It means that man is a self-defining value. But, this self-definition, this choice, does not occur in a vacuum. It occurs in the context of nature and society. It is natural and good that we are not free of the consequences of our choices. God, in his mercy, gives us the feedback we need in order to choose well.
Society includes family, economic, church and civic institutions.
And, government itself is seen as consisting of both local and national components. Properly understood, the Christian position is that it should be for us, privately, using the advantages that are rightfully ours, to try to encourage moral behavior in others. It is not for us, through the coercive powers of government, to try to legislate morality. This is such an important point, let me refer to a Bible verse. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.