Category: Applied Hermeneutics

In a recent blog post, I argued that the NAP was an expression of God’s justice.  In that article, I assumed the biblical nature of the NAP and argued via the doctrine of the “image of God” that the NAP necessarily is an expression of both divine and human justice.

This, of course, begs the question, is the NAP biblical?  Does the Bible teach the NAP?  Literally, the Bible does not teach the NAP.  The Bible never tells us that the most important principle of social co-operation is non-aggression.  I would argue, however, that when we reflect on Biblical teaching, we can demonstrate that the NAP is a reasonable way to summarize biblical teaching on social ethics.

I don’t have time to give a full argument.  Instead, let me give some impressions on biblical teaching

1.  Creation and the NAP (Adam’s vocation and the image of God)

When Adam and Eve are created They are given the command to take dominion.  He is to mix his labor with the land around him and so show ownership over the land.  This work begins with a garden that God himself has planted.  God reserves rights over the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Adam sins by transgressing on God’s property, rather than enjoying the other gifts that God has given him.

Adam and Eve are also given the image of God.  God has imprinted them with righteousness and holiness. They reject that gift by attempting to attain the uniqueness of God on their own terms. In seeking to be like God (This is the temptation of the serpent), they challenge the uniqueness of God and attack his image.  They now deserve the punishment of exile and death. God deals with them according to the NAP.

2. Israel and the NAP (Holy War and the Law)

Israel’s war on the Canaanites seems to violate the NAP. Except we are shown in Genesis 15: 16 that the Israelites will be the hand of God to punish the Amorites for their iniquity.  The Canaanites are condemned justly for their destruction of God’s image in themselves and one another.  We can see some of the cruelty of the Canaanites in Judges 1, where Adoni-Bezek is punished for his cruelty toward 70 kings, with the same indignity he meted out to them.

Further, the ten commandments given to Israel are all in accord with the NAP.  The first four are all an attack and God and the image of God in man.  The 5th commandment condemns ignoring the natural authority of parents; an authority which God has instituted. An attack on that natural authority also constitutes an attack on God’s authority.  The 6th and 8th commandment are obvious; both condemn an attack on somebody’s person or property.  The 7th commandment condemns an attack on the image of God in man through sexual sin.  It also condemns the breaking of the only contract that is grounded in nature. (see 1 Corinthians 6:16) The 9th commandment condemns attacking a person’s life or property through lies in court. Finally, the tenth commandment condemns the heart that desires to do any of these things.

3.  The Nations and the NAP (A lawsuit over  violence)

God does not treat Israel, Judah, and the nations in the same way when it comes to his lawsuit against them.  In Amos 2, Judah is condemned for disobeying the statutes of God.  Israel, or the northern part of the kingdom of David and Solomon, no longer connected to the temple, is condemned for cruelty and for sexual immorality.  The other nations, given in Amos 1, are almost unequivocally condemned for cruelty. We have a similar situation in Nahum, where the nation of Assyria is condemned for cruelty.

4. The Church and the NAP

The church inherits the law of God, as it has been transformed in Christ.  Christ has covered our aggressions against God.  From an earthly perspective, those who confess Christ continually remain in the church.  Those who deny Christ, whether verbally or by demonstrating a love for sin by continuing in and celebrating their sin are removed from the communion of the church by the elders of the church.

5. The Civil Magistrate and the NAP

The role of the civil magistrate is outlined in Romans 13.  The civil magistrate is called to protect the righteous and to bear the sword against the wicked.  The most natural way to interpret this is that the civil magistrate should punish the wicked men who commit violence (coercion) against the righteous.  This violence is exclusively directed at person and property.

I hope these short impressions will help in understanding how the NAP is Biblical.

I should probably begin this post by explaining what the NAP is.  The NAP is an acronym for the non-aggression principle. To put it simply: One may not use coercive means against anyone’s person or property. One may use coercion in order to protect a person or his property; or one’s own property.  In Libertarian political theory, the NAP is the central ethical principle for society.

How broadly should the NAP be applied? Libertarian theorists have been careful to limit the NAP to legal matters and legal relationships.  Thin libertarians, as opposed to thick libertarians, teach this. In libertarian theory, scholars have primarily applied the NAP to the civil government (Those who protect the righteous and punish the offender (Romans 13)). This, of course, does not mean that the NAP does not apply to other social spheres.  Rather, the way in which it applies to the political sphere is distinct.  Libertarian theory began as a critique of the civil government.  Therefore, the great majority of libertarian theory works to apply the NAP to the civil government.

God and the NAP

There is work to do.  I would argue that the NAP should apply to every institution.  This is because I believe that the NAP is an expression of God’s nature.

As Christians, who believe that God is intimately involved in the affairs of mankind, we readily ask, does the NAP have a part in the righteousness of God.  Does God deal with mankind according to the NAP? Or does God merely view man as his own property? If he pleases, he may get rid of him?  There is a false dichotomy here, but unfortunately, this is how we often frame the debate. I would argue that if the NAP applies to mankind, it also applies to God.

The image of God.

God created man in his own image.  When we apply a little bit of deductive logic to Ephesians 4:24 we see that this means that man was created in true righteousness and holiness. Paul tells in Ephesians 4: 24, “Put on the new man, the one created according to God’s likeness, in righteousness and purity of the truth.” The new man is Christ, whom God commands us to put on in Galatians 3:27.  God gave us Christ as the true image of God since the image of God in Adam is marred. I won’t argue what exactly this image is, but we can see that God gives it “in righteousness.”

God is righteous.  God created man in righteousness.  The duties that God asks of us are according to the dictates of God’s own nature. If the NAP is an expression of a righteous society, then God will also deal with his people according to the NAP.  God will not demand a righteousness in man that is not expressed in himself.  We, after all, carry the image of God.  Before the fall and later in Christ, man freely shares in the righteousness of God.  God limits himself by the NAP, so that it is natural for man to limit himself by the NAP. (Granted that the NAP is a righteous principle) (We should also not that we use the word “limit” as a human way of talking about the works of a spiritual, and impassible Lord)

Our God limits himself by the NAP according to his nature, his works, and his goals.  God is Creator.  God is our redeemer.  God will glorify his creation. The Creator God has exclusive rights over his creation but he willingly limits himself to treat us according to the nature he has created us with. To understand how this works, we need to have a deeper understanding of how God defines himself in scripture.  We need to understand his work, as he has revealed himself in our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the NAP applies to God, then…

We can go further.  If the NAP defines God’s relation to his creation and our relation to one another under the civil government, that means that the NAP also applies to all our institutions. It has to apply to each institution according to the nature and the goals of that institution. government in the family, government in the church, government in a business, must reflect on how the NAP applies to their institutions.

(n.b. Why did I include this post under applied hermeneutics?  To keep it simple, we can begin with John 1.  John 1 reveals our Lord God Jesus Christ as the logos.  The logos or the word is the thing that holds all things together.  Jesus not only the primary hermeneutical principle of scripture but is the primary hermeneutical principle for understanding the world.  See here.)