Blog ITBMinistriesWe teach the message of Creation from God's Word in the local church.

AMERICA’S GODLY HERITAGE

Today I want to talk about America’s Godly Heritage. This will be basically educational and informational. Hopefully I will give you some information that will help to reinforce your belief that we were in fact founded on Christian principles. Not denominational ideas, but the basic ideals of the Bible and Christianity.

Genesis 1: 1 In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth. From there came all else that deals with man and his existence. But something happened to foul up this thing that God had called very good. Man’s sin destroyed the very good and eventually, forced God to destroy man and the earth with a great flood.

But out of the flood a Godly and obedient man, Noah and his family were tasked with rebuilding the world and this included the basics of human government. We see this in Genesis 9 verse 6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.

But you might be saying wait a minute, how does that jive with the Ten Commandments that say thou shalt not kill? Well that is a miss-statement by man in his attempt to justify not going to war when necessary, and not having a death penalty for capital crimes among other things. But the correct verbiage of the commandment can be read in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder. But why is verse 6 in Genesis nine important? First off God says that if you murder what I created after my own image, than you shall pay for it with your life. By doing this, God is giving man the governing power to execute God’s will. This is the very first instance of earthly governance.

So why are we talking about governance at all? Because we are going through a time of attack on the governance of the United States. The election of Donald Trump as President forced out in the open those who have for so many years secretly opposed the foundational governance of America. As a nation we are standing on the edge of a cliff that leads away from our Christian heritage to total control by secular humanists. If you think that is an exaggerated a claim, I would implore you to study what the candidates believe and see if you can find a trace of Christianity in those beliefs. And don’t look at what they say, look at their actions, their history, what they do. It easy to say I believe in God and I support the founding principles of this nation, but do they walk the walk and talk the talk of secularism or Christianity. Not only that but there has been a concerted effort for years to totally revise, rewrite, and to just exclude the facts of America’s Christian heritage.

For example Journalist Jim Castelli wrote in the Atlanta Journal on July 4th 1984; That myth---spread by TV preachers and other fundamentalists---holds that America was established as a Christian nation, that it has been led astray by “secular humanists” and that we must therefore return to America’s roots by creating a new Christian nation ruled by Bible-based laws. This myth carries no eternal truths; it is false from start to finish.”

There are so many examples of basically this same type of statement that we could spend hours and hours reviewing them all. Suffice it to say, there is a strong voice and it is getting stronger every day to remove any example or proof of America’s Christian heritage. So, we are going to take a look at Government as seen by God and the Christian foundations of these United States of America. Let’s continue with the basics of government. Remember, God designed everything that is in the earth including government. Look at Daniel 4: 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. Daniel is reminding Nebuchadnezzar that it is God that gives and takes away the governing rights of man.

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro introduces Moses to the first real design of civil government in Exodus chapter 18 verses 20 through 22; Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain — and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.

When you look at these verses, think about the American court system. Municipal courts, Superior courts, State Appeals courts, State Supreme courts, Federal appeals courts, and finally to deal with the most important constitutional issues, the United States Supreme Court. Where do you suppose the founding fathers ever got such an idea for the court system which was a unique design to America? As you can see, they did not get it from secular humanism.

Romans 13:1-7 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Did you catch Paul’s reference in verse four about doing evil and God’s minister not bearing the sword in vain? Paul is reminding people of Genesis 9 : 6, that God did provide for a death penalty and government has God’s approval to administer it. Paul also points out that God is responsible for governments and we are duty bound to obey them unless the government attempts to force you to disobey God. That is what Daniel was telling Ole Neb back in the Old Testament.

Former Chief Justice Earl Warren at a prayer breakfast in 1954 said this about America’s Christian Heritage “I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses… Whether we look to the first charter of Virginia… or to the Charter of New England… or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay… or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut… the same objective is present: A Christian land governed by Christian principles…” Justice Warren continues… “I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under the law, and the reservation of powers to the people…” Justice Warren concluded with this… “I like to believe we are living in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country” Well, let’s look at a few of the charters mentioned by the Chief Justice.

