Virtue Magazine

All but two of the men who wrote the Constitution were outspoken Christians. The two that are commonly not linked to the Christian faith are Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. However, personal correspondence and the speeches of the men themselves attest to the opposite. Even with the religious beliefs of the aforementioned two, that is an overwhelming number of men who professed Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior and then sought His presence in their lives. A good number of the men had been educated on politics by reading the works of Locke, Blackstone, Montesquieu, and Grotius. In recent years there was a survey of all the sources used by the men who wrote the Constitution; of the sources cited in their writings, 34 percent came from the Bible and most of the remaining sources came from people who were utilizing Biblical ideas.

Often called the Father of our Constitution, James Madison was a Christian man who regularly attended church and knew that governments only survive if they acknowledge the Supreme Creator of the world. In 1825, he wrote, “The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is . . . essential to the moral order of the World and to the happiness of man.”

One of our former presidents who played a great part in the development of this nation, John Adams, wrote in 1798, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (Emphasis added.)

Benjamin Franklin, a man commonly thought to be a Deist, said at the Constitutional Convention, “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? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that ‘except the Lord build the House they in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.” (Emphasis added.)

George Washington, the great man who led our country, not only during the Revolutionary War, but also during those first few years as one nation under God, was a strong Christian man. He frequently cited Christianity and the Bible in his speeches before, during, and after his presidency. However, one time he spoke a few words that stand out across the sands of time, “It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being.” These are words of great wisdom and thought, and not words that are commonly spoken amongst the politicians of today.

The Christian thought of our nation is also found in the Constitution itself as well as the documents which inspired it. In the Constitution we find several things that denote a Christian influence, such as the framework itself which cites several ideas and principles that can only come from the Bible, the preamble, and several direct acknowledgments of God. One of these is in the oath of office, another in the observation of the Sabbath, and another one can be found in the dating of the document as “the year of our Lord.”

Many of the founding fathers referred to Deuteronomy when writing the American Constitution. The reason for this was that Deuteronomy and Leviticus were both written when God was setting up the Israelites’ government. In these books the framework for a judicial system, division of powers, and the need for just rulers is found. Also, many references can be found in the New Testament about Government and the responsibility that Christians owe to that sphere of authority. Some of these references include I Peter 2:13-14, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.”

In Romans 13:4, there is undeniable evidence that the Bible was the basis for the duty “to promote the general welfare” prescribed to the government in the Preamble. Another famous duty of civil government, “to secure the blessings of liberty,” also has its foundation in the Bible, citing such verses as Genesis 1:27, II Corinthians 3:17, and Leviticus 25:10.

The Constitution also gleaned many of its Christian principles from the state constitutions and charters written in the years leading up to the founding of American civil government. The Virginia Bill of Rights adopted on June 12, 1776, states “That religion, or the duty which we owe our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and convictions, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.” (Emphasis added.)

In the Constitution of New Hampshire, signed on June 2, 1784, it was written that “morality and piety, rightly grounded on evangelical principles, will give the best and greatest security to government, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to due subjection; . . . the knowledge of these, is most likely to be propagated through a society by the institution of the public worship of the DEITY, and of public instruction in morality and religion.”

References to America’s Christian heritage can also be found in many of the legal documents preceding the Constitution. These include the Declaration of Independence (“the laws of nature and of nature’s God,” appeals to the “Supreme Judge of the world,” “with a firm hand relying on the protection of Divine Providence”), the Mayflower Compact (founding a colony for “the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith” and “Do swear to, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together in to a civil body politick.”), and the Magna Charta (began rule of law and affirmed the rights of the people).

The American Constitution is one that possesses deep roots in the Christian faith. It was written by men who knew and understood the stories of those who came to the New World. They knew that the Pilgrims and Puritans had started a legacy of Christian principles ruling in the lives of men and government. Fortunately, they had the wisdom to continue that legacy and know that their forefathers had made a correct choice when organizing American government. Let no man say that this country does not possess a Christian Constitution, only let him say that this country does not abide by a Christian Constitution.

Sources

1.Beliles, Mark A. and Stephen K. McDowell. America’s Providential History. Charlottesville, Virginia: Providence Foundation, 1989.

2.D.C. Talk with Wallbuilders. Under God. Ed. LeAnna Willis. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House, 2004.

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4.Eidsmoe, John. Christianity and the Constitution. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1987.

5.Hall, Verna M. and Rosalie J. Slater. The Bible and the Constitution of the United States of America. Chesapeake, Virginia: The Foundation of American Christian Education, 1983.

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7.Jones, Archie P. America’s First Covenant: Christian Principles in the Articles of Confederation. Marlborough, New Hampshire: The Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1991.

8.Jones, Archie P. Christian Principles in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Part I. Marlborough, New Hampshire: The Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1991.

9.Jones, Archie P. Christian Principles in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Part II. Marlborough, New Hampshire: The Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1994.

10.LaHaye, Tim. Faith of our Founding Fathers. Brentwood, Tennessee: Wolgemuth and Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987.

11.Marshall, Peter and David Manuel. The Light and the Glory. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1977.

12.McDowell, Stephen K. Building Godly Nations. Charlottesville, Virginia: Providence Foundation, 2003.

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