God And The Origin Of Law

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 Holy Bible; Image Requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

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.

The Great Judgment of Christ; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

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).

The Two Greatest Commandments; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

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)

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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.

Bacon—A Clean Meat According to the Bible

 Bacon—A Clean Meat According To The Bible

Bodie Hodge M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries April 7, 2025 (Donate)

Bacon cheeseburger, bacon pizza, and bacon with eggs! Throughout the Western world and many part of the globe, bacon—or its cousins—ham and Canadian bacon, are enjoyed in hosts of dishes. It almost seems like second nature when one smells that delicate and wonderful aroma and tastes the sweet smokey flavor of bacon.

Bacon Bits Cooking; Picture by Bodie Hodge

And yet, some don’t eat bacon and they appeal to religious reasons. For examples, practicing Jews and Muslims don’t eat bacon. They have a Kosher and Halal diets respectively. Whereas those who eat bacon, are eating an expanded Kosher diet.

Kosher and Halal

Let me briefly explain what I mean by these terms. A Kosher diet was based on Old Testament law where one only ate clean meats listed in Old Testament Law of Moses. Halal is similar to Kosher for Muslims but has slight deviations based on Islamic rules. Muslims can eat a Kosher diet but Jews would not eat a Halel diet when being consistent.

The idea of cleanliness is a biblical concept by the way. In Genesis 7:2, long before the Law of Moses, God told Noah to take seven clean animals and two of the unclean. This shows that the concept of clean vs. unclean animals existed before the Mosaic Law, though no detailed list is given.

The Law of Moses (especially Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14) later defines and codifies which animals are clean (e.g., those that chew the cud and have split hooves) and unclean (e.g., pigs, shellfish). These laws governed diet, worship, and ritual purity.

So, the relationship is this: the idea of clean animals originated before the Law (Genesis), but the Law of Moses formalized those distinctions with specific regulations for Israel. The Law built upon an existing concept to establish cleanliness under the Old Covenant.

Christian Diet or Expanded Kosher

An expanded Kosher diet brings us to the New Testament. According to the 66 books of the Bible, the shift from Old Testament dietary laws to New Testament additions is built on by the power of God. Bacon, ham, rabbit, shrimp, and lobster are no longer considered unclean—and this centers on the teachings and power of Jesus Christ.

In Mark 7:18-19 (ESV), Jesus says,

And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

The context of this relates to the Pharisees and Scribes attacking Christ for not following the traditions (later written as the Talmud). The traditions are the man-made interpretations of the Old Testament. The problem was that they were neglecting what the Word of God was actually saying due to their traditions. So, they were, whether they realized it or not, elevating man’s ideas to supersede what God said!   

So, Christ showing His power of who He was (God incarnate), did an amazing thing here. So powerful in fact that it is often “glossed over”. Christ, who is God in the flesh, declared all foods clean. This is called an expanded Kosher diet or a Christian diet.

Thus, Christ made pork clean—which is where bacon comes from. But He also made clean lobster, shrimp, rabbit, catfish (non-scaly fish), and so much more. This is an incredible and powerful thing Christ did that affected the entire world.

This statement marks an expansion from Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, where pork, shellfish, and other animals were initially unclean. Since then, they are now clean.

Further Confirmations

Further confirmation comes from Acts 10, where Peter sees a vision of formerly unclean animals and hears God say, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). Though the vision metaphorically refers to unclean Gentiles now being accepted by God, it also reaffirms the dietary change.

Peter’s reaction in Acts 10:14—“Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean”—reveals a moment of resistance to Christ’s authority. Though Peter had walked with Jesus, witnessed His resurrection, and heard His teaching that all foods are clean (Mark 7:19), he still clung to Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

By refusing what God had declared clean, Peter unintentionally placed tradition above Christ’s revealed will and power. His “No” to the risen Lord showed a hesitation to fully embrace the what Christ had done. It wasn't outright rebellion, but it reflected a struggle to let go of the old in light of the new—a momentary dishonor to Christ’s power to cleanse what was once unclean.

