The foundations of our nation cannot be ignored or disdained. They call us to return to that place of faith and dependence on God, our Maker.
Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am perfectly satisfied that the Union of the States in its form and adoption is as much the work of Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testaments.”
Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “They therefore who are decrying the Christian religion … are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of a free government.”
Benjamin Franklin, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world.”
George Washington, first President of the United States, said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, said of the Bible, “That Book is the Rock upon which our republic rests.”
Patrick Henry, American Revolutionary Leader, said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Samuel Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, said, “May every citizen in the army and in the country have a proper sense of the Deity upon his mind and an impression of the declaration recorded in the Bible, “Him that honors Me, I will honor, but he that despises Me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 2:30).
Modern historians have attempted to re-write history and in so doing, remove the vital importance of the foundations of Christian faith that guided our forefathers and served as foundations for the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Their faith and their seeking of the will of God cannot be erased from their own words. Many of the most influential, such as those quoted here, placed God, the Bible and the Gospel first in their hearts and in their decisions in forming this nation.
These words cannot be erased from the document that birthed our nation:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (from The Declaration of Independence, emphasis mine).
While this is by no means a perfect nation nor one that has not wrestled with injustice, those who formed this nation understood that God and the Bible are essential cornerstones upon which we have built, and their eradication from our history and society will bring nothing but dire consequences. We should heed the words of other founders of our nation:
Daniel Webster, American statesman and congressman, said, “If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.”
James Madison, fourth President of the United States, said, “A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest, while we are building ideal monuments of renown and bliss here, we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven.”
And the words of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, … and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
May we return to the Lord in humility and repentance in these times of crisis and turmoil so that His face may smile on us again, not to make our nation great, but to make His name great in our nation and the world.