“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

In addition to these three means for seeking peace, mentioned yesterday, the Christian is tasked with three duties in helping to influence public policy, which subsequent columns in this series will address and illustrate.

First, Christians must study to understand the letter of the Law of God in its original context and setting. They must take up the discipline of reading, meditating in, and studying the Law of God with a view to gaining a clear understanding of what God intended for His people as they entered the land of Canaan back during the second millennium before the coming of Christ.

From there, we must work hard to develop our understanding of the spirit of the Law by considering how the rest of Scripture teaches us to understand this expression of the mind of Christ. The right application of the Law of God, and the principles for learning to make such applications, are explained and illustrated in the Scriptures beyond the Law, especially the writings of the Prophets, the Gospels, and the Epistles of the New Testament.

Christ is King over all the world, and He commands us to pray for and seek the progress of His rule (Matt. 6.10, 33). We must understand His Law within the framework of all His revelation if we would be faithful in realizing its promised blessings. Only thus will we be able to avoid the pitfalls of misinterpreting the Law of God for our own times.

Second, as we have been arguing, Christians must practice the Law as individuals and communities so that the beauty and joy and strength which come from such obedience will be evident to our unbelieving neighbors (cf. Ps. 48.1-3; Mic. 4.1-5). By obedience to the Law, as previously explained, we hope to know the promises and glory of God. This hope should become visible in our obedience, thus creating possibilities for the larger application of God’s Law for His glory.

Third, we must work hard to understand the times and to discern the best ways of proposing public policies which can extend the promised blessings of God – short of salvation, which is only by the Gospel – to our neighbors and our society as whole (1 Chron. 12.32). We must work together to learn the logic and master the loci of public policy so that we can craft or commend policies that are more in keeping with the teaching of God’s Law. Then we must, by prayer and persuasion, work to implement those policies in ways appropriate to the need and the opportunity before us.

T. M. Moore

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.