To Bless the Nations — The Law of God and Public Policy

To Bless the Nations
The Law of God and Public Policy

God intends to bless nations in spite of themselves.

“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” Deuteronomy 4:5, 6

God’s covenant promise to bless all nations with His goodness (Gen. 12:1-3) is mediated through those who know, love, serve, and obey Him.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot hope to persuade others to embrace policies shaped by principles of justice and goodness we neither understand nor embody. Only by learning and practicing the Law of God, consistent with the teaching of the whole Bible, will we be able to have a credible platform from which to shape public policy according to the promised blessings of God.

The way governments and peoples will be drawn to seek God’s Law is by observing the wisdom and understanding which may be gained there (Deut. 4:5-8; Mic. 4:1-5). The Church is called to seek and to embody the rule of Christ—the Kingdom of God. Thus, we should expect the community of believers in Christ to be the epicenter for spreading the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit throughout the rest of society (Rom. 14:17, 18; Matt. 5:17-19).

As believers go among and converse with their unbelieving neighbors, as they work with them, share in community life together, and develop relationships of mutual trust and love, the hope they have in Jesus Christ, which they live in obedience to God’s Law, should provoke many to want the benefits of such wisdom and understanding for their own lives (1 Pet. 3:15; Mic. 4:1-5).

Translated into the public arena, policy-makers will be much more inclined to consider statutes based in or reflective of the teaching of God’s Law when they are able to see the benefits to society of following such a course. Law-makers already know that society benefits when honesty and fairness define the terms of commerce and trade, when private property is safeguarded, and when the poor are helped and cared for in positive and constructive ways. But such practices exist in American public policy because, as we have seen, they were inscribed there from the beginning by men and women who lived them as a reflection of their understanding of the requirements of God’s Law. Societies unaffected by the Law of God feel little or no compunction about such matters. A law of every man for himself—or worse—obtains where the Law of God has had little influence in the public policy arena.

But for the Law of God thus to attract people—leading them to understand and embrace ideas of goodness, justice, and wisdom consistent with the mind and will of God—it will be essential that Christians live and teach the Law as dutiful citizens of the Kingdom of God (Matt. 5:17-19; 1 John 2:1-6). Peter says the followers of Christ must not suffer because of unrighteousness. If they suffer as believers, because they live holy lives, then this is a reason to glorify God (1 Pet. 4:12-16). But how shall believers be made fit for such lives? Peter responds “it is time for judgment to begin from the household of God” (v. 17).

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.