Gentiles and the Law

GENTILE RESPONSIBILITY BEFORE GOD

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2003; revised 2011

God holds gentiles responsible for natural law (particularly the dictates of conscience)—that which He gave to all. This is essentially Paul's assertion.¹

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

Rom 2:14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

God does not hold gentiles responsible for revealed law (an expansion of natural law)²—that which He gave to Israel.³ This is essentially Moses' and the psalmist's assertion.⁴

Deut 4:8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Ps 147:19 He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. 20a He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.

Because Israel has greater revelation, it has greater responsibility. As Jesus said,

Luke 12:48b From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Nevertheless, non-Jews are far from exempt.

Gentile violations of universal prohibitions often elicit condemnation in the Bible, especially in the prophets. God censures the nations for violating natural law, the social norms of ethical behavior.⁵

• Syria: Do not destroy an enemy once you have defeated him.

Amos 1:3 ...Damascus...threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth,

• Philistia: Do not engage in slave commerce.

Amos 1:6 ...Gaza...took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom,

• Lebanon: Do not break a treaty.

Amos 1:9 ...Tyre...sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,

• Edom: Do not show cruelty to relatives.

Amos 1:11 ...Edom...pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked,

• Ammon: Do not slaughter pregnant women.

Amos 1:13 ...Ammon...ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders,

• Moab: Do not treat the dead with disrespect.

Amos 2:1 ...Moab...burned, as if to lime, the bones of Edom's king,

The most common charge God levels against the nations, and the one that draws His wrath, is that of persecuting His people.⁶

• Babylon⁷

Jer 50:11a Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance...

• Moab⁸

Ezek 25:8b Because Moab...said, "Look, the house of Judah has become like all the other nations,"

• Ammon⁹

Ezek 25:3b Because you said "Aha!" over my sanctuary when it was desecrated and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,

• Edom (Seir)¹⁰

Ezek 35:5 Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax,

• Philistia

Ezek 25:15b Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah,

• Tyre

Ezek 26:2 ...because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,'

• Egypt

Joel 3:19 ...because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

• Nations¹¹

Joel 3:2b I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. 3 They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink.

Although God did not give man natural law the way He gave Israel revealed law (except for His revelation to Noah), people are still aware of morality and know when they are in violation of it. According to Paul, such aberrant behavior is obvious for those who engage in it.¹²

Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

According to Peter, such aberrant behavior is also deliberate for those who persist in it.

1 Pet 4:3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Because the transgressing of natural law is neither debatable nor accidental, "men are without excuse" (Rom 1:20) before God.

The fullest lists of prohibited gentile behavior are in Lev 18 and 20, where God identifies conduct He abhors.¹³

Lev 18:3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.... 24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

Lev 20:23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.

While many of these prohibitions parallel laws in the Decalogue, the legislation God gave to Israel illustrates the convergence of natural law and revealed law at all points but one (i.e., Sabbath). God issues few direct commands to gentiles, but His condemnation of their behavior indicates areas in which He expects them to know better and to behave differently.¹⁴

1. Exclusivity: No rivalry¹⁵
2. Idolatry: No imagery¹⁶
3. Profanity: No blasphemy¹⁷
4. Tranquility: Keep Sabbath¹⁸
5. Family: Honor parents¹⁹
6. Hostility: No murder²⁰
7. Fidelity: No adultery²¹
8. Thievery: No stealing²²
9. Perjury: No false testimony²³
10. Cupidity: No coveting²⁴

Other stipulations of natural law (in addition to parallels in the Decalogue) appear in pronouncements and denouncements throughout Old Testament scripture.

• No consuming blood²⁵
• No inequity²⁶
• No abusing the poor (brutality)²⁷
• No sorcery²⁸
• No unclean food (impurity)²⁹
• No incest³⁰
• No child sacrifice³¹
• No homosexuality³²
• No sodomy³³
• No debauchery³⁴
• No immorality³⁵

These natural law provisions are incumbent upon all people, whether or not they turn to God, and they are the specific basis upon which He judges the gentiles.

New Testament writers, especially Paul, reiterate many of these sins for which God holds gentiles accountable.³⁶

I Cor 6:9c Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Eph 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.... 6b ...because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

Cot 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

None of the natural law lists, however, includes stipulations peculiar to God's covenant with Israel (e.g., Sabbath).

To help repentant gentiles develop a righteous lifestyle, those who turn to God in faith, the rabbis summarized the stipulations in the Noachide commandments, a list of seven precepts that begin with what He gave to Noah.³⁷

b Sanh 56a Our Rabbis taught: Seven precepts were the sons of Noah commanded: social laws [i.e., justice], to refrain from blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, robbery, and eating flesh cut from a living animal.

b Sanh 56b Rabbi Jose said: The heathens were prohibited everything that is mentioned in the section on sorcery [Deut 18:10-12].

Gentile believers need not stop with these, for God invites them to embrace the fuller terms of His covenant with Israel.

Isa 56:3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."...6 ...foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;³⁸ for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." 8 The Sovereign LORD declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."

Those who do respond are called God-fearers, and Luke makes frequent reference to their presence in the synagogues.³⁹ Wanting to encourage these gentile believers, the Jerusalem Council publishes a (partial) list of the Noachide commands, with the understanding that weekly exposure to the scriptures will enable them to learn more about what God expects.

Acts 15:19 ...we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

As gentile believers heed stipulations of the Sinaitic covenant (e.g., Sabbath), they shift from natural law to revealed law. Some limit their involvement and remain as God-fearers; others choose to involve themselves fully and convert to Judaism.⁴⁰ The extent to which gentiles adopt specific aspects of revealed law seems up to them. God invites them, but He does not compel them, and their decision does not determine their eternal destiny.

For a pdf including Bibliography and Endnotes see here.