The Challenge of God’s Law – The Law of God and Public Policy

The Challenge of God’s Law
The Law of God and Public Policy

Obedience must begin in the house of God.

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” Genesis 49:10

If the Law of God is ever going to have renewed influence on the shape of public policy, it must first begin to bear fruit within the community of faith. If those who believe in Jesus Christ will not walk the path that He walked, they have no right to expect others to do so (1 John 2:1-6).

On the other hand, if, through our embrace of and obedience to the Law of God, we are able to show the benefits of such obedience to the world, it may be enough to convince even those outside the family of faith that the Law of God is a reliable source for sound public policy.

We do not look to the Law of God for salvation; that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ. But, like the Founders of our republic, we understand that there is great wisdom to be gained from following the teachings of God’s Law, and much good to contribute to the social order. And our nation knows this implicitly, albeit perhaps unconsciously, since it is a fact that many statutes still remaining in the American legal system have their roots in the wisdom and goodness of the Law of God.

The challenge for believers today is how to understand the Law of God, and to apply it in own communities, so that we may then be able to bring the Law to bear on public policy in a way that brings the blessings of God even to those who do not know Him.

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.