On one of our "Calling for Truth" radio broadcasts recently, I made the comment that imposing Christian morality through the U.S. government is a complicated issue as America and ancient Israel are viewed in different ways by God. Ancient Israel was in covenant relationship with God as distinct from all the other nations. America would fall into the category of all the other nations. So too does Israel today. God is in covenant relationship with His church under the New Covenant. The church is not the same thing as national Israel nor is the church the same thing as America. Christian morality must be maintained and administered in the church. But to do such a thing through the government is to confuse the church with the state and/or Israel with America and/or Israel with the church.

The above does not mean that we don't influence our culture for Christ. Nor does it mean we don't work for a moral society through the preaching of the gospel and the propagation of the Christian worldview. Until fifty years ago, most Americans agreed about most moral issues regardless of whether or not one claimed to be a Christian or whether or not one was in fact a Christian. The reason for such wide spread agreement was not due to law or legislation of morality. The reason for such wide spread agreement was due to Christian cultural influence. People were persuaded about certain things, not legislated into certain things. The preponderance of our time should be spent on gossiping the gospel that people might be saved and that the unsaved might in some sense have a notion of what is right and what is wrong. This method is the only method sanctioned by Scripture under the New Covenant and it is the only method that works in terms of real heart change and indeed real societal change. No one can be legislated into the kingdom or into morality. These things are issues of the heart and God alone changes the heart.

In terms of legislating morality, persons often argue that we seek to outlaw abortion and therefore we are legislating and we must legislate morality. Certainly, abortion is a moral issue as it is murder and an attack on the image of God (Gen. 9:6). But, it is not only a moral issue. It is an issue of fundamental rights. Our founding fathers understood that God has granted us the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The state does not grant these things: God does. Unborn babies have a right to life. To say that they do not is to destroy fundamental, God-given rights. Government must protect its citizens from those who would do them harm. Law against murder, theft, rape, and so many other similar dynamics is a different thing than the legislation of morality.