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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

Public and Private

November 04, 2011

T. M. Moore

For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Matthew 14.3, 4

The paper currency of the The United States declares itself to be legal tender for all debts, public and private. The Law of God is of the same ilk. Not only should the public policies of public officials reflect agreement with the Law of God, but their private lives as well. And as it is the duty of the believer to augur for public policies in line with God’s Law, so we must not be reluctant to point out any private transgressions on the part of our public officials.

This is what John the Baptist did, as we saw in an earlier installment in this series. Herod, who was not a Jew, was living in violation of Leviticus 20.21, and that without any semblance of discretion. His transgression was public knowledge. Doubtless John began to assail the king in public, away from his presence. This may have been the occasion for his being arrested. But being arrested did not change his opinion or resolve, as he now had the opportunity to say to Herod that he was guilty of transgressing God’s Law.

The increasing popularity of the “town hall” format among American politicians means that the opportunity for publicly asserting the will and Word of God into political campaigns and policies is richer than it has been in many years. Christians must not fail to take advantage of such situations to offer counsel and advice to their public officials, but also to declare the Word of the Lord against any transgressions, public or private, of His holy and righteous and good Law.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.

T. M. Moore

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. Acts 12.23

Few vocations seem more designed to promote hubris on the part of men than that of political office. “Power corrupts,” Lord Acton declared, and that corruption begins in the heart which becomes lifted up and filled with its own high esteem.

God, we know, is not mocked (Gal. 6.7). Just as Herod brought the judgment of God down on himself through his haughty usurpation of God’s glory, so politicians in every age have, by their hubris, invoked judgment on themselves and their nations.

Over and over in the Law God justifies His demands with the simple declaration, “I am the LORD.” By this He intended to remind Israel that, as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of men, His Word is final, whether or not men agree or can tease out all the rationale for it. Whenever men presume to go beyond God’s Word, or when they fail to give it full obedience, they, in effect, put themselves in God’s place and declare that they are the final arbiters of matters concerning right and wrong, truth and error.

This problem is especially pronounced when it becomes the practice of a government, for then all the citizens of the nation are led into the path of stumbling as well. Christians must not hesitate to explain to their political leaders that God is still on the job, that His Word is still in force, and He still refuses to be mocked by the prideful presumptions of sinful and disobedient men.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.

 

T. M. Moore

Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and you iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Daniel 4.27

That a nation conforms its statutes, and their enforcement, to the teaching of God’s Law is no guarantee that the saving blessings of God will redound to that nation. Nor does it guarantee that the prosperity and peace of that nation will continue indefinitely, or even that it will know prosperity and peace at all. The Christian, in working to bring the laws of his own nation into conformity with the Law of God, must not hold out obedience to the Law of God as a sure means to political success or material prosperity.

At the same time, there is more ground to hope for such on the part of any nation which chooses to bring its laws and practice of justice into line with God’s Law, than if that nation continued in willful disobedience to His holy and righteous and good statutes and commands. This, at least, seems to have been Daniel’s hope in confronting Nebuchadnezzar with his own transgressions.

Let us also note Daniel’s approach to the king: Not only was he faithful in his own civic duties and responsibilities, but he brought counsel to the king, rather than threats or political pressure. If we cannot persuade our government to embrace the statutes of the Lord, we must not try to do so by means that would compromise the integrity of our witness or the truth of that very Law. As long as lawful means are available to for affecting the laws of our nation, we must make use of them, in the hope that God will honor our faithfulness and withhold His wrath, giving us time to do the work of making known the Gospel of the Kingdom to our neighbors.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.

T. M. Moore

Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment…” Amos 1.3

We have frequently observed in this column that “transgression”, in Biblical language, indicates any violation of the Law of God (cf. 1 Jn. 3.4). Nations and peoples who do not know the Lord nevertheless have the works of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences either confirm or accuse them according to the degree of their faithfulness in obeying what they know to be right (Rom. 2.14, 15).

Thus, even those nations and peoples who do not know the Lord through the Gospel of Jesus Christ are accountable before God for the works they do and the laws by which they live. It is a consistent message of the Old Testament prophets – as represented in our text from Amos – that the ground for God’s pouring out His wrath on the nations is transgression of His Law. The formula “three transgressions and four” probably has a twofold significance. On the one hand, it represents repeated and accumulating sin for which no repentance has been offered. On the other, it suggests, through the use of the Scriptural numbers for God and man, transgression of both tablets of the Law. Nations which do not obey the Law of God heap up His judgment against themselves. They must therefore be made to know that, in His time and way, God will hold them accountable for their disobedience.

Knowing that such judgment awaits those nations that disregard the Law of God, the Christian should be eager to spare his own nation such wrath by working diligently, through all lawful means, to help bring the laws of his own nation, and the practices of her citizens, into conformity with the Law of God. This alone will not achieve the salvation of the nation or our neighbors. However, it will free up space for the blessings of God to flourish, rather than His wrath, and will establish a framework in which goodness, justice, and truth have objective significance, thus facilitating greatly conversation about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.

What Nations Desire

October 31, 2011

T. M. Moore

Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and you 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 4.6

From the beginning of God’s giving His Law He intended that His people should bear witness to the surrounding nations of the wisdom and understanding of God by their obedience to His Law (cf. vv. 7, 8). God is determined to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory (Num. 14.21; Hab. 2.14), and it is the calling of His people to pursue that objective through their good works and faithful witness (1 Cor. 10.31; 1 Pet. 3.15). These, as we have seen, are intimately bound up in the Law of God.

Because all people are made in the image of God, with the works of the Law written on their hearts (Rom. 2.14, 15), they have an inherent sense of right and wrong, of what is good and proper, what contributes to wisdom and understanding. The Law of God is the primary locus whereby the nations may see reflected both what is written on their own souls and God’s purpose for loving and just societies. Further, because it points men to Christ, the Law of God establishes a framework and foundation on and within which the work of the Gospel must proceed.

To the extent that the Law of God is observed within any given culture, therefore, we may expect the blessings of God to be present amid that people, and the way for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be open and free. Christians strive, in the power of the Holy Spirit and for the confirmation of their redemption, to do those good works which God has before ordained for them in His Law (Eph. 2.10). But they must not be content merely to practice and foster obedience to the Law of God within the pale of the believing community. If wisdom and understanding, and a foundation for justice and salvation, are to exist in any society, that society must be taught the virtues and benefits that accrue to it through obedience to God’s Law.

But let me be clear: Any nation which conforms its laws and statutes to the teaching of God’s Law has no grounds to expect that such statutory conformity will in any way ensure salvation for it or its people. Salvation is of the Lord, through faith in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, God is faithful, and the blessings which men and nations may know in this life are the fruit of His grace. When a nation’s laws and statutes line up with the teaching of God’s Laws, we may expect that there His blessings will flow more freely and abundantly, and the prospects of salvation through Jesus Christ will be more readily available and apparent.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.

 

The Witness of the Law

October 26, 2011

The Gospel is incomplete without the Law.

Cultural Taste

October 25, 2011

When it comes to cultural choice, learn to choose wisely.

Let Your Light Shine

October 24, 2011

We are the light of the world.

Culture-making

October 23, 2011

The citizens of the Kingdom of God will make and use culture.

The Future

October 30, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: The Economy (7)

National Government

October 29, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: The Economy (6)

Community

October 28, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: The Economy (5)

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