In building on my last post (CLICK HERE TO READ), we would further say that law is not only instructive, but also formative. Law forms the way that we think and act. Law is not simply about litigation and court cases, or a majority rules, but rather law is really about the love of a father trying to show his son how to live. Precisely because I love my children, so I give them good gifts, the best of gifts. But precisely because I love my children, so I place boundaries around those gifts. A father taking his son camping for the first time instructs the son not to put his hand into the fire, but it’s not because he’s a capricious tyrant of a father. Rather, it’s because he loves the son and knows what’s best for him, so he doesn’t want to see him hurt. In return, it is through our obedience to God’s law that we show our love for him, for as Christ says, “if you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So it ought to be during election season, if we want the cart to follow the horse. God instructs by means of his law, and in fact, as sheep, places shepherds over us to guide and direct us in right living. Civil rulers are meant to understand themselves as representatives of God, tending to the well-being of his sheep. In turn, Scripture exhorts the sheep to obey civil rulers, for obedience to civil rulers is obedience to God (when properly commanded, of course), while disobedience to civil rulers is disobedience to God. Only with this kind of idea can we have the consequence of a just and harmonious civil society. Without which, our concern for the particulars, while important, cannot connect to the frame of reference. We must keep our eyes fixed on God and his designs in such a way that even our civic engagement orders us towards relationship with him and the holy living necessary for eternal life.
In the Roman trial of Good Friday, Pontius Pilate, perplexed by our Lord’s silence, asks, “do you not know I have the power to release or crucify you” (Jn 19:10). To which Jesus responds, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above” (Jn 19:11). Our Lord does not deny that Pilate has the power to release or crucify him, but certainly clarifies the frame of reference for the origin and exercise of that power – the Father in Heaven. Whether we realize it or not, God does intimately care about civil society, in particularly whether it reflects his will or not. There is legitimate authority held by civil rulers, which we may play a role in by way of the elective process. Yet if we enter civil society in a purely secular manner, abstracted from the life of faith, then we are left perplexed like Pontius Pilate, unable to piece together the particulars of the moment. Pilate will only know to do with Jesus Christ when he recognizes where his authority comes from. Likewise, we will only know who and what to vote for when we have the right frame of reference, as well…Almighty God!
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