Paul writing by the power of Holy Spirit in the context of eating says in Romans 14:14a (ESV):

“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself,”

In Colossians 2:16 (ESV), Paul also writes,

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

This reinforces that food is no longer unclean under the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant (e.g., Leviticus 11), certain animals were declared unclean. But in the New Covenant, Jesus’ teachings (Mark 7), Peter’s vision (Acts 10), and Paul’s writings (Romans 14, Colossians 2) all affirm that Christ made these meats clean. Therefore, bacon, ham, rabbit, shrimp, and lobster are no longer unclean—because Christ has made all foods clean.

The next time you go to a restaurant or have a meal where ham or bacon are served, don’t forget to thank Christ for what He did and ask for His blessing. 

Revelation Day 21

Who are the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3)?

Day 21  

B. Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, June 12, 2020 (Donate)

When Israel and Judah (again, that is, Israel collectively) were judged previously for her sin, and sent into captivity there were also two witnesses according to Nehemiah 9:26.

 "Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations. (NKJV, emphasis added)

The Law of Moses (by the prophet Moses) and the rest of the Old Testament by the mouth of the Prophets (Luke 24:27) both testified against Israel and her adulteries again. The witnesses were these two as Paul says in Romans 3:21. Keep in mind other passages that confirm this such as Luke 16:29-31 and Acts 26:22. There is no reason to assume that the two witnesses at Israel’s judgment this time are any different.

As a clarifying note, the prophets were forerunners to apostles who now share that office and supersede it in the church as direct representatives for Christ, as opposed to merely mouthpieces of God (Hebrews 1:1-5, Luke 11:49, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 3:5, and 2 Peter 3:2). Prophets also existed in the New Testament but the authority of the apostles was above that of prophets (e.g., Acts 13:1). And God’s vengeance upon the Jews satisfied the complaints of the prophets and apostles in Revelation 18:20. 

A brief description of the two witnesses includes, “They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.” (Revelation 11:6). These are clearly the marks of prophets (e.g., prophesying for example) including the finger prints of prophets like Moses (plagues on Egypt) and Elijah (shutting up the rain). 

The two witnesses are described as two olive trees and two lampstands (Revelation 11:4). The two olive trees and two lampstands are discussed in Zechariah 4:1-14. The olive trees are the Word of the Lord (Zechariah 4:3-6). The lampstands that are fed by the olive trees that feed the lampstands with two gold pipes and oil drains are called the “anointed ones” (Zechariah 4:11-14). Scriptures called the prophets the “anointed ones” in 1 Chronicles 16:22 and Psalm 105:15.

For judgment, it required two or three witnesses (e.g., Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19, Hebrews 10:28). Where the Jews found two false witnesses to come forward to put Jesus to death (Matthew 26:59-60), God used two witnesses to confirm the harlotry of ungodly Israel and Jerusalem—the Word of God, beginning with Moses and prophets—which is collectively the Old Testament. These are the two witnesses called against those who killed the Lord.

Re-Read Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19, Hebrews 10:28, and then read Revelation 11:3-8.

Woman Caught in Adultery

Woman caught in adultery—was Jesus applying mercy and grace instead of following the Law?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, April 29, 2020 (Donate) 

Introduction

In the past few years, I’ve heard expositions of the account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery (John 8:2-11) from a multitude of speakers and pastors. Most presenters on this subject point out that Jesus deviated from the law to show mercy and grace to this lady and didn’t punish her as she should have been. Expositors tend to use this as a springboard to tell us that we should be like Jesus and be gracious toward sinners by essentially letting their sin go, albeit recognizing that adultery was still sin.

My teenage daughter heard about Jesus and the adulteress at youth group recently. Lo and behold,  the same message trickled through. She left with more questions than answers. My daughter was taught that the adulterer that was with the adulterous woman was nowhere to be found in the narrative even though they were “caught in the act”—perhaps he ran away. The witnesses were missing too.

