“I urge you by all this is dear, by all that is honorable, by all that is sacred, not only that you pray but also that you act!” John Hancock
My brothers and sisters, we live in a time of evil. We live in a time that is successfully pulling us away from our roots as a nation because those who reside in this nation are too ignorant to recognize what is going on, or are fearful of the repercussions that may happen if they stand up for what is true.
I am personally more fearful of what may happen if I do not stand up for what is true.
The Declaration of Independence was signed on August 2, 1776. The founders used the Declaration to express the same political philosophy in the Constitution that would be written eleven years later in 1787. Although the document’s core reflects the same political standards, they actually serve different functions.
The Declaration of Indepence expresses the purpose of the nation and is divided into three parts:
- The first part is a statement of universal and timeless principles.
- The second part is a list of particular wrongs committed by the King of England.
- The third part is the conclusion. Given the first and second parts, they are justified in throwing off the old government and establishing a new one.
The Constitution expresses the formal causes, or how the government is supposed to look and work in its pursuit of the purpose expressed in the Declaration. The government looks like the Constitution. This is because the first three articles establish the three branches of government.
Okay, now don’t go anywhere because I am just now getting to the meat of this topic and I honestly believe the American education system (specifically colleges) is failing its students so badly. Most who read this blog, probably do not know the significant withholdings of either document.
The beautiful thing about our founders is this…they realized that everyone around them, including themselves, were humans who sometimes fail. They believed that mankind is naturally called to do right, but at the same time they realized they lived in a fallen word and a government was necessary to restrain and correct man’s moral failings. This idea is pretty awesome, they realized those in charge of the government are human too and subjected to the same moral failings as other human beings. As a result, government needs to be controlled by the governed (aka the people) in order to prevent those who rule from becoming tyrants.
“Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God” — the phrase which Ben Franklin urged to be the motto on the Great Seal of the United States. Side note: Thomas Jefferson liked this quote so much he actually took it for himself.
When I look back over the story of The United States of America, I often find myself tearing up. Not because it was perfect. History shows the ugliness of mankind. But because of the presence of God throughout its history, especially in the foundation. People say, “We shouldn’t bring religion into politics.” Excuse me? What? This very nation is threaded in Christianity. What makes America unique is when the settlers of the New World brought over Western Civilization, they did not want to bring over aristocracy with them, because that is a form of society where an established elite governs everyone. Instead, the American settlers wanted to establish a society dedicated to civil and religious liberty – this purpose is stated boldly in the Declaration of Independence.
“It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices [checks and balances] should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.” – James Madison, Federalist 51
Did you realize that God occurs four times in the Declaration of Independence? Don’t the statements from our Founding Fathers make you realize how important God is and how important a limited government is? They stressed that God is to be worshipped and respected. Now, flipping over to the Constitution, this document was intended to create a government strong enough to protect our rights as citizens. Something that the Articles of Confederation did not do, and that is why it was insisted on in the Constitution.
I often say that I wish I lived during certain times throughout history, and the birth of America is one of those times. Not because of the average life span, but because this was a time when the government did their job and encouraged prayer and biblical teachings in schools. It was actually viewed as a duty of the government for the sake of protecting natural rights.
“Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write. Above all, let both sexes be carefully instructed on the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education—this will make them dutiful children, teachable scholars, and afterwards, good apprentices, good husbands, good wives, honest mechanics, industrious farmers, peaceable sailors, and, in everything that relates to this country, good citizens.” – Dr. Benjamin Rush – signer of The Declaration of Independence
Think about this, it is said that President George Washington used God’s name at least 146 times in his writings.
“It is impossible to govern a nation rightly without God and the Bible.” – George Washington
We do not know what the future holds for us, but I do know that if we do not put Jesus back into the lead position of this country we will fail, and we will fail miserably. We as a nation are turning our backs to Jesus. Acting like his life and sacrifice isn’t threaded into the very core of this nation and it has to STOP! Lives are at risk. Souls are being lost because of misleadings being taught. We have to repent and return to Jesus.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:21-27
