It’s one thing to hear, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). It’s another to live it out. It’s one thing to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). It’s another to understand what these words entail.

The kingdom of God is “not of this world,” so citizens of that kingdom do not engage in this world’s politics in the typical, worldly way (John 18:36). In American politics, many partisans reflexively defend or attack officials based on their affiliation with “the red team” or “the blue team.” Many partisans espouse or reject different principles or institutions, based on current political expediency. Many partisans consume information not with an open mind, but simply to confirm their pre-determined positions.

But there is no “Kingdom of God Party” fielding candidates that Christian partisans can vote for up and down the ballot. There is no perfect politician or government that commands the absolute, unconditional loyalty of Christian voters. A Christian’s ultimate allegiance is not to the Elephants or the Donkeys, but to the crucified and risen Savior, who brought our dead souls to life, and who will rule all nations with a rod of iron.

This means that our engagement with temporal politics takes more deliberation on our part, since our true allegiance is at least one step removed. At the same time, we also place less importance in temporal politics than the partisans of this world, since we know it is not ultimate. This does not mean that engaging in temporal politics is unimportant; it simply means that Christians must engage in politics differently than the world. We need an explicitly Christian model.

In a Friday interview on “Washington Watch,” David Closson, director of Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview, outlined such a model, applying Christian principles specifically to the issue of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on “Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization.”

Although many Christians support most of Mr. Trump’s policies, the expansion of such a morally fraught practice has caused widespread concern. Into this uncertainty, Closson modeled practical steps for Christians to seek first the kingdom of God in temporal political debates.

1. Conduct Careful Observation

“It’s important to be clear about what the executive order does and what it does not do,” Closson began. “The executive order, as it is written, does not prescribe specific policies. In fact, it asks for policy recommendations with the goal that IVF … access would be easier and that it would reduce cost. It simply makes the point that IVF in this country is very expensive. A single cycle can cost upwards of $12,000.”

For Christians, such accuracy is important because truth is important. God is true (Romans 3:4), his words are true (Proverbs 30:5, John 17:17), and he desires truth from us (Psalm 51:6, Proverbs 12:22). Consequently, those who love him and who seek to be godly will also seek to be truthful. This is an essential part of our Christian witness. “We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).

2. Seek Common Ground

Next, Closson illustrated the charitable impulse to seek common ground. He applauded the executive order’s statement of purpose, which includes the line, “My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.”

That is “an aspiration that I think Christians can affirm,” Closson commented. “I praise God that we have a White House that is looking to strengthen and support the family. That’s a deeply biblical impulse. Psalm 127:5 talks about ‘blessed is the man whose quiver is full.’”

The impulse to find common ground also finds a positive biblical model in Paul’s Acts 17 visit to Athens. Paul’s “spirit was provoked” (Acts 17:16) by the city’s rampant idolatry. But, instead of unleashing a jeremiad of judgment before the Mars Hill assembly, he turned his provocation into an opportunity for gospel proclamation, “as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23).

3. Use Available Opportunities

Like Paul, Closson looked for opportunities for persuasion, while acknowledging the reality of the situation. An unconditional rejection of Trump’s IVF order would be ineffective, perhaps even counter-productive, he suggested. “This is a president who campaigned on expanding IVF. … The mantra here in D.C. over the last couple of weeks: promises made, promises kept. So, it’s no surprise that President Trump is trying to move on this issue.”

“This is an opportunity,” Closson suggested, “for groups like Family Research Council and many of our allied organizations to engage in this conversation on, what would good public policy look like surrounding artificial, reproductive technologies, including IVF? I think this is an opening of a conversation that I think Christians should welcome.”

In other words, it’s futile to try and dissuade the Trump administration from adopting an IVF policy. The question is whether that policy will be more or less sensitive to pro-life concerns. In this situation, it’s better to have a seat at the table than to slam the door in your own face.

Paul could also seize opportunities as they presented themselves. “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some,” he wrote. “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). The key here is to have our priorities straight. Giving input on an IVF policy is far less important than proclaiming the gospel, but Christians can still seize the opportunity where appropriate.

4. Withhold Premature Judgment

At the same, time Christians should be cautious about getting too involved with any particular program or policy, before we know what the outcome will be. “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him,” Paul counseled Timothy (2 Timothy 2:4). Thus, Closson cautioned, “at this point, it’s a wait-and-see approach.”

5. Analyze Ethical Implications

As a clarification, “it’s important to note [that] all people — regardless if IVF is part of your history — every single person is made in God’s image. Every single person has value and dignity and worth,” Closson stipulated. But he still had ethical concerns about IVF — concerns which lurk beneath the surface.

“When you abstract from the God-appointed means of reproduction — which is the marital act — the further you abstract from that, the more moral risk you introduce into the conversation,” Closson warned. “The word ‘in-vitro’ actually means ‘in glass.’ The process is that you are literally creating life in petri dishes.”

“As a convictional pro-lifer, the most significant concern with IVF is that a typical IVF cycle produces more embryos than could ever be implanted,” he said. “Ninety-eight percent of the time you are intentionally creating 10, 12, 15 embryos, and then selecting the ones that you think have the best chance of implanting. … Experts estimate about one million to 1.5 million frozen embryos that are right now indefinitely being stored in freezers.”

Scripture does not address the issue of IVF in particular, since the relevant technology was not invented until nearly 2,000 years after the New Testament was written. However, Scripture does provide a model for how followers of God should think about the moral implications of God’s commands, extending them to other issues. Most of Deuteronomy (chapters 12-26) is roughly an expansion of the Ten Commandments. In Acts, the early disciples reason from the Psalms that they should appoint a man to replace Judas as the twelfth apostle (Acts 1:20-26).

“I don’t think many Christians really have seriously given much thought about the ethical implications of IVF,” remarked Family Research Council Action President Jody Hice. Not every believer can study the ethical implications of every issue in detail. But for an issue so closely associated with the issue of life, perhaps believers who are strongly pro-life should give IVF another look.

6. Pursue Deeper Understanding

For Christians interested in so doing, “I would recommend … Andrew Walker … kind of the leading evangelical thinker on this issue,” said Closson. “Andrew just makes some wonderful points that most Christians have not thought deeply about.” In particular, he recommended Walker’s recent conversation with Tony Perkins on “Washington Watch,” which came in the immediate aftermath to Trump’s executive order.

A biblical model of this is the nobler Jews of Berea, who were “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11), or the Proverbs’ exhortation to search for wisdom as for hidden treasures (Proverbs 2:4).

7. Practice Ceaseless Prayer

Closson’s interview moved on to a different discussion, but a seventh practical step Christians should engage in daily is prayer. For many items on the list, attention to an issue like America’s IVF policy ought to play second fiddle to the advancement of God’s kingdom. But Scripture itself exhorts Christians to pray for government officials, not only for their salvation but also for their policies (1 Timothy 2:2).

Ultimately, as Jesus’s teaching on prayer strongly implies, we are not the ones who build God’s kingdom; he is. If we yearn for a society that better reflects the life-giving principles of God’s kingdom, we cannot accomplish that solely through our own effort. It will only come through the power of God’s Spirit, which can turn the heart of a king where he wills (Proverbs 21:1).

Many Christians have limited opportunities for political engagement or further study of complex issues, but every Christian can always come before the throne of grace, to ask for God’s mercy on our nation and its leaders.