"Knowing Truth"

Hello Readers,

A while has passed since we’ve shown up in here with something to say. There’s good reason for this, be assured. There’s been major transition occurring for several years now in our understanding of so many things. Needless to say perhaps, yet it’s often hard to admit when we are incorrect and have fallen prey to various deceptions. But to live 58 years on this earth, grow up in Christianity, and still find out so many things that we perceived to be correct simply were not, can take some time to process.

With this said, may we add that this does not mean that every detail is perfect and understood in a position taken that we hold all the answers. However, it does suffice to say that we are certainly on a course for knowing His Truth. It is this Truth that makes one free. You too, believer, will be on course to pursue His Truth for the rest of your life if you really know Him. (ref. John 8:31,32)

David has asked me many times to consider writing on the blog again. Lately, it seems that maybe this could be possible sometimes. You see there were so many things going on in my own understanding and walk with the LORD that needed correction. Just the swelling ego that I would experience after writing what I would think was a “good piece of work,” is something I’ve learned had to be dealt with in a serious manner. People can be so full of themselves and be totally clueless. This was me. After studying what was supposed to be courses of Bible doctrine and men who knew how to teach them, for so many years, it has been necessary to undergo a huge unlearning process. This is difficult in many respects. Surely it would have been better to have never learned bad doctrine, but, this is where we are and these things have their purpose in our present walk with the LORD.(ref. Rom. 8:28)

The pursuit of Truth can cost you relationships with people you love. Friends, family, and acquaintances may write you off as a “dissatisfied nut.” But if you want to know Truth, and when you do know Truth and you take a stand for It, this is to be expected. (ref. John 15:20)

In the coming days, if the LORD permits, we may return to post sometimes with a few words to share some encouragement.

P.S. Any references to Scripture that have been made will always need to be read in the context in which they are contained for proper interpretation.

In Christ,

Julie

"Trouble in the States"

There is trouble in the States, it is a most serious moment, and it is a difficult subject to address. Its difficulty is on many fronts and because of its complexity, a comprehensive understanding is difficult. It involves politics, religion, culture, and all the diversity that every individual American brings to the table in their personal experience.

However, the States have been in trouble before, perhaps we can glean some wisdom from our past. One has to be careful in doing so, for even our history is written with a bias pen, the nature of man cannot be trusted. I am aware that even my pen writes with certain preconceptions and presuppositions that can cause the ink to flow in an uneven measure. Therefore I must take that awareness and proceed with caution.

Let's begin on March 4, 1853, as the 14th U.S. President, Franklin Pierce stated in his Inaugural Address:  "It must be felt that there is no national security but in the nation's humble, acknowledged dependence upon God and His overruling Providence." Yet, while our President spoke of our nation's humility and our acknowledged dependence upon God and His Providence, one year later, Democrat Senator Steven Douglas would persuade the President to support the Kansas Nebraska Act which would essentially allow Slavery to expand into new territories. This would escalate the already stirring of troubles to the point of violent conflict among our own people. These escalations would later be known as "Bleeding Kansas" an escalation that would be the forerunner of a Civil War. We can see here the far-reaching implications of political legislation and unforeseen and unintended consequences of such legislation. Political ideas instituted in other States can and does oftentimes affect the other States. This is especially true if those ideas are already a national stirring.    
The issue of Slavery was dividing us as a people, it alone was enough to drive us into open conflict. However, it was not the sum total of our troubles, there were many issues feeding this rising moment that would bring us to war with ourselves.

It has been stated there were about 5 categories or veins running through the American Culture prior to the Civil War.

1. Radical Northern Republicans: whose attitude was slavery is wrong--end it now.

They believed all human lives mattered, whether on or off a plantation, and all were equal, created in the image of God.

This group included abolitionists, the Underground Railroad, anti-slavery preachers, and, unfortunately, the fringe John Brown who shot at slave owners. I would suggest this same vein runs within our culture at present concerning abortion, homosexual marriage, etc. It is interesting that during that time, to have a conviction that Slavery was wrong and needed to be ended now was considered a Radical view. I find it interesting in that a conviction in which the abortion of our children is wrong and needs to be ended now is also considered a radical view.  

2. Moderate Republicans: whose attitude was that slavery is wrong but the country should transition out of it gradually over time. We find this moderate position alive today, it attributes to many political promises that seem to be talked about to great lengths with nothing ever really being accomplished. 

3 Practical Neutral Voters: who cared little about the value of human life. They were more concerned about their pocketbook, jobs, wages, economy and tax-tariff issues. It seems to me we differ little from our ancestors, there is a strong vein of life supporting an economic recovery. One that will promise jobs and increase wages, a robust economy with great healthcare and benefits. As long as life's provisions are plentiful and our comforts maintained, little care is given to our moral issues. 

4. Moderate Southern Democrats: whose attitude was slavery is wrong, but it was settled law and the nation should just live with it. People should have the choice whether or not to own a slave--just treat your slaves nice. There are multitudes today who will confess that they don't personally support the idea of abortion and the LGTB agendas, but we must be compassionate and accepting to society's norms. A woman should have a choice on abortion.  We should just do all we can to limit a need for it. One can't help who they love.  Acceptance of same-sex marriage is only a response of a kind and understanding culture.

