Natural Law Bible Class #6

In this episode, we quickly review Luther’s letter regarding the question of whether the King of England should be free to divorce the Queen.  In this letter he deals with differences and conflicts within and between divine law and natural law, as well as Moses’ civil law for Old Testament Israel and the positive law of the 16th century as it relates to marriage and divorce.

The new material (which follows page 2-3 of the first handout below) is an overview of the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality in both the Old and New Testaments.

We used the following handouts:
Marriage Homosexuality Government
Natural Law Barnes Luther 245 Marriage for Bible Class

Natural Law Bible Class #5

Review:  The Divine Law is propagated through both revealed law in the Holy Scriptures and natural law written upon the heart.  The Divine law as found in the Old Testament has three classes: Ceremonial, Civil, and Moral.

  1. Marriage is divinely instituted. It is the life-long union of one man and one woman in conjugal faithfulness.  The right column illustrates how natural law understands marriage.  1. There are complementary differences between male and female.  2. The natural desire is for the opposite sex.  3a. Only the union of man and woman can procreate.  3b. The institution into which children and produced is to be protected so that children can be brought to adulthood.  4. Man(male and female) are different from the animals.  They do not live like animals, but rule over them.  5. Sex within marriage is honorable.
  2. Judge Alito in his dissenting opinion(p.3-5) in Obergefell v. Hodges speaks to the traditional view of marriage according to natural law.

“For millennia, marriage was inextricably linked to the one thing that only an opposite-sex couple can do: procreate” (p.4)

“The basic argument is that States formalize and promote marriage, unlike other fulfilling human relationships, in order to encourage potentially procreative conduct to take place within a lasting unit that has long been thought to provide the best atmosphere for raising children” (p.4)

Martin Luther’s response shows appropriate ways to address differences and conflicts within and between divine law, natural law, and the positive law of the 16th century. Luther speaks to moral law, Moses’ civil law for Old Testament Israel, civil law(in the 16th), and natural law as it relates to marriage and divorce.

We used the following handouts:
Natural Law Marriage Class 5c
Natural Law Marriage Class 5a
Natural Law Barnes Luther 245 Marriage for Bible Class