The main point she garnered from the devotion was that, Jesus showed extra grace and mercy and deviated from the Law. So she was disturbed that the God-man Jesus—the very Creator of the Law—didn’t follow the Law when it came down to it. And my daughter’s reaction is rightly warranted! My daughter asked me to explain this account seeing that what she heard was so convoluted it didn’t make sense. 

Sin Is Serious

God takes a very serious view of sin. For proof, you only need to read three chapters into the Bible. One sin by Adam and Eve and God cursed the ground and sentenced man to die and return to dust (Genesis 3). In the New Testament, one lie to the Holy Spirit by Ananias and Sapphira meant immediate death (Acts 5:12).

The rest of the Bible after Adam’s sin until the last two chapters of Revelation is God solving the sin problem that we, as mankind, caused. For one sin, we deserve an everlasting and infinite punishment from an eternal and infinite God for betraying Him and committing high treason against Him. So sin is indeed a hot button issue with God and it should be as God is perfectly holy and perfectly just.

Jesus, God incarnate, fulfilled and followed the law perfectly being sinless (e.g., Matthew 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15). So to quickly jump to idea that Christ deviated from the Law to show mercy and grace would call into question that Jesus fulfilled the law. This suddenly becomes a greater problem; because if Jesus didn’t fulfill the Law, then He wasn’t the perfect sacrifice and we are still dead in our sins.

Furthermore, grace and mercy are offered by God but it is predicated on justice served. For instance, grace to sinners unto salvation was offered as a result of Jesus being sacrificed in our place and God’s justice was poured out on Christ in His death on the cross. Those believers prior to Christ looked forward to what Jesus did in the same way that we, who came after Christ, look back to His completed work though His death, burial, and resurrection. The point I’m making is that when people argue that Jesus simply decided to exercise grace in the instance with the adulteress instead of following the Law, it is misplaced.

Rarely do we take a close look at what the Law said regarding this situation and see if Jesus followed it before jumping to the conclusion that He went against the Law in an effort to give grace. Let’s evaluate this narrative with more detail.

Jesus Actually Followed The Law Perfectly

Here is the relevant passage in John 8:2-11,

Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"

She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (NKJV)

First things first. When did this happen? It was early in the morning.  So the woman was caught in adultery just before this, in the earlier morning hours. According to the scribes and Pharisees, she was caught in the very act of adultery. So the scribes and Pharisees were acting as the direct witnesses to the event. So missing witnesses we don’t have—they were there indeed.

It was true that the Law of Moses commanded that the adulteress be put to death, or “stoned”, as the scribes and Pharisees said. So what did Jesus do? He wrote on the ground with His finger. Did you ever wonder what He wrote? Did He write “Koalas like rainbows”? Probably not. What He wrote likely dealt with the situation at hand.

Think about this for a moment. They were in the Temple (John 8:2), but not in the inner area where a copy of the Scripture to scroll through was readily available—there was little dirt or dust on the ground in the inner portions of the Temple complex but well kept (i.e., clean) flooring as part of the priestly duties for upkeep.

Instead, Jesus was in the outer area of the Temple complex (the Court of the Gentiles—which was permissible for both Jews and gentiles which were both likely among the crowd listening to Him teach).

This courtyard is the larger exterior court of the Temple grounds that fit larger crowds that came to learn. This area was commonly trampled on with dusty and dirty feet making it possible to write on the ground for teaching. In the outer court, Jesus was using the ground the way we use a chalkboard or white board today.  

This location makes sense since the scribes and Pharisees were bringing the lady caught in adultery to the Temple for judgment and had to pass by Jesus teaching this crowd upon entering the Temple’s outer gate—which allowed for this opportunity to occur.

The most logical thing Jesus would write is what the Law says for this situation. Jesus was known for quoting Scripture to the scribes and Pharisees when they challenged Him, so it makes sense, that Christ was quoting Scripture in this instance as well. Consider that the discussion was on the subject of adultery in the Law of Moses. Did Jesus write the exact Law pertaining to the adulteress that the scribes and Pharisees were charging this woman with? Why not?

