Biblical Solutions Need to be Proposed
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News ~ December 07, 2009
The first step to take toward Christianizing our culture is to
develop an explicit and exclusive biblical social theory. At a time
when even non-Christians are recognizing that there are no workable
solutions emerging from all of their super-expensive, taxpayer-funded
"Great Society" programs, we have a golden opportunity to model the
right way to live.
The 20th century emphatically proved that no matter how many new programs are begun and no matter how much taxpayer money is thrown at them, unrest and turmoil continue to rise sharply. As the only people who hold the workable solutions, we need to tell them and promote them at every opportunity. When we pray to God for His will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven," we are asking Him to work through us to reform the earth in His image, and that cannot be done by keeping His solutions exclusively to ourselves.
The revealed law of God is the cornerstone of a culture, and should be at the forefront of every legislator's and judge's decision-making.
When we incorporate biblical ethics into our daily decision-making,
and as the Church systematically instructs members in how to apply
biblical ethics to various cultural issues we expose and explain the
darkness (sin, selfishness, self-seeking) by setting in bold contrast
the Christian antithesis to the non-Christian cultural agenda.
As Jesus instructs, "If the light that is in you be darkness, how
great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6.23) There is a lot of "darkness"
in our culture, but as Shakespeare notes, "The fault, dear Brutus, is
not in our state, but in ourselves." (Julius Caesar, I, ii) Being
called to be "lights" to a dark world, (Matthew 5.14) is a very heady
title, since this is the title our Lord applies to Himself.
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8.12; 9.5
Paul's injunction to the church at Philippi provides an excellent
summary of our responsibility to "shine as lights" in our communities.
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." Philippians 2.14-16
By being faithful to live out our faith, we present a model of the
only successful way to live and govern ourselves. (Matthew 5.16) Our
neighbors will see how superior our ideas and principles of governance
are, not because of our wisdom, but because we are presenting to them
the wisdom of their Creator!
The flip side of this is that if our behavior compromises the
gospel and the law, we are depriving our neighbors of the example of a
godly lifestyle! Our lifestyle, if true to biblical ethics, will bring
honor and glory to God, even among those who refuse to repent, but who
will appreciate our honesty and integrity in our daily duties.
Next article is, "Christian, Conservative, or Deist?
Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network and Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one's faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making.