5. Extreme Southern Democrats: whose attitude was slavery is good and should be expanded into new Territories and States. They wanted Northerners who were morally opposed to slavery to be forced to participate in supporting it through the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This vein makes the most noise today.  We hear it and see it exploding in our media on a continuous basis. The object of their extremity may not be slavery today, but their force and determination are all the same.

Seeing these same veins thriving in our society again, should give us extreme concern. Because of the relative civil peace we have enjoyed in our nation, we will naturally have difficulty believing we could ever rise up and bring arms against each other ever again. However, the very presence of these categories of thought tells us they are feeding a growing monster that if not contained will eventually break forth in a conflict of some degree. That degree, like the War between the States, will be impossible to predict. The horrors of those possibilities go beyond measure.

Knowing what to do is to understand how we got to where we are. I think that can be understood by looking at our previous history. Our beginning was of a religious nature, growing from and laying the foundation upon Biblical principles. That being true, how could we transition from that to killing one another?

In 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville stated in his writing 'Democracy in America' "Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” ~ Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America 

I find it interesting Tocqueville also stated in that same work, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” ~ Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America.

In all our greatness and genius Tocqueville was able to identify our weaknesses. Those weaknesses reside in a fallen human nature. The pulpits were a restraining power to this fallen nature and strength to our righteousness. So what happened to our pulpits? As now, they became tools of society, to soothe our consciences and justify our desires.

Bad theology gave way to a wrong view of God and man, the restraints upon our fallen nature were loosened and our understanding of righteousness was starved. Vein number four, and to some degree number two, took the Biblical view on slavery and interpreted it in light of their own needs and desires. Category four could then soothe their conscience while living in a culture of slavery and justify their actions as good as long as they lived a good life and treated their slaves kindly or opposed general brutality in the institution. Category two could soothe their conscience and justify their inaction while ignoring the sin of a nation.

Our founders understood the dangers associated with the passions of men, therefore placed multiple safeguards and restraining elements upon government and those who would reside in places of power. They also understood this was only a restraint and that men would still break forth in their passions without proper theology to guide them.      



“It is the Will of Heaven, that the two Countries should be sundered forever. It may be the Will of Heaven that America shall suffer Calamities still more wasting and Distresses yet more dreadful. If this is to be the Case, it will have this good Effect, at least: it will inspire Us with many Virtues, which We have not, and correct many Errors, and Vices, which threaten to disturb, dishonor, and destroy us. The Furnace of Affliction produces Refinement, in States as well as Individuals…. But I must submit all my Hopes and Fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the Faith may be, I firmly believe.” ~ Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776.

President John Adams placed his hope in the Providence of God, that He would not forsake us in our sin, but bring us through certain afflictions to repent of our errors and vices and instill in us the virtues we lacked or forgotten.

I would suggest there was a need then as there is now for a sixth category or vein running in our society. That group would be a people that did not see in Grey and Blue then or Red and Blue now but in the lostness of fallen humanity and the Glory of the Gospel.

I am not a passivist, I have the passions of a man. You come into my home uninvited with the intent to harm, there will no warning shot. My intent will be to stop you unequivocally. I know the feeling of patriotism, I remember 911 and passions that stirred within me. My nation had been attacked, I could feel the call to defend and respond. It is these movings within human nature that gather us together in conflicts. They are as necessary as they are dangerous, without them tyrants and despots would overrun, with them we are in constant danger of misguided actions. The government is not the answer, for governments are often overrun by unrestrained passions. Self Government is insufficient where personal passions go unchecked without moral convictions. Human efforts are insufficient to fix a broken world. If human efforts were effective, we would be much further along after these several thousand years then we are. However, we find we have not changed at all.

The Christian's call and purpose is not to take up arms and right the wrongs, to fix the world and make it a better place. The Christian's call is to preach and live the Gospel. Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. I am reminded of a conversation between a missionary and his young son. In preparation for a trip into a dangerous situation among a tribal people to bring them the Gospel, his son noticed a rifle in his plane. He asked, "Dad, will you use it?" the father replied, "No son, we are ready to die, they are not."

Most of the world is not ready to die, we are. The early church joined no militia, they carried no weapons against the world, they carried an uncompromised message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and when necessary gave their blood upon the altar of sacrifice of love. Are there Christian men in the military who carry weapons to defend our nation and its interest? Are there Christian men in our police forces who carry weapons of defense to enforce our laws and justice? Are there Christian men in our society who carry weapons to personally defend their family and loved ones? Yes, and rightly so, there are also multitudes of good moral men who do the same who profess no religion at all or faith in God, these are all benefits to our society. However, there are limits where the Christian can go, he must not cross the line where his rights and privileges in this life superseded his call to deliver the Gospel to a dying world. He must know where this is when it arises and he must then lay his gun down and open his Bible and declare," repent and believe or you likewise will perish!" (Luke 13:3) We must not make an enemy of the mission field.  
 