The First Charter of Virginia April 10, 1606 We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government: DO, by these our Letters Patents, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well-intended Desires;

The Charter of New England : 1620 whereby We in our Judgment are persuaded and satisfied that the appointed Time is come in which Almighty God in his great Goodness and Bountie towards Us and our People, hath thought fitt and determined, that those large and goodly Territoryes, deserted as it were by their naturall Inhabitants, should be possessed and enjoyed by such of our Subjects and People as heertofore have and hereafter shall by his Mercie and Favour, and by his Powerfull Arme, be directed and conducted thither. In Contemplacion and serious Consideracion whereof, Wee have thougt it fitt according to our Kingly Duty, soe much as in Us lyeth, to second and followe God's sacred Will, rendering reverend Thanks to his Divine Majestie for his gracious favour in laying open and revealing the same unto us, before any other Christian Prince or State, by which Meanes without Offence, and as We trust to his Glory, Wee may with Boldness goe on to the settling of soe hopefull a Work, which tendeth to the reducing and Conversion of such Savages as remaine wandering in Desolacion and Distress, to Civil Societie and Christian Religion,

The 1629 Charter Of Massachusetts Bay whereby our said People, Inhabitants there, may be soe religiously, peaceablie, and civilly governed, as their good Life and orderlie Conversation, maie wynn and incite the Natives of Country, to the Knowledg and Obedience of the onlie true God and Savior of Mankinde, and the Christian Fayth, which in our Royall Intention, and the Adventurers free Profession.

James Burgh, an author and legislator in England wrote this in 1774; “All lawful authority, legislative, and executive, originates from the PEOPLE. Power in the people is like light in the sun, native, original, inherent and unlimited by anything human. In governors, it may be compared to the reflected light of the moon; for it is only borrowed, delegated, and limited by the intention of the people, whose it is, and to whom governors are to consider themselves as responsible, while the people are answerable only to God, themselves being the losers, if they pursue a false scheme of politics.”

Isn’t that how the founders set up our government? Remember, they created a government of the people, for the people, and by the people. It is very interesting when you look through history, Every nation has a belief in some sort of god or gods and goddesses. Plutarch who was probably the greatest disciple of Plato wrote: “there never was a state of atheists. You may travel all over the world, and you may find cities without walls, without king, without mint, without theater or gymnasium; but you will nowhere find a city without a god, without prayer, without oracle, without sacrifice. Sooner may a city stand without foundation than a state without belief in the gods. This is the bond of all society and the pillar of all legislation”.

Now you might ask about communism or the Nazi’s or socialism, but they contain a belief system called natural humanism, belief that man is the beginning and the end and is responsible for all that happens. But that is not a part of this discussion.

Christianity is distinctly unique throughout the world and history as a regulator for governance. England’s great prosecutor Lord Erskine said “Depend upon it, the world can not be held together without morals; nor can morals maintain their station in the human heart without religion, which is the corner-stone of the fabric of human virtue”. Dr. Philip Schaff, a German born theologian who taught in the United States and died in 1893 said “The destruction of religion would be the destruction of morality and the ruin of the state. Civil liberty requires for its support religious liberty, and cannot prosper without it.” A pretty prophetic statement on the state of affairs today.

It is without question that the proof is there to convince anyone who has an open mind that the foundation planks for the United States was Christianity. We have seen that in just a few of an overwhelming amount of examples. Gary DeMar in his book “America’s Christian History” says “Reliance upon the ultimacy of reason instead of revelation is the order of the day for secular humanists. The ultimate goal of this naturalistic worldview is to remove God from the picture altogether and attempt to create society based on non-Christian presuppositions.” Presupposition meaning to presume before hand or take for granted.

We are seeing this effort to erase God and Christianity from our nation every day. One of the major battlefields are the schools. John J. Dunphy writing a piece entitled “A Religion for a New Age” that appeared in the “The Humanist” magazine in 1983 said this “I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognized and respects the spark that theologians call divinity in every human being.” Dunphy continues “The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new – the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never-realized Christian ideal of “love thy neighbor” will finally be achieved”.

Yet, a funny thing happens on the way to utopia when we travel the road without God. Nowhere in history where the idea of man as everything has been tried has it succeeded in anything more than increasing the tyranny of man over man. The Bible and Christianity is the basis for man even wanting to “love thy neighbor”. Isn’t it interesting that while humanists want to get rid of God, they can’t get rid of His ideas. But without the proper foundation, a proper society cannot be built, The groups that originally came to settle America knew this and so did the men who created the most unique and long stand republic in world history.

It is time to ask yourself a question. What do I believe and what am I willing to do about it. At the very least, what you can do is to get yourself educated about the election and go vote. If you are eligible to vote but aren’t registered, you need to get registered and vote. Psalm 11:3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

It should be obvious that Satan’s goal through his faith of secular humanism is to destroy God’s greatest creation and how is he doing it? Satan is not very original, but he is consistent. remember Genesis 3 : 4 and 5; Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." One of the ways you can stay strong against the serpent is to remain strong in the Lord, through daily prayer and Bible study. You also need to study our righteous history.. You can’t just rely on the media because they are on the side of the humanists, in fact many reporters are secular humanists and most are opposed to Christianity anywhere except inside the four walls of the church. But to be strong, you need to be right with God, so if you are off the path, you need to pray to God for forgiveness and repentance. But if you are here today and you are tired of the lies of the world, than you can ask Jesus Christ to save you, to forgive your sins, and come into your heart.

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