An Economic Mission – The Law of God and Public Policy

An Economic Mission
The Law of God and Public Policy

The Christian mission is “economic” in nature.

“You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:19, 20

The Christian’s mission is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (justice), and to pray earnestly for the realization of these on earth as in heaven (Matt. 6:33, 10). The Gospel of the Kingdom is the entry point for taking up the whole work of the divine economy, an economy devoted to justice rather than to material wealth. And, while Christians understand that not all their neighbors will share in their commitment to Christ and His Kingdom, still, the Lord intends the blessings of His Law to reach to all the “coastlands” of the world.

Our task in the Christian community, therefore, is to consider the best ways of bringing the justice of God to light and employing it to direct and preside in the affairs of our communities and our nations. Justice, not material prosperity, is the standard which drives the divine economy, and which the Law of God was given to facilitate. And to this end, believers must bring the Law of God, which the nations long to know, but which they will not admit they need, into every area of human relationships, roles, and responsibilities—including the realm of public policy decision-making.

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.