The Moral Order: God's Judgments in This Life
"The LORD is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." (Ps. 9:16)
"He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made." (Ps. 7:15)
Early Lutherans understood the biblical principle that God's judgments are seen in this life, though the consequences of immoral actions. This is a natural law principle, knowable to all people, as seen in the wisdom literature of many pre-Christian Gentiles.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther saw God active in the world, providentially punishing bad behavior in this life. He insisted that "God leaves nothing unpunished."[i] For the Reformer, God builds punishment into sin, as we see in the following remarks: "Sin is a horrible and sad matter, carrying punishment from God with it."[ii] "This is the wonderful wisdom of God, that does not punish the ungodly except with their own stratagems."[iii] "And always God observes the rule: 'No law is fairer than that the schemers of destruction perish by their own device.' "[iv] Here Luther quotes Ovid, a Roman poet, who lived 43 BC - 17 AD, before the spread of Christianity. Thus, Luther confirmed that he saw this as a universal moral principle, a part of natural law, applicable to all people.
Commenting on Ecclesiastes 10:8 ("He who digs a pit will fall into it"), Luther wrote, "Solomon shows how God rules the world: evil carries its own curse, as a man’s own foolishness destroys him."[v] "God lets the wicked dig their own graves; their schemes turn against them by His righteous hand."[vi]
Thus, Luther saw Divine justice woven into life. A sinner's harmful plans will rebound upon him, because God governs creation in this way.
Martin Chemnitz
Martin Chemnitz expanded on Luther's insights, framing the moral order as part of God’s governance, with consequences flowing naturally within a structured order. We see this in the following statements: "The moral order, divinely instituted, so connects the law with its effects that he who injures it brings harm upon himself."[vii] "God governs human affairs through the moral order, so that transgressors of the law rush into ruin of their own accord."[viii] "The moral order in the world is established by God, so that sin’s punishment follows it like a shadow."[ix]
Johann Gerhard
Johann Gerhard frequently spoke of the "moral order," tying the moral law to a cosmic framework. We see his affirmation of this truth in many places in his writings: "The moral order of the universe, proceeding from God’s law, demands the retribution of sins as a debt owed."[x] "God’s justice shines forth in the moral order of the world, so that sins draw their deserts from the very nature of things."[xi] "The law of God, written on hearts, governs the moral order of the world, so that he who acts wickedly is condemned by the world itself."[xii] "In the moral order, which God imposed on the universe, a guilty conscience bears its own sentence."[xiii] "The moral order, divinely constituted, so measures the law that whatever one does answers back to himself."[xiv] "Man, by sinning, violates the moral order that God established in the universe, whence he incurs punishment of his own accord."[xv] "God is not mocked, because the moral order, depending on His law, ensures that whatever a man sows, he reaps."[xvi] "God’s providence upholds the moral order, through which the divine law responds to sins with their punishments."[xvii] "The moral order of the world, founded by God, causes the way of sinners to turn back upon themselves."[xviii]
Thus, Gerhard emphasized that the moral order is God’s primary method of bringing strong preliminary judgments upon all people, in this life. As set forth below, thoughtful people without Christian influence can recognize the same principle.
Non-Christian Sources:
Upanishads (900–500 BC)
The Indian Upanishads were written as dialogues between sages and students. They shifted the focus from religious ritual to metaphysical inquiry, laying the groundwork for later Hindu thought.
At the heart of the Upanishads were concepts of moral cause and effect. According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which examined creation and morality, deviating from the cosmic pillar of truth causes a person's "shadow"— one's own essence or actions—to rebound as punishment: "The world is upheld by truth; he who departs from it, his own shadow turns to strike him."[xix]
Likewise, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states: "According as one acts, according as one conducts himself, so does he become. The doer of good becomes good. The doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action."[xx]
Similarly, the Mundaka Upanishad contrasted ritual with wisdom, and warned that evil deeds roll back like a wheel—crafted by the doer, it returns to crush them. "Like a wheel that rolls back on its maker, so the evil act crushes its doer."[xxi] It’s a cosmic mechanism, not divine whim. The wheel, a crafted object, embodies a law of motion—evil cycles back inevitably.
Aeschylus (525–456 BC)
Aeschylus was born in Eleusis, near Athens. He quickly proved to be a brilliant dramatist and poet. At age twenty-five he produced his first play—the first of ninety. He was the first great tragic poet in Athens, and is often called the father of Greek tragedy.
Aeschylus used his plays to teach moral retribution. For example, in Agamemnon, a faithless wife murders her husband (King Agamemnon) when he returns home from war. Their son avenges the father, murdering the mother. Finally, heaven punishes the son. The moral of the play: an eternal law of moral retribution. “The spoiler is robbed; he has killed, he has paid. The truth stands ever beside God’s throne eternal: he who has wrought shall pay; that is law.”[xxii]
Motse (468–401 BC)
Motse was born in China after the death of Confucius, when the centralized Chou Dynasty was disintegrating, and China was dividing into small, warring feudal states. Growing up in this climate of uncertainty, he developed a lifelong desire to bring political and social order out of chaos.
