Philosophy Symposium
California Baptist University
Special revelation is God’s instruction book. But what device is it an instruction book for? Which is prior, the device or the instructions? Can someone figure out how to use it properly without the instructions, even if imperfectly? Advocates of the natural law say “Yes.” God created human nature to function in a certain way. The way God ordered humanity and the rest of creation is an expression of his own orderly nature. Although sin has corrupted our proper functioning, biblical, philosophical, and historical Christian witness has held that the moral law is based in God’s created order, which in turn is based on God’s own nature. Even sinful men can perceive that order, at least inchoately, and, as Romans 2:14 says, “be a law to themselves.”
While the Bible is the ultimate authority and guide to truth, salvation, and righteousness, God wrote two books. The natural law is the moral aspect of general revelation. However, it has fallen on hard times in Protestant circles. Where it once stood as commonplace in theological dialogue, today you will seldom hear it spoken of in theological education, let alone in local churches. This is unfortunate because the natural law is presupposed by, verified by, and helps interpret the Bible. Without it, our understanding of morality is incomplete and susceptible to unbiblical influence.