What Jesus wrote on the ground clearly had an impact on the scribes and Pharisees and convicted them one by one—from the most senior of them to the least senior of them. Bear in mind that the senior scribe or Pharisee would be the one with the honor of being the first to step forward to see what was written. So what does the Law of Moses say about this adultery situation?

The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10, NKJV)

Why is this Law so important? Just as the scribes and Pharisees stated, the woman is to be put to death, but it also reveals something else that is extremely important. He who committed adultery with this woman is also to be put to death.

Leviticus 10:10, NKJV; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

How did these Pharisees know that the woman was caught in the direct act of adultery so early in the morning? Do they just get up and go looking for adulterous persons at the wee hours every morning? Think more deeply here. The scribes and Pharisees were the ones who were claiming to be the witnesses. How did all these men know that she was an adulteress. The answer is directly in the text. Jesus said,

"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." (John 8:7, NKJV, emphasis added)

What sin is Jesus referring to? The sin in context is adultery. Jesus affirmed that her punishment was death but He also asked which of them was not committing adultery with her.

The one who hadn’t committed adultery with her was allowed to cast the first stone. This is how they knew she was committing adultery—they were the ones doing it with her! That is how they caught her in the act. Whether the act of adultery was all at once (i.e., an orgy) or she had been sneaking around with all of the scribes and Pharisees in attendance one by one (i.e., fornication) and just now got caught which put them in a jealous rage to put her to death, we simply don’t know.

Each scribe or Pharisee who committed adultery with her should also be put to death in accordance with the Law of Moses. What we know is that they were ALL committing adultery with her because they all left one by one. They were each, “convicted by their conscience”. They knew they were guilty of adultery too and would die if they remained. That means that all of them were “with sin” with this adulteress. Again, that is how they knew she was committing adultery!

But these scribes and Pharisees were also adulterers and thus, they should all be put to death if convicted. Instead, they left forfeiting their position as a witnesses.

Suddenly, this now became a strange situation especially for an on-looking crowd. The witnesses had fled and were no longer there to testify. Jesus had again written on the ground. What did He write the second time? When your witnesses disappear the Bible speaks to that too—especially regarding a death sentence. The Law says,

"Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. (Deuteronomy 17:6, NKJV)

You need two witnesses to convict. Yet all her witnesses had disappeared. So there were none left. Of course, Jesus knew she was a sinner. He even said for her to, “sin no more”. But even if you count Jesus as the sole witness, the Law needed to be followed and one witness was not enough to convict. According to the Law, she should be set free. 

Deuteronomy 17:6, NKJV; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)

Thus, Jesus did exactly as the Law stated so He didn’t condemn her either and let her go in keeping with the Law.

Conclusion

Jesus actually followed the Law perfectly and to the letter by doing exactly what it said. This is the conclusion of the passage. Jesus indeed fulfilled the Law in this instance and adhered to it as the authority in this situation with the adulterous woman.

So it frustrates me when people say Jesus didn’t follow the Law in this situation but instead exercised mercy and grace. As we’ve seen, Jesus followed the Law. And the Law of Moses, which Jesus wrote in the first place and was given through Moses by the Holy Spirit, when followed, allowed for a gracious and merciful outcome to the woman caught in adultery.

But note Christ’s words to her in front of a crowd—“sin no more”. He affirmed to the onlookers that she was indeed a sinner caught in adultery and now everyone knew it. It was like He announced it over the PA system when He said that.   

We are in a church culture where some, sadly, despise the Law and want to neglect it and distance themselves from it. Some use this passage for justification that Jesus set the Law aside as a model for us to follow. But as we’ve read, Jesus didn’t ignore the Law. He followed it and fulfilled it.

We need to recognize the purpose of the Law. The Law is a tutor and a shadow to help us understand the seriousness of sin and the good freedom we have in Christ (e.g., Galatians 3:21-27, Hebrews 10:1). The Law is good when used lawfully and this a reminder to Christians who are now under grace’s righteousness. The Holy Spirit reveals through Paul in 1 Timothy 1,

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. (1 Timothy 1:8-11, NKJV)

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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.