God And The Origin Of Law
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, October 13, 2025 (Donate)
All passages NKJV
Blessed is the nation whose God is
the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance. (Psalms 33:12, NKJV)
In today’s wicked culture, we see a lot of terrible things.
In fact, bad things have happened since man broke God’s law (called “sin”) in
Genesis 3. God, the ultimate Lawgiver, then revealed more laws to us to cope in
this broken world.
Law And The Bible
The first 5 books of the Bible go by several names—the Torah,
the Pentateuch, Books of Moses but in Scripture they are called The
Law or more specifically and collectively, The Book of the Law (e.g.,
Joshua 23:6, 2 Kings 22:8).
The doctrine of law is not something that is material, but immaterial—conceptual.
Law is also predicated on authority and God is the supreme authority. The
nature of law, when properly understood then, is predicated on the law-giving, authoritative
God of the Bible who upholds both the natural world (material universe) and the
immaterial realm (spiritual heavens) into existence.
The doctrine of law is inherently a Christian concept because
it comes from the unchanging character of the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit), who alone provides the necessary preconditions for moral absolutes,
justice, and authority. The Bible says:
- “The
Lord is our Lawgiver” (Isaiah 33:22).
- “There
is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12).
- “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10)—this
would include legal and moral understandings.
Consider more deeply the presuppositional approach to law
and authority in light of Scripture.
God Is The Necessary Precondition For Law
Presuppositional apologetics begins with the God of the Bible’s
existence and His Word being the truth. This is the necessary foundation for
all rational thought, including ethics and law.
Without an ultimate lawgiver, law is meaningless and
arbitrary. One might try to reason that because there are laws, there is a “higher”
lawgiver but this is back-to-front. People use this method to argue for all
sorts of “false” or “lesser” lawgivers and “false” gods as their suspected final
lawgiver. However, they miss that only
the personal and omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God of the Bible is in a
position to be the ultimate Lawgiver (not mythological gods, or counterfeit
gods, impersonal Eastern mystical god(s), etc.).
Without the triune God of
Scripture, there can be no absolute moral standards—only human opinions, whims,
and ever-changing conventions, which falls tragically short. Apart from God,
law is arbitrary and can’t be justified in any absolute sense.
God And The Origin Of Law
The 66 books of the Bible affirm that God is the ultimate
source of law. From the Garden of Eden, to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and
other commands of Christ (Matthew 28:18–20), biblical law is not man-made—it is
revealed.
In Genesis 2–3, God gave the first laws to Adam (e.g., name
certain animals, tend the garden, be fruitful and multiply, don’t eat from the
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil).
In Romans 2:14–15 (see also
prophecies relating this this Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33), Paul
teaches that even Gentiles have the law written on their hearts, showing God’s
moral imprint on all humanity. Psalm 19 and 119 discuss God’s law as perfect,
righteous, and good.
The moral law of God is always binding—even today—because
it reflects God’s unchanging nature (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). The idea that moral
laws “evolve” with cultures contradicts the Christian worldview. Historically,
nations can have different cultural, ceremonial, or temporary laws
(e.g., driving on a particular side of the road, sacrifice designated animals in
the proper fashion until the final sacrifice of Christ was complete, civil feasts
and holidays, etc.).
The point is that law is predicated on God and we, as image
bearers of the ultimate lawgiver, can emulate God. For instance, we can make
local laws like don’t get drunk and drive or get a license and
insurance before riding a motorcycle on state roads.
The Lordship Of Christ And His Dominion
According to Scripture, Jesus
Christ, being God, is the ultimate authority. Consider after the resurrection
Christ says that, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth” (Matthew 28:18).
Christ rules as King—not just as
any king but as the everlasting King of Kings (Revelation 17:14) on the throne
of God (Hebrews 1:1-3). His authority and dominion not only cover the church
but over all of creation (Colossians 1:16–17; Psalm 2) and He will judge all
people (2 Timothy 4:1). Christ’s dominion is total (Daniel 7:14, 1 Peter 5:11,
Jude 1:25), meaning no realm (e.g., civil, moral, scientific, or legal) is
neutral or outside His authority.
This puts legal matters of the United
Kingdom, United States, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Cuba, and everywhere
else in the world, under Christ’s law and judgment. Whether Mecca, a Hindu Temple,
or a state university realizes it or not, there is a spiritual flag of
Christ flying above them. Even historically, Rome, a power like no other of it’s
day, was used as a pawn by Christ to do His bidding when He used them judge
Jerusalem and do away with the Temple system in AD 70 (Matthew 23:29-24:21; Luke
21:5-6). This showed his dominion and power over nations of the earth.
Two of my “heroes of the Faith”, Greg Bahnsen and his mentor
Cornelius Van Til, taught that neutrality is a myth: every legal system
is either submitted to Christ or in rebellion against Him. Rejecting God’s law
is not neutral—it is moral rebellion and leads to decay of the nation both
spiritually and then culturally. This is why nations or states that neglect God’s
law inherently end
up with terrible problems.
Theologically, the study of God’s Law is called “theonomy”. Theonomy
is the biblical teaching that God’s revealed law, as expressed in the 66 books
of the Bible, is the ultimate and objective standard for all areas of life.
This includes the various civil government of the past and present.
Since Christ is Lord over everything, then this means the
civil magistrates and politicians are morally obligated, in the sight of God,
to enforce His moral law (updated to where the New Testament explicitly changes,
updates, modifies, or abrogates Old Testament temporary or local rules), rather
than relying on autonomous (i.e., “no-God involved” arbitrary human
legislation. The lordship and dominion of Christ extend everywhere at every time.
Eternal judgment awaits any who are unrepentant in their defying of God’s
law.
The Purpose Of The Law
Law has multiple roles in the world.
The law reveals sin (Romans 3:20) and drives people to Christ by the power of
the Holy Spirit when they recognize they are sinners and deserve to be eternally
punished. From a national or state perspective, law restrains evil (1 Timothy
1:9–10).
Law also acts as a guide for believers
(Psalm 119:105). Christians often do good and great things because we love God
and want to follow His example. The Bible points out that all the Law and the
prophets (i.e., the Old Testament) can be hung on the two greatest laws—love God
with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself! Matthew
22:35-40 (NKJV) says,
Then one of
them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher,
which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You
shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the
second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these
two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Without God's law, justice collapses,
and society degenerates into relativism and tyranny. There are so many examples
in history! Biblical law (AKA the law of God or the Law of Christ)
is necessary for cultivating individuals spiritually and cultures to properly
function.
Conclusion
Only Christianity provides the
necessary foundation for law, authority, and justice—others [intentionally or unintentionally]
borrow the doctrine of law from God. The God of the Bible is the ultimate
Lawgiver (e.g., Isaiah 33:22), the one with all authority (e.g., Matthew
28:18), and the sovereign King of Kings with all dominion on heaven and on
earth (e.g., Daniel 7:14; Revelation 19:16).
Therefore, law is not only a Christian concept—it is a
Christian necessity, and no consistent legal or moral system can exist apart
from the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Many nations borrow God’s law and this is to
their credit. But when they reject the laws of Christ, don’t think God is not
mocked.
He who sits in the heavens shall
laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. (Psalms 2:4, NKJV)
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head
of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a
personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has
spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
