Friday, January 08, 2010 "We The People" Part I

Friday, January 08, 2010

"We The People" Part I

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

“In order to form a more perfect Union,” establishes the understanding of our founders of the imperfection of the human race and their inability to meet the standards of God’s perfection. This document was established by these people to take our divisions and unite us as a people in a more perfect way. You see this idea is still reflected in our pledge of allegiance when of speak of “One Nation, Under God, INDIVISABLE, With Liberty and Justice for all.” It is an underlying concept unique to this nation.
The ideas of Unity, Justice, Tranquility, safety, welfare, and Blessings of Liberty are all Biblical concepts and readily acknowledgeable to one with a Biblical worldview. 

(Rom 12:14 Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.
Rom 12:15 Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep.
Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but condescend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Rom 12:17 Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it is possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.)

Our founders were well aware of the things that could and would divide us, but they were also aware of the things that would unite us and strove to stir our nation in that direction.

“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.” - John Adams, In a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813.

We hear a lot of yelling these days about the Constitution being a secular document when one raises the idea that religion might have been in play in the minds of our Founders. Well, of course, it’s a secular document, there is not even a religious tone to its character with the exception of the closing dating it in the “year of our Lord.” 

But you can see from the mind of John Adams where the foundation lies. It’s the general principles of Christianity that lie at the source of this great Document. It was not designed to make everyone a Christian or even point them in any religious direction. But within the Christian faith lies a foundation of general principles held by all denominations and independent sects of that faith. They are the fundamental principles that govern their views of right and wrong, justice and equality, of which is the God-given right of all men. It is these everyday fundamental practical principles of life that gave birth to this wonder Document.
Secular? Yes. But its rightness and ability to establish justice and tranquility find its strength in what John Adams called “ . . . eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”

May God bless each of you,
David