Natural Law: A Biblical and Theological Introduction

As Christians, we affirm that Scripture is our ultimate guide to all truth and righteousness (Sola Scriptura). Some, however, desire to go further and affirm that it is our only guide. But how then can we account for the remarkable insight and moral integrity that many unbelievers appear to evince? Indeed, how to account for the myriad ways in which believers themselves navigate the world based on knowledge and intuition not always derived exclusively from Scripture? Welcome to the doctrine of Natural Law! Frequently misrepresented as an affirmation of the autonomous power of human reason or as an exclusively Roman Catholic doctrine, natural law has actually been an integral part of orthodox evangelical Christian theology from its very beginning, and is clearly affirmed in Scripture itself, as well as in all the major evangelical Protestant confessions of Faith.

In this brief guide, David Haines and Andrew Fulford explain the philosophical foundations of natural law, clarify common misunderstandings about the term, and demonstrate the robust biblical basis for natural law reasoning.

Natural Law: A Brief Introduction and Biblical Defense could not have come at a better time. Fulford and Haines have provided an outstanding work that needs to have a wide readership if Christians are to re-engage the public square in a careful and right way. Before they present what may be the best recent biblical defense of natural law theory, they ground natural law in sound metaphysical treatments of God’s relation to natural law and the metaphysics of creation within which natural law makes sense. I am excited about this book! And I thank God for Fulford and Haines, who put in the hard yards and dedicated much time to serving the church with this resource. J.P. Moreland Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

This is a guide that has considerable depth; indeed, it has two distinct dimensions. The reader is, first, led to the philosophical roots of natural law thinking in ancient and scholastic philosophy; then, secondly, to the biblical evidence for natural law. The result is an excellent and thought-provoking introduction. Paul Helm Emeritus Professor, King’s College, London.

God’s general revelation not only has a cosmic dimension but also a moral dimension. This should not be controversial among Christian theologians and philosophers. Yet, widely held during the twentieth century was the contention that the Reformation cut out this moral side of general revelation that we call natural law. Fortunately, over the last decade, that misreading has been successfully corrected, and we are now moving from recovery to contemporary reflection. Fulford and Haines join this resurgence of Protestant consideration of natural law with a sound philosophical and biblical introduction. The authors and The Davenant Institute deserve our deepest thanks for making these issues accessible to a wide number of readers in such a clear and thoughtful book. Manfred Svensson Professor of Philosophy, University of the Andes, author of The Protestant Reformation and the Christian Intellectual Tradition