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A couple of general comments might be helpful here.
Firstly, the Old Testament and the New Testament both relate God's dealings with His chosen people. The Old Testament gives us the history of Israel and how, through Moses, God ordained a special culture for his people. It was a complex culture, involving religious ceremonies, a priesthood, a series of feasts built around the agricultural year, a place of worship and various civil laws. The emphasis throughout the Old Testament is on the uniqueness of Israel and the need for continued purity. If God was to have a people who could be a witness for Him in all the world, it was necessary that those people be utterly faithful, following every detail of His plan.
Israel was not a subculture while they possessed their own land. The whole nation was intended to manifest a godly culture that would suitably impress the surrounding nations.
In the New Testament, the people of God take a very different but similar role. The Christian Church was born in a time of Roman government and Greek culture. Christians held no political power at all. Yet, like Israel in the Old Testament, they were called by God as a witness to all the world.
The Christians were not able to control the culture (or morals or customs) of the nations in which they lived. But they were able to maintain the purity within their own ranks. The New Testament, contrary to what many people seem to think, does not advocate political power as a means of enforcing Christian morality. It clearly and repeatedly affirms our witness by good example, that non-Christians might see the love and courage and ethical standards in the Christian community and thus be convicted of their own sin.
Unfortunately, Christians have tasted religious and political power through the centuries and they are unwilling to give it up. They are fighting tooth and nail to maintain moral influence but the Church meanwhile has lost its uniqueness, its power and its Christ-likeness.
If we happen to live in a democratic nation, we have certain rights and privileges that the earliest Christians did not have. We should, of course, take up these privileges and speak out on moral and social issues. But we should not assume that it will always be this way or that the Church must use political means to assert authority over the ungodly. In terms of our witness in society, such arrogance will certainly be counter-productive.
Besides, we cannot expect the people in our society to live up to our moral standards if they don't have our Saviour living in their hearts, nor the daily empowering of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual regeneration must precede moral reformation.
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