Chapter 3: The Reality of the Law

I. The Law of Nature is fundamentally different from the laws of physical nature.
    A. A law of nature may mean no more than "what nature, in fact, does."
    B. The Law of Nature describes what people ought, but often fail, to do.
II. The rule of correct behavior is not a means to something else, but a manifestation of a different kind of reality.
    A. The Law does not necessarily represent behavior that is useful or convenient for some other purpose.
    B. The Law does not necessarily represent merely those behaviors that, as individuals, a society, or a nation, would afford the best chance to live safely and productively.
    C. The Law is not made up.

Discussion questions: (pp. 16-20)
    1. How are the laws of nature different from the Laws of Human Nature? (pp. 16-18)
    2. How is the Moral Law, “Unselfishness is good,” transformed into “One ought to be unselfish”? What gives the Moral Law force? (pp. 16-19)
    3. Why is right action not always profitable? (pp. 19-20)
    4. Is there another, intangible reality in which the Moral Law exists? How can we know this?  Relate this to 2 Cor. 4:17-18. (p. 20)
 
Note on currency, p. 19: In the old British currency, there were 20 shillings to the pound; thus, the comparison in the text is between 30 shillings and 60.