Theonomy, in its strict sense, is the doctrine that God's law — including the civil and judicial statutes given to Israel in the Mosaic code — remains normative for all civil governments throughout history unless explicitly abrogated in the New Testament. Theonomists argue that because God is unchanging and morally perfect, his law is the only legitimate standard for human society. Just as the moral law (Ten Commandments) is universally binding, so the judicial (civil) laws of Israel reflect abiding moral principles that no earthly government may safely ignore. Capital punishment for blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, and certain sexual sins — as prescribed in the Mosaic civil code — would, on a strict theonomic reading, still be valid. Most theonomists distinguish this from theonomy as general principle (all law must be rooted in divine law) which is affirmed broadly, versus strict reconstructionism (the specific Mosaic judicial code is the standard), which is more controversial. The concept must be distinguished from simple natural law theory, which grounding civil ethics in creation rather than Sinai specifically.