You Can’t Legislate Morality?

Some Christians see no need to make an effort to change public policy because, they say, “You can’t legislate morality.” They argue that before the hippy movement of the sixties, people were hypocritically doing the same things under cover that the hippies were doing openly. True. But it was not openly acceptable before that. In one sense it is also true that you can’t legislate morality. Only God can change the heart. The hippies argued that their parents were doing the same things in the “underworld,” so they might as well do them openly, so they belched out of the bottomless pit into the open.

The law restrains evil. So the new morality threw off the restraints. Let me illustrate how that works. I did not know it at the time while growing up, but my mother was committing adultery with a man for about ten years. If it had been socially acceptable she would not have covered it up. That would have caused me to lower my standard. If I had thought it was okay, I would not have believed the Holy Spirit’s effort to convince me of sin, righteousness and judgment as easily. Because I feared my dad’s displeasure, I would have unleashed my urge to fornicate. That, in turn, would have would have enslaved me even more. That also would have led to my corrupting many young girls and damaging them for life. I could give other examples. The law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The law can’t save us but without the Holy Spirit using the law to bring us to Christ, there would be no salvation.

When the restraints of public standards (God’s laws) are taken away, less people will come to Christ and lawlessness will abound. Examples: When Alfred the Great and others established overt Christian laws and governments, the result was conversion to nominal Christianity. The establishment of America is another example. That, in turn, resulted in more born again Christians. The law cannot save, but without it, there is no salvation. Without being convinced of sin, righteousness, and judgment no one will come to Christ. Without that conviction no one would see the need for the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And because every true convert has been convinced of his depravity, it is impossible for him to think he is a good person.

Unbelievers do not see that need because they are not totally convinced they are bad enough to need the Savior. Thus, they are by nature hypocrites. But to avoid being hypocritical, the hippies did openly what they had been doing (or wanted to do) under cover. They think that keeps them from being hypocrites. They think it is hypocritical to resist temptation.

When the little boy was forced to sit down in church, he was still standing up inside. But I am glad for it. “Fake it ‘til ya make it.” It will make a more lawful and peaceful society.

This brings us to another reason why some see no need for an effort to change public policy. It is the idea that the nominal “unconverted” church or society is not relevant. The idea is that only true converts matter. But we see from the Old Testament pattern that nominal Israel was important. The vast majority of Israelites were probably not saved. But they were still under the covenant shelter. They were circumcised in the flesh, but not in the heart, but God still had a covenant with them that brought great blessings and true salvation to many at that time and later to the whole world. Just because common grace is not enough does not mean common grace is bad. Common grace is good and special grace is better. The flesh concludes that because nominal Christians under common grace are hypocrites, that therefore common grace is bad.

To separate the secular from the sacred is dualism. Jesus Christ demands that all governments come under the Lordship of their King. The purpose of redemption is not to take us all to heaven. The purpose of redemption is to bring heaven to earth. “Thy will be done on earth.” But to demand perfection now is to demand utopia. There will be no utopia until Jesus comes. But the path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more to the perfect day. We have seen that progress in history.

The U.S. Constitution is not perfect, but it is the result of the Gospel. If we do what our Puritan fathers did we will see even greater results. But if we don’t even vote or get involved in politics, America will continue to decline into even more decadence. Christians are the salt to preserve nations.

Martin Luther said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, then I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”