PMW 2023-066 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is the first in a three-part mini-series on the benefits of God’s Law for today’s world. I will begin by noting that God’s Law promises practical benefits for the individual living according to its directives. We may see this in just a few random samples.

1. God’s Law outlines specific moral behavior
Thus, it eliminates guesswork from moral conduct. “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, / And a light to my path” (Psa 119:105). The Christian should not be one who gropes in darkness, but one who walks in the light (1 John 1:7). Thus, God’s Law keeps us from stumbling morally by informing us of God’s will for “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, / Who walk in the law of the Lord” (Psa 119:1). We read of the righteous man: “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, / Nor stand in the path of sinners, / Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! / But his delight is in the law of the Lord, / And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa1:1–2).

The father in the home should live by and promote God’s Law in his daily life and for the good of his family:

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut 6:5–9)

2. God’s Law obligates us to love our neighbor
This use of the Law encourages pleasant, harmonious inter-personal relations: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18b). In fact, this law serves as one of the leading summary principles of God’s Law. Jesus teaches us: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22: 37–40). The New Testament frequently repeats this law (Matt 19:19; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14), even calling it “the royal law” (Jms 2:8).

Greatness of the Great Commission (by Ken Gentry)

An insightful analysis of the full implications of the great commission. Impacts postmillennialism as well as the whole Christian worldview.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

3. God’s Law requires us to treat our enemies respectfully
In Exodus 23: 4–5 we read: “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.” Leviticus 19:18 commands: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

The wisdom literature applying this law frequently expands upon it. Proverbs commands: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, / And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; / Lest the Lord see it and be displeased, / And He turn away His anger from him” (Prov 24:17–18). The Book of Job asks: “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, / Or exulted when evil befell him? (Job 31:29). When men hold God’s Law in high regard it reduces personal vengeance and enhances social stability.

4. God’s Law expects us to insure the safety of others
It speaks particularly of guests on our property. Deuteronomy 22:8 commands: “When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.” In fact, this is not only a moral obligation but a civil one as we see in a parallel case law: “If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his” (Exo 21:33–34).

5. God’s Law expects us to pay for harm we cause
It does so by obligating us to fully compensate those whom we harm. Exodus 21:18–19 warns: “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, if he rises again and walks about outside with his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.”

Lord of the Saved
(by Ken Gentry)

A critique of easy believism and affirmation of Lordship salvation. Shows the necessity of true, repentant faith to salvation.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

6. God’s Law forbids interest-bearing loans to the needy
We read in Exodus 22:25–27: “If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.” This case law protects the needy from unscrupulous oppression.

I could present many other case law samples, but these should suffice as illustrations of the practical beauty and applicability of God’s Law.