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. 1 Timothy 1.1, 2
A “good society,” according to the Apostle Paul, is one where government helps to maintain peace and quiet, encourage godliness in all its forms, and promote human dignity and wellbeing. These ideas of “goodness” lend themselves to interpretation into public policy and the laws of the land, and it is the responsibility of the Christian community to work for such a society by every available means.
These concepts must be defined in every generation and enforced, at one level, through public policy and government oversight. Further, these ideas must be defined in ways that are not susceptible to easy alteration or adjustment, but have their grounding in fixed truths. Since, in our highly utilitarian and pragmatic age, people are inclined to change their meanings and values to match their whims and wants, it will be important for the members of the Christian community to keep before the eyes of the public those unvarying precepts and moral principles, found in the Law of God and all Scripture, which alone can ensure that society will tend more toward the “good” end of the social spectrum in any generation.
Absent any meaningful and persuasive Christian presence in the public-policy arena, society’s center cannot hold, and things can fall discouragingly apart over time. Yet without solid grounding in the Law of God, and all the counsel of God in Scripture, Christians will not be able to contribute to helping civil government achieve the good society which Paul outlines in 1 Timothy 2.
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.
