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THE BIBLE -
A BLUEPRINT FOR ORDER
God's
Covenant obliges us to "love the Lord our God with all our heart,
and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength."
For He is the LORD our God. We may have no other gods before Him. In Jesus
Christ He saved us from sin, as He saved Israel from bondage in Egypt.
He is our Maker and Redeemer, and we are bound to fear, love, and honour
Him. To order our lives, we may have no other law than God's law and no
activity or thought apart from His word. To break God's commandments is
sin. The Bible says: "Sin is the transgression of the law."
(1 John 3:4)
Nothing
is more important than living for God's truth and righteousness - His
moral order, His societal order, His governing order, and His eternal
order. If God's order, His holy law, is broken, disorder ensues - disorder
in the personality, the family, and the nation. "Righteousness exalts
a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34)
There
is no distinction between private and public sins. What applies to the
individual, also applies to society. What applies to the citizen, also
applies to the politician. God's Word is above all things. It is not limited
to Christianity. It gives direction to all mankind - in every situation
of life. Therefore the Bible is a true blueprint for family, societal,
national, and international order.
Relaxed
civil laws do not invalidate God's law nor do they exempt from His punishment.
Sin, though legalized, is still sin. The following Scriptures show how
seriously God views public and private acts of rebellion (against parents
or civil government), violence (such as murder, man-slaughter, and assault);
various sexual offences (such as adultery, incest, rape, sodomy, lesbianism,
and bestiality); theft (such as kidnapping, robbery and pilfering); and
criminal misrepresentation (such as perjury and contractual deceit).
Public
Witchcraft and Apostasy -
And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to prove
you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not
sin. And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick
darkness where God was. And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall
say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have
talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with
me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold." (Exodus 2:18f)
- A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death…
(Leviticus 20:27)
- These men revile whatever they do not understand. Woe to them! For they
walk in the way of Cain, and
abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error, and perish
in Korah's rebellion. (Jude 11)
Also Leviticus 20:2; Numbers 22:5; 25:2; 31:16; Deuteronomy 13:1f &
18:20; 2 Peter 2:15f;
and Revelation 2:14 & 21:8 &22:15.
Public
Idolatry -
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness
of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known
about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since
the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power
and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.
So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honour
him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking
and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became
fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling
moral man… Therefore God gave them up… because they exchan-ged
the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather
than the Creator."
(Romans 1:18-32), also Exodus 32:4f; Leviticus 26:1, 30; Deuteronomy 4:15f,
16:21f; Ezekiel 7:19- 27 & 8:5-18 & 16:17; John 4:24; Acts 17:16,
23f; Romans 1:19-32; 1John 5:21; Revelation 14:9f & 21:8 & 22:15.
Public
Blasphemy -
An Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among
the people of Israel…and quarreled in the camp, and the Israelite
woman's son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. And they brought him to Moses.
And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be declared
to them. And the LORD said to Moses, "Bring out of the camp him who
cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let
all the congregation stone him. And say to the people of Israel, Whoever
curses his God shall bear his sin. He who blasphemes the name of the LORD
shall be put to death." (Leviticus 24:11-23)
Also 2 Kings 19:22; 2Peter 2:10f; Jude 8f; Revelation, chapters 13 &
17-18.
Public
Sabbath Desecration -
You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; every one who
profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it, that soul
shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but
the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. (Exodus
31:14)
Also Exodus 35:2; Nehemiah, chapter 13; Jeremiah, ch. 17; Matthew 24:20;
Luke 23:56; Hebrews 4:9-11; Revelation 14:13.
Public
and Private Rebellion -
Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death. Whoever
steals a man, whether he sells him or is found in possession of him, shall
be put to death. Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put
to death. (Exodus 21:15f) You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler
of your people. (Exodus 22:28)
- Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable,
slanderers… haters of good… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God… They will not get very far. (2 Timothy 3:2)
Also Leviticus 20:9; Deuteronomy 17:8-13 & 21:18f; Matthew 15:4; Mark
7:10; Acts 23:5; Ephesians 5:22f & 6:1-4; 1Timothy, ch 2 & 3;
Titus 2:11 to 3:2; and 1Pet. 2:11 - 3:7.
Public
and Private Violence -
For every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds
the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in
his own image." (Genesis 9:5f )
Also Genesis 37:21f; Exodus 21:12-36 &22:2f; Leviticus 19:17f; Numbers
35:16:33; Deut. 22:8; Job 31:19f; Matt. 25:35f; Acts 25:11,25; Romans
12:19; 1Timothy 1:9-13; and Rev. 21:8 & 22:15.
Public
and Private Sex Crimes -
"We are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its
people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy
it…" Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and
fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all
the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the
ground. (Genesis chapters 18 & 19)
Also Exodus 22:19; Leviticus chapters 18 & 20; Deuteronomy 22:21-27;
Romans 1:16-32; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5; 2Peter 2:6; Jude 7-13; Rev. 17:15
& 18:9 & 21;8 & 22:15.
Public
and Private Theft -
If any one sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving
his neighbour in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery,
or if he has oppressed his neighbour or has found what was lost and lied
about it, swearing falsely - in any of all the things which men do and
sin therein, when one has sinned and become guilty, or what he got by
oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing
which he found, or anything about which he has sworn falsely; he shall
restore it in full, and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to
whom it belongs, on the day of his guilt offering. (Leviticus 6:2-5)
Also Exodus 21:16,22; Leviticus 19:13 & 24:21; Deuteronomy 19:14 &
24:3,15; Luke 19:8;
Romans 13:8f; Ephesians 4:28; 1Tessalonians 4:6,11; 2Thessalonians 3:11;
Philemon 19; 1Timothy 1:10 & 5:8; and James 5:4.
Public
and Private Criminal Misrepresentation -
The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness
and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had
meant to do to his brother; so you shall purge the evil from the midst
of you. And the rest shall hear, and fear, and shall never again commit
any such evil among you. (Deut. 19:18-20)
Also Exodus 23:1; Leviticus 5:1 & 19:11-16; Proverbs 6:16-19 &
19:5; Mark 10:19; Acts 6:13; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Colossians
3:9; Jude 16; and Revelation 21:8 & 22:15.
Knowing
that man is incapable of keeping the Covenant of Works, God made the Covenant
of Grace with Christ His eternal Son. In this covenant Jesus represents
His elect people, keeping the whole Law for His people and suffering the
punishment due to their sins. He has "not come to abolish the law"
(Matthew 5:17) but, through the Holy Spirit, to write it on the hearts
of the redeemed, helping them to understand God's perfect Law, the Law
of Liberty. And "he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty,
and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he
shall be blessed in his doing." (James 1:25)
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