Begin Here — The Law of God and Public Policy

Begin Here
The Law of God and Public Policy

To begin with, the Law of God is good.

“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

The Law is good

From its inception, the Law of God was intended as a way to bring the good blessings of God—His wisdom, mercy, justice, and love—into the experience of the nations of the world.

That Law remains valid today, as even many contemporary laws and statutes reflect. However, social, cultural, and spiritual conditions having changed, certain aspects of how we apply the Law of God are different in our day than they were for the people of ancient Israel. While, as our Founders knew, the Law of God is good for informing American public policy, America is not ancient Israel. We don’t require people to build a railing around their roof these days, but we do expect them to fence in their pool and keep their shrubbery from obstructing our vision of oncoming traffic. We don’t stone recalcitrant children—since we believe in giving ample time for the grace of God to do its transforming work in even the vilest of sinners—but we do impose penalties and judgments appropriate to the magnitude of the offense, so that justice may obtain in society.

The Law is good, but we need to understand it in a way that fits the times in which we live.

But we also need to make sure that our efforts to apply God’s Law in the realm of public policy begin where God originally intended, with those who call upon Him as God and Lord.

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.