Publication – The Law of God and Public Policy

Publication
The Law of God and Public Policy

Publication is the second locus of public policy-making.

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:6, 7

We have seen that God intends the unbelieving world to benefit from the wisdom and understanding encoded in His Law. For the Christian, the logic of public-policy making begins here. Government is not God, and neither are the people. God is God; God is good; and God has established civil governments to serve Him for His good purposes on behalf of the governed. For this to happen, God commands that His Word—beginning with His Law—should guide the nations in establishing policies that promote justice, righteousness, and love.

People beyond the pale of faith must be able to observe the benefits and advantages they may expect to enjoy in the wisdom of God as they see these embodied among the members of believing community. Living out the wisdom of God’s Law will open up the various loci of public policy for us to contribute as we are able.

As God’s people live out the righteousness and wisdom of His Law, they may expect to have abundant opportunities to talk with their neighbors about why they live the way they do (1 Pet. 3:15). Talking with our neighbors about the wisdom of God is the first locus where public policy begins to be formed. Such conversations, backed-up by credible lives, can wield significant influence with our unbelieving neighbors.

We make a mistake in thinking that public policy is made primarily in Congressional offices, courts, or other government bodies. The craven reliance of political leaders on polling should remind us that they are always testing the political winds to see which policies they should pursue, and when. The views expressed by those whose opinions are recorded on such polls are in no small measure formed by the conversations they have with knowledgeable and credible friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

In order to pay what we owe to our neighbors (Rom. 13:7), as members of “we the people,” Christians must learn to engage others in conversations over matters affecting the formulation of public policies. And the more we do this, out of the context of credible lives and according to the teaching of God’s Word, the greater will be the likelihood that public opinion polls will reflect views and preferences more in line with the Law of God.

Knowing that God intends His Law to influence the public policies of the nations must move the people of God to make His Law and its benefits known by every means and in every season. Matters of public policy present timely and unique opportunities for God’s people to publish the wisdom and understanding of His Law, and this—publication—constitutes the second locus of public policy-making: publication.

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.