Goodness – The Law of God and Public Policy

Goodness
The Law of God and Public Policy

Justice and goodness go together.

“You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:19, 20

We have defined justice; but what is goodness? When justice is maintained, goodness should flourish. On the other hand, if we don’t have a clear conception of the good society, justice may be easily perverted, bent to fit the agenda of those whose aims are less than truly “good.”

“Justice” and “goodness” are like the near and far sights of a rifle. We must line them up together in order to create policies that are in line with God’s purposes.

It is important, therefore, that we articulate an idea of the good society, a society in which justice and only justice is being followed in every area of public policy and private life. And, from the Christian perspective, such an idea can only derive from considering the teaching of God’s Word.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul wrote, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Here is an outline of a “good” social order, one that pleases God and benefits all people. When justice and only justice defines the policies and practices of a people, and a good society, such as Paul envisioned, is our aim, we will surely come closer to realizing God’s purpose for government and public policy.

A just and good society, from Paul’s perspective, will be guided and informed by the holy and righteous (just) and good Law of God. So whatever Paul envisions as a summary of the “good” society, we may take it as a goal of our Christian lives to strive to attain such an ideal by every means available to us, including, as here, prayer, and the Law of God.

So before we proceed further into the teaching of God’s Law with respect to public policy, we need to examine the various terms that Paul uses to outline the parameters of the good society: peaceful and quiet, godly and dignified in every way, characterized by truth, and friendly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Understanding the good society will reinforce our determination to work for policies that are just, and that bring honor to God and benefit to all people.

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.