The Long Haul – The Law of God and Public Policy

The Long Haul
The Law of God and Public Policy

Changing public policy will require long-term vision.

“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

Change in public policy will often be gradual and disappointingly slow. Recall the generation-long effort to abolish slavery, the struggle for women’s enfranchisement, and the civil rights campaign of the ‘50s and ‘60s. We must nurture a vision of the coming of the Kingdom of God, as Jesus did in His parables, and consider ways of seeking the rule of Christ in every area of life, including the arena of public policy. This will require that we identify areas where public policy is not in line with God’s Word and begin to envision new policies that are more likely to honor Him and to bring the blessings of His justice and love to our nation. Believers must seek to influence the political vision of the nation in the direction of righteousness and peace. This will mean participating at all levels of the political process, seeking candidates for office who are open to considering Biblical principles and guidelines, and putting in place strategies for achieving Kingdom progress in public policy over time.

And it will take time to see changes and improvements in public policy more in line with the justice and neighbor-love outlined in God’s Law. But as long as we persevere, beginning with our own obedience to the Law of God, we can expect wisdom and understanding to become their own best argument against lawlessness and the spirit of the age.

And we can expect the Lord and King of His Law to bless our efforts, and to bless our neighbors as well, as we are faithful in seeking to bring the love of God and neighbor to light through faithful adherence to the Law of God.

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.