In the context of biblical theology, the term "enact" refers to the process of establishing or instituting laws, commandments, or decrees by divine authority. The concept of enacting is central to understanding how God communicates His will and establishes His covenant with His people throughout the Scriptures.

Divine Legislation

The most prominent example of divine enactment in the Bible is the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. This event is foundational to the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites. In Exodus 24:12, the Lord instructs Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, so that I may give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction." Here, God enacts His laws, which are to govern the moral, ceremonial, and civil life of Israel.

Covenantal Enactments

Throughout the Old Testament, God enacts various covenants with key figures such as Noah, Abraham, and David. Each covenant includes specific promises and obligations. For instance, in Genesis 17:7, God enacts His covenant with Abraham, saying, "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

Prophetic Enactments

The prophets often served as instruments through which God enacted His will, delivering messages of judgment and hope. In Jeremiah 31:31-33, God speaks of a new covenant He will enact with the house of Israel and Judah: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people."

Christ's Fulfillment and Enactment

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is seen as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, enacting the new covenant through His life, death, and resurrection. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus declares, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." Through His sacrificial death, He enacts the means of salvation for all who believe, as articulated in Hebrews 9:15: "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

Apostolic Enactments

The apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, enacted the teachings of Christ and established the early church's practices and doctrines. In Acts 2:42, the early believers "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." This enactment of communal life and worship set the foundation for Christian practice.

Moral and Ethical Enactments

The Bible also emphasizes the enactment of God's moral and ethical standards in the lives of believers. James 1:22 exhorts, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." This call to enact God's word in daily life underscores the transformative power of living according to divine principles.

In summary, the concept of enactment in the Bible encompasses the establishment of divine laws, covenants, and teachings, which are integral to God's relationship with humanity and the unfolding of His redemptive plan.1. (v. t.) To make into a law; to act out; to decree; to establish by legal and authoritative act; especially, to perform the legislative act with reference to (a bill) which gives it the validity of law.

2. (v. t.) To act; to perform; to do; to effect.

3. (v. t.) To act the part of; to represent; to play.

4. (n.) Purpose; determination.

3549. nomotheteo -- to make law, to ordain by law
... law, to ordain by law. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: nomotheteo Phonetic
Spelling: (nom-oth-et-eh'-o) Short Definition: I ordain, enact Definition: (a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3549.htm - 6k2710. chaqaq -- to cut in, inscribe, decree
... root Definition to cut in, inscribe, decree NASB Word Usage carve (1), commanders
(2), decree (1), decreed (1), enact (1), inscribe (2), inscribed (3 ...
/hebrew/2710.htm - 6k

I Would Add, Moreover, that they Themselves...
... For, moreover, when emperors enact bad laws on the side of falsehood, as against
the truth, those who hold a right faith are approved, and, if they persevere ...
/.../writings in connection with the donatist controversy /chapter 2 6 i.htm

Church Union in Scotland.
... General Assemblies, with approval of the Presbyteries of the respective Churches
in accordance with the provisions of the Barrier Act, Enact and Declare in the ...
/.../the creeds of the evangelical protestant churches/church union in scotland.htm

But the Descent into the Water, and the Trine Immersion of the ...
... then, the death of the Author of our life subjected Him to burial in earth and was
in accord with our common nature, the imitation which we enact of that death ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/chapter xxxv but the descent.htm

Certificate Laws and Western Land Bills
... Such seething opposition among various classes induced the government to enact some
special legislation; but it was unfortunately not of a conciliatory ...
/.../chapter xiii certificate laws and.htm

Christ among the Common Things of Life
... like mist, and the last chapter of St. John's gospel seemed to enact itself
before my eyes. For so vivid was the sense of something ...
/.../various/the worlds great sermons volume 10/dawson christ among the.htm

The Historical and Spiritual Causes of the Death of Christ
... It was for a long time doubtful whether Jesus of Nazareth intended to
claim the position, and to enact the part of the Messiah. ...
/.../beibitz/gloria crucis/ii the historical and spiritual.htm

The Preface to the Commandments
... monopoly of wisdom. The only wise God.' 1 Timothy 1:17. Therefore he is the
fittest to enact and constitute laws. [2] Authority. If a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/1 3 the preface to the.htm

The Fallacy of the Young Nation
... But the ritual which is really complex, and many coloured, and elaborate, and
needlessly formal, is the ritual which people enact without knowing it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xviii the fallacy of the.htm

Of God, his Care and Anger.
... But if this is so, it follows that we have injurious laws, which enact punishment
for offenders, and injurious judges who inflict capital punishments on those ...
/.../chap xvii of god his care.htm

Home-Government.
... The legislative authority of the parent is confined to the development of God's
laws for the Christian home. He cannot enact arbitrary laws. ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xviii home-government.htm

Enact (1 Occurrence)
... 3. (vt) To act the part of; to represent; to play. 4. (n.) Purpose;
determination. Multi-Version Concordance Enact (1 Occurrence). ...
/e/enact.htm - 7k

Vote (3 Occurrences)
... into office. 8. (vt) To enact, establish, grant, determine, etc., by a formal
vote; as, the legislature voted the resolution. 9. (vt ...
/v/vote.htm - 8k

Lawgiver (7 Occurrences)
... The verb nomothetein occurs in Hebrews 7:11; Hebrews 8:6, but it does not extend
beyond the meaning "to enact laws." The Hebrew word is restricted to poetic ...
/l/lawgiver.htm - 13k

Enabling (1 Occurrence)

/e/enabling.htm - 6k

Enacted (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Enact. Multi-Version Concordance
Enacted (3 Occurrences). Mark 10:5 "It was in consideration ...
/e/enacted.htm - 7k

Establish (133 Occurrences)
... to confirm. 2. (v.) To appoint or constitute for permanence, as officers,
laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain. 3. (v.) To ...
/e/establish.htm - 39k

Pass (1172 Occurrences)
... to carry on with success through an ordeal, examination, or action; specifically,
to give legal or official sanction to; to ratify; to enact; to approve as ...
/p/pass.htm - 44k

Constitute (4 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To cause to stand; to establish; to enact.
2. (vt) To make up; to compose; to form. 3. (vt) To ...
/c/constitute.htm - 7k

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