In 1776, America declared independence from Great Britain. The Revolutionary War went from April 19, 1775 to September 3, 1783. On this day in 1787, 55 state delegates descended upon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in order to create our nation’s Constitution. They met in what is now known as Independence Hall. “On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the convention.”1
To say that the Bible and Biblical values and morals played a part in the document is an understatement. “John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813 and said “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”2
Over 100 years later, this sentiment was still strong. The Supreme Court declared, “Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian…
“George Mason, another of this nation’s founding fathers wrote “The laws of nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth.” Benjamin Franklin insisted on prayer before each session of the Constitutional Convention and Franklin obviously must have read enough of the Bible to have said “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?
“…There is not one solitary fundamental principle of our democratic policy that did not stem directly from the basic moral concepts as embodied in the Decalog and the ethics of Jesus.”3
And here we are on a Memorial Day’s Eve, getting ready to honor the men and women
who gave their lives for this country that was founded on distinctly Christian virtues and values. Yet, many in our nation have done their best to secularize the church, thereby emasculating its effectiveness. While that is going on in the church, atheism, agnosticism, and humanism is growing rapidly in the world as evidenced by our culture, education system, and the denouncing of absolute truth.
Consider this quote: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever…”4 The speaker of these words is none other than Thomas Jefferson and they can be found on the northeast portico of the Jefferson Memorial.
Today, I leave us with these words from Scripture. Consider them carefully and consider what happens when the opposite is true. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalms 33:12)
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-25/constitutional-convention-begins
2https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/was-the-american-us-constitution-really-based-on-biblical-principles/
3Ibid.
4https://www.nps.gov/thje/learn/photosmultimedia/quotations.htm
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