Every school person knows that America's Constitution was founded on natural law. But, what does that term mean? One definition of natural law states, "...unwritten body of universal moral principles that underlie the ethical and legal norms by which human conduct is sometimes evaluated and governed. Natural law is often contrasted with positive law, which consists of the written rules and regulations enacted by government (Free Dictionary.)." This definition, as do many others, give the impression that natural law is not a unitary force but a competing force against positive law. I discussed the unnaturalness of natural law in a previous post (Unnaturalness of Natural Law.).
The term, natural law, was coined during the Enlightenment when there was no difference between science and philosophy; i.e., there was just natural philosophy (How God Defines Natural Law.). It was not until the 19th century that these two disciplines parted ways. Several natural laws were discovered such as Newton's Three Laws of Motion. John Locke posited that there were also inviolable laws that governed people's liberties; thus, the term natural law was applied. This is a classic application of science, limited to the empirical, forced onto non-empirical concepts; i.e., scientism. There is also the great danger of conflation since the term natural law can refer to physics, empirical, and governance, non-empirical. Physical natural laws cannot be suspended as they are inherent to this current physical universe; except by Christ who is the creator (Jo 1:1-5). Philosophy is a search for truth apart from the Bible; Locke's natural law is simply another unbiblical concept justifying the borrowing of certain concepts from the Bible without referencing the Bible; hence, natural law.
Jefferson borrowed Locke's natural law philosophy to justify America's rebellion against England. Later, the Constitution was secretly forged to replace the Articles of Confederation and sold to Americans as positive law to safe guard God-given liberties from government (The Relationship Between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.). Government was viewed as the enemy of natural law liberties. Thus from the beginning their were demands for a Bill of Rights before any state would agree to its acceptance. Since then there have been multiple additional amendments reflecting people's changing views. However, most troubling is that government has not hesitated to suspend portions of the Constitution when desirable: John Adam's Alien and Sedition Acts limited free speech; Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus and free speech; Wilson's Espionage/Sedition Acts and Geo. W. Bush's Homeland Security Act and its various additions all suspended the portions of the Constitution. This shows that the positive law Constitution, with its bevy of laws and regulations, are the antithesis to so-called natural law liberties. So, what guides positive law development?
Ultimate Expression of Positive Law - Tyranny Top-Down Control of the Works of the Flesh
Locke's natural law {liberty} seeks to emulate the fruits of the Spirit, this is simply a form of morality unachievable except through true salvation and the indwelling Spirit because one receives a new nature, the mind of God (2Co 5:17). As one matures in Christ, one learns to discern the good and reject the evil via the word of God under the influence of the Spirit (He 5:11-14). This is the unity Christ prayed for and became a reality on Pentecost (Jo 17:20-26). This unity or body of Christ {Church} is true unity through diversity (1Co 12:12-26). Because the Spirit indwells every believer the liberty from sin believers enjoy from the bottom-up. It cannot be forced. This unity is the fruits of the Spirit being developed in each person but which the world tries, and fails, to emulate; often by force (Ga 5:22-24). Maturation is seen by everyone as a decrease in fear and increases in these qualities (1Jo 4:17-18). As such, one does not need positive law to control sin (Ga 5:18). This is only possible through Christ who, as God, can have an infinite number of simultaneous intimate relationships. Our new nature desires to do live the Moral Law; but, it is the flesh that desires to destroy itself in sin (Ex 20:1-17; Ro 8:5-7).
Government, the embodiment of positive law, must control the works of the flesh to maintain power (Ga 5:19-21). The sin nature is continual rebellious emulating its father, the Devil (Is 14:13-14; Ez 28:15-17; Jo 8:44). If Satan is to rule then he must use force to keep sinners from destroying his work; this requires positive law force from the top-down. Each person is a unique person in constant rebellion. Satan must harness certain talents while controlling rebellion even as each person seeks only to promote self over others. Look at the works of the flesh: jealousy, strife, envy, anger, divisions and immorality, spiritual and physical; these are various expressions of rebellion of mind and body. Without positive law these would run rampant and descend into chaos. Yet, even Satan is a sinner and subject to his own passions of rebellion so everything he does ultimately fails. Yet, he is the master of illusion as an angel of light (2Co 11:14).
Satan, governments and individuals he works through seek to push a common delusion today: the delusion of freedom (2Th 2:3-12). The apparent conflict between natural and positive law are simply two-sides of the same coin: slavery. This is like the difference between national socialism (fascism) and international socialism (communism); both are socialism. The lost do not peacefully coexist with the saved though the saved seek to live at peace with everyone (Mt 5:10-12; He 12:14). Look at the difference between God's depiction of world kingdoms, as carnivorous beasts, contrasted with the ruler of Heaven, the Lamb of God who died for sinners (Da 7:1-8; Ro 5:6-11; Re 5:1-7).
During each successive crises of our time, government suspends certain provisions of so-called natural law and reinforces greater control via positive law. Christians scream out supporting natural law when it is simply an illusion, a morality that is in place for convenience until no longer needed. Through this delusion Christians are being led further from the truth of the Scripture, inadvertently supporting the world which is always against God (Ja 4:1-4). We who are supposed to be the very distillation of God's love in visible form for the world to see are being used against our Savior and His teachings because of poor doctrinal learning and little exercise in discerning good from evil based on His word. Christians, especially American Christians, would do well to realize the fallacy of natural law; a philosophy that comes from Satan, seeks to emulate biblical morality but only serves the flesh. One of the greatest failures of Christianity in our times in the use of government force, positive law, to enforce a biblical morality, natural law, which is against the very teaching of Christ (Mt 5:43-47). Perhaps, we would do well to remember we are slaves: either to sin or to Christ; the commonality is that we are slaves (Ro 6:15-18; 1Co 6:19-20). The real question for each person is, "Whom do YOU serve (Ro 14:7-8)?"
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