"Building A Virtuous Country"

"Wouldn't we consider it unconscionable to neglect a child's moral instruction. Certainly we'd never accept as justification for negligence in this area the excuse, 'My rules can never change a child's rebellious heart. Only the Gospel can do that.' We wouldn't accept it because we know that we are responsible to do more in the care and moral training of our children. We expect to raise moral children by giving them rules to live by. We punish our children when they break them and praise them when they obey. In the process, they develop virtues and live out virtuous lives later as adults, when our rules are not around to inform them. If this procedure works so well in a family, why can't it work in a nation?"

My answer to Greg Koukl's question - the one who wrote this commentary - is yes! The law, although it can't ultimately change hearts or bring salvation, is a great teacher. It shows what we as a culture (and a family is a small culture) value and what we expect in terms of behavior. The Cultural Mandate (Gen. 1:26-28) is a command to build a godly culture, which starts with us (God's people) but doesn't stop there. That doesn't happen with laws alone, but ultimately as hearts are changed it will.