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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

Debt

November 10, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: (11)

Prices

November 09, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: The Economy (10)

Transactions

November 08, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: The Economy (9)

Money

November 07, 2011

The Law of God and Public Policy: The Economy (8)

Field Hands

November 02, 2011

God has called us, brethren.

Pop Culture

November 01, 2011

Pop culture must be “redeemed” if it is to be useful in seeking the Kingdom.

Responding to Grace

October 31, 2011

Patrick shows how we are supposed to respond to the grace of God.

The Joy of the Gospel

October 31, 2011

The Kingdom of God is joy!

Wondrous Kingdom

October 31, 2011

The Kingdom of God is a truly wondrous realm.

Cultural Discernment

October 30, 2011

We must not allow the world to press us into its mold.

Demand Consistency

November 06, 2011

T. M. Moore

And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Acts 23.2, 3

According to the Law of God, a man could only be beaten for transgression once his guilt had been duly determined, and then only if beating was the proper punishment for his offense. The high priest was supposedly the embodiment of the Law of God to the nation of Israel, and yet he himself stood guilty of violating that law and acting as a law unto himself. Paul did not hesitate to point out the inconsistency.

Christians must demand consistency of their public officials, and of their religious and spiritual leaders. But we must do so from some basis, and the only holy and righteous and good basis which does not change is the Law of God.

The Law defines and exposes sin. The Law engages the Spirit of God and outlines the full scope of Christ’s saving work. The Law marks out the path of righteousness and blessing. And the Law of God remains in force until the Lord Jesus returns. If we wish our nations to be wise and understanding, and our societies to reflect justice and to provide a context in which the work of the Gospel can flourish, then we must not be reluctant to embrace, proclaim, teach, and practice the Law of God.

We must be consistent in this – as Paul showed himself to be in this situation (v. 5). Then we shall be in a proper position to demand consistency of those who lead us, whether in the church or in civil government. There can be no consistency without an unchanging standard of truth, and no such standard exists except the holy and righteous and good Law of God. Kingdom greatness – and the best hope of any nation for justice and salvation – rests within the framework of obedience to that Law (Matt. 5.17-19; Ps. 33.10-12).

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.

All Things Good

November 05, 2011

T. M. Moore

Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. Romans 13.3, 4

Ask any public official whether he wants to do what is good for the people, and he will certainly respond, “Of course.” But how can we know what is good? Do our public officials mean by this only what is expedient? What is economically feasible? What they consider to be good? Or what is “good enough” to keep them in office?

We must demand of our public officials that they commit publicly to a particular idea of what is good, explaining that, in God’s eyes, they are His servants to do good as He defines it.

The Law of God is good (Rom. 7.12). Since the Law of God is good, that public official who wishes to serve God for good must seek to learn the wisdom and understanding which that Law encodes. Our is the duty to instruct them, by communicating openly and privately, recommending policies consistent with the teaching of God’s Law, setting forth candidates schooled in the wisdom and understanding of God, and expressing our opposition to all policies and all politicians whose views do not reflect the holy and righteous and good Law of God.

We must not be shy about this. We hue to a standard of goodness that is fixed and unchanging. Our contemporaries cannot say this. Instead, they trade on a general sense of “good” which seems to get them by, largely because it is never challenged, but which begs more precise definition. They may attack us for our forthright stance on the unchanging Law of God. But we must show them that they lash out at our position from the shifting and unstable sands of relativism, political expediency, or mere self-interest.

In the end, for the wellbeing of the nation, the only definition of “good” that matters is that which God has prescribed.

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.

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