I hope we never get to the point that we put ourselves in Jesus’ place. But when I read the New Testament basically, we get three mandates: to love God, to love each other, and to take care of the least among us. And I think this is at least a step in the right direction.

Riley frames Christian moral responsibility as a set of practical “mandates” drawn from the New Testament: devotion to God, mutual love within the community, and concrete care for society’s most vulnerable. The opening caution—“never get to the point that we put ourselves in Jesus’ place”—signals humility and a warning against self-righteousness or assuming divine authority in political or social decision-making. Yet he argues that faith still has ethical implications, especially regarding compassion and social provision. The closing line, “a step in the right direction,” suggests he is endorsing a particular policy or action as imperfect but aligned with these religiously grounded duties.