The casualties of men's passions leave us in devastation, yet, God's mercy in the Gospel prevails. In the midst of the horrors of the late War between the States, God's mercy prevailed.

In the early months of the American Civil War, the assembly of armies that consisted of thousands of young men that had never before been away from home could be frightening for some and an opportunity for vice for others. Army chaplains complained that seductive influences of sin infested the camps. Among the sins were “spiritous liquors,” card playing, gambling, and profanity. Early in the war, one Confederate soldier said that “if the South is overthrown, the epitaph should be ‘died of whiskey.’”

On may 4th 1861 President Lincoln ordered his commanders to appoint Chaplains in all units. In the South President Jefferson Davis was not so much concerned with Chaplains as he was fighting men. However, Southern Christian leaders through their denominations made great efforts to meet the spiritual needs of their army. The British and even northern Bible societies aided in efforts to supply Bibles to the South as they had little resources for printing. 

In the South General Lee and Jackson displayed a very pious life and were formidable in promoting and encouraging religious duties. In the north Union General George B. McClellan decreed that they should have divine services every Sunday morning. Union General Oliver O. Howard, commonly referred to as “the Christian General,” would himself preach to the troops when a regular chaplain or minister was not available.  

Although revivals took place throughout the war, it was during the Fall of 1863 through Spring and Summer of 1864 that was subsequently called the “Great Revival." Although this event is best documented for General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, it actually took place in both northern and southern armies. In the midst of our killing one another, God set His Grace upon both North and South.  Night after night troops on both sides participated in prayer meetings, worshipped, and listened to ministers proclaim the good news. Virtually every gathering ended with soldiers coming forward to accept Christ or receive prayer. When a pond or river was nearby, the soldiers would frequently step forward for baptisms regardless of how cold the weather was. 

It is estimated that over 100,000 Confederate and somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 Union troops accepted Christ during the Civil War.

  

A man by the name of Jones, traveling through the South after the war, noticed a crippled man working in a field, guiding a plow with his one good arm. Recognizing him from the war, he stopped to talk with him. This particular young man had left college and a promising career for service in the war, he had been wounded in battle and was baptized by Jones during the war. Jones said “to see him thus, then, his hopes blighted, his fortune wrecked, and his body maimed for life, deeply touched my heart...I shall never forget how the noble fellow, straightening himself up, replied, with a proud smile: ‘Oh, Brother Jones, that is all right. I thank God that I have one arm left and an opportunity to use it for the support of those I love.’” Such is the story of one changed heart. It is typical of many men that lived through our nation’s greatest conflict and met the Lord Jesus Christ along the way. 

There is trouble in the States.  I pray it may be resolved by repentance and the turning of our hearts in a national revival and that our desire to make America Great Again will be to seek after righteousness, to desire right laws and justice in our jurisprudence. That these things will outweigh our desire for prosperity and comfort. That we will gladly forego and spend of our wealth and comfort to acquire righteousness in our land. If this is not the case, my only hope is in God and His great Providence, that out of our sin and misery He will yet again show mercy to our land and give life to a fallen people.

May God's Grace be upon each of you,

David

"A Crumbling Foundation"

Very few of us who are of any age are unable to acknowledge that our nation is changing in its moral values and civil polices. Even fewer can read our history and not recognize the same. 

This is not however something new or unexpected among nations. It is common in world history for civil and societal changes to take place, however, there is a uniqueness to the American Experience.

A book published 1998 by Authors Gary Amos and Richard Gardiner (Never Before In History) chronical the uniqueness of the American experience in world history. Within it, Harry V. Jaffa is quoted saying, "There are rare times and places, in the long human story, when outbursts of human genius supply human civilization with the supreme wonders of human greatness. It is the contemplation of these that raises the mass of mankind to levels not unworthy of the divine image in which we were created. Such moments of supreme achievement are to be found in Periclean Athens, in the Florence of Medecis, and in the London of Elizabeth and Shakespeare. However, never before or since has political genius burst in such profusion on the human seen, as in the British colonies in America, in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The period of the American Founding, from the Revolution to the Framing, Ratification, and Inauguration of the Constitution, saw political thought and action in the service of human freedom, of a wisdom and power unsurpassed even by the glory of Greece to the grandeur of Rome. Every human good we enjoy today is, directly or indirectly, is a legacy from what the Founders wrought, and Lincoln preserved." ~ Harry V. Jaffa.

Very seldom do we as Americans consider such thought as Jaffa is describing. Our founders and the following generation had a much keener understanding of the value and rare opportunity we are afforded. It has become to commonplace for us to be able to understand in the magnitude of which they did. We have come to expect too much from a worldly system, seeking for a utopia of which does not nor can ever exist in a world such as ours. By doing so we find fault in a system that is of such genius, its uniqueness is unmatched. Yet we find it unsatisfactory and dream of political change and give great criticism to this great system. The Scripture speaks of men who, "Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," I fear we may be falling among such men.

All is different now, our political speech is cheap and we take the words every so lightly for the character of those that speak carry little value with us. Even our ministers carry different words than those in our beginning. Today they speak of