Motse became a strong advocate of rational thinking and methodology in all aspects of life, especially in government. Contradicting Chinese traditions, he taught that government advancement should be based upon merit, not age or social status. Leaders should test, measure, and apply standards that achieve demonstrable results that benefit all classes of people.
Motse’s belief in the rational life was fueled in part by his belief that heaven ruled the world, rewarding moral behavior and punishing evil behavior. It is in a person’s self-interest to avoid immoral behavior. “When man does not do what Heaven desires, but what Heaven abominates, Heaven will also not do what man desires, but what he abominates.”[xxiii]
The long-term consequences of moral choices show that heaven prefers virtue to wickedness. With righteousness the world becomes “rich” and “orderly.” Without righteousness, the world becomes “poor” and “chaotic.”[xxiv]
The punishment of evil conduct shows heaven’s concern for humanity. For the murder of one innocent individual, for example, there will be one calamity. “Who is it that sends down the calamity? It is Heaven.” If heaven did not love people, there would be no such retribution.[xxv]
Epictetus (50–120 AD)
Epictetus was born a Roman slave in Hierapolis, in modern-day Turkey. As a youth, while still a slave, he studied the Greek philosophy of Stoicism. After his master granted him freedom, Epictetus became an influential philosopher. He taught in Rome until the age of thirty-five, when Emperor Domitian exiled Epictetus and several other Stoic philosophers. Nevertheless, Epictetus continued his discourses. Epictetus had no known connection to Judaism or Christianity.
Foundational to Epictetus’ worldview was the existence and oversight of God. “[We must] first learn that there is a God, and that His Providence directs the Universe; further, that to hide from Him not only one’s acts but even one’s thoughts and intentions is impossible.”[xxvi] The Stoic philosopher held that a person should live knowing that “every single act of his was under the eye of God.”[xxvii] We should not live “under the wrath of God, but be obedient unto Him.”[xxviii]
Ignoring God’s judgment has adverse consequences in life. “As God has ordained, so do; otherwise you will suffer chastisement and loss.”[xxix] Rather than being concerned with the opinions and laws of the day, a person should seek what is good and in accordance with reason. “These are the Laws ordained of God—these are His Edicts; these a man should expound and interpret, to these submit himself, not the laws of [men].”[xxx] Neglect of God’s laws leads only to “failure, ill success . . . and hindrance.”[xxxi]
Epictetus’ teachings brought him a mixture of success and adversity. However, after his death, they had a tremendous impact. His doctrines were eagerly absorbed by the next generation, including Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. And they continue to be read throughout the world today.
Conclusion
The Biblical teaching on the moral order is confirmed by Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard and non-Christian sources. The moral order, as God's agent, brings adverse consequences to immoral actions. Acknowledging this reality is part of the fear of God, the beginning of wisdom.
[i] Luther's Works 35:258-60.
[ii] Luther's Works 6:377.
[iii] Luther's Works 7:15.
[iv] Id., quoting Ovid, Ard Amandi.
[v] Luther's Works WA 20:135.
[vi] Luther's Works WA 32:478.
[vii] Loci Theologici, Locus On the Law of God, Part I, 241.
[viii] Loci Theologici, Locus On Providence, Part I, 156.
[ix] Examen Concilii Tridentini, Part II, Article VI: On Sin, 378.
[x] Loci Theologici, Locus V: On the Nature of God, § 89.
[xi] Loci Theologici, Locus VII: On the Justice of God, § 118.
[xii] Postilla, Sermon on Romans 2:15.
[xiii] Loci Theologici, Locus XVI: On Conscience, § 45.
[xiv] Harmonia Evangelistarum, On Luke 6:38.
[xv] Loci Theologici, Locus XII: On Free Will, § 75.
[xvi] Postilla, Sermon on Galatians 6:7.
[xvii] Disputationes Theologicae, Disputation XXXI: "De Providentia" (1620, Jena ed.), § 14.
[xviii] Meditationes Sacrae, Meditation XVII: On God’s Providence, 1606.
[xix] 1.4.14.
[xx] 4.4.5.
[xxi] 1.2.7.
[xxii] Agamemnon lines 1560-64 in Aeschylus, David Grene and Richmond Lattimore eds., H. W. Smyth, trans. (University of Chicago Press 1960).
[xxiii] The Wisdom of China and India, Lin Yutang ed. (New York: Random House 1942), 846.
[xxiv] Id., pp. 801-02.
[xxv] Id. p. 802.
[xxvi] Golden Sayings of Epictetus, Hastings Crossley, trans. (Danbury: Grolier 1988), 140.
[xxvii] Id., p. 129.
[xxviii] Id., p. 134.
[xxix] Id., p. 150.
[xxx] Id., 169.
[xxxi] Id.
Britton Weimer (JD, University of Minnesota Law School) is a confessional Lutheran (WELS) and a commercial attorney. He is the co-author of Britton Weimer and Paul Johnson, Searching for Answers: The Unquenchable Thirst (AMG Publishers 2002).