the value of the law. In human government, duration of punishment is determined by the value of the law that was violated. If a man steals, he may serve a couple years in jail. But if a man murders, capital punishment could be executed. Punishment, which is the opposite of forgiveness, consists in “an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth…” (Exo. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut 19:21; Matt. 5:38) so the punishment equally matches the violated Law. The degree of punishment declares the value of the law that was violated. Sin against God is of such a horrific nature, that the only adequate punishment is the eternal lake of fire, unless atonement is made that can just as equally declare the value of the violated Law.
WHAT THE PURPOSE OF PUNISHMENT IS NOT
Punishments must not be seen as personal vindictiveness on the part of the punisher (Eze. 18:32; Eze. 33:1). The prosecution of the law through punishments is designed to enforce good laws for the well-being of the community. That is the motive of a good prosecutor. Punishments are not designed to give sadistic pleasure or vindictive satisfaction to the punisher. Punishments are governmental not personal; they are governmental necessities, not personal vindictiveness or sadistic satisfactions. Punishments are designed for governmental vindication, to vindicate the violated laws, not for personal vindictiveness or sadistic desire.
Laws are designed to promote the well-being of the community. Punishments are designed to enforce those Laws. Personal injury against an individual is prosecuted in a court procedure as a crime against the community as a whole, “Mr. _____ verses the State of _____.” The prosecution of a crime is not revenge for personal injury. It is treated as a matter of the state, as that which endangers the whole of the community, as violation of governmental law. Prosecution of a crime is care for the community, being governmental not personal.
We see this in the case of Daniel and King Darius (Dan. 6:7-16). Daniel was found in violation of a royal decree. The consequence, designed to uphold and enforce the decree, was being cast it a lions den. Though King Darius did not personally desire this consequence upon Daniel, but was actually unwilling that he should perish, he had to enforce his law or else rebellion would result. We also see this governmental concern in the situation of King Ahasuerus and Queen Vashti (Ester 1:16-22). The Queen disobeyed a command of the King and therefore transgressed the law. A concern within the government of the King arose, that if Vashti was not punished, rebellion would spread through the land. So the King, out of a governmental necessity and not a personal vindictiveness, punished his own Queen to enforce and uphold his laws and protect His subjects from lawlessness and rebellion.
Scriptures tell us that God Himself takes no sadistic pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze. 18:32; Eze. 33:1). God’s wrath is governmental, designed to enforce and uphold His laws, since further rebellion results when punishment for rebellion is not executed (Ecc. 8:11). God’s wrath is not personal vindictiveness designed to gratify any sadistic desire in God. God is not willing that any should perish but that men return to obedience unto His law (2 Pet. 3:9). God prefers mercy over judgment (Jas. 2:13) so that judgment is considered His strange work (Isa. 28:21).
God fills the office of Executor, prepared to revenge all disobedience to His Laws (2 Cor. 10:6), having the authority to repay and inflict vengeance upon evil men (Rom. 12:19). This vengeance is governmental, punishment is necessary to support the authority of the Law. The 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary properly and precisely defined vengeance as, “The infliction of pain on another, in return for an injury or offense. Such infliction, when it proceeds from malice or mere resentment, and is not necessary for the purposes of justice, is revenge, and a most heinous crime. When such infliction proceeds from a mere love of justice, and the necessity of punishing offenders for the support of the laws, it is vengeance, and is warrantable and just. In this case, vengeance is a just retribution, recompense or punishment. In this latter sense the word is used in Scripture, and frequently applied to the punishment inflicted by God on sinners.”
God is displeased and grieved when there is no judgment (Isa. 59:15) because government (laws and punishments) are designed to promote the well-being of the Creation that He loves (Rom. 13:4).
For the Audience of One
Jesse Morrell
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feelinahole
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Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 754
| Posted 2/28/2008 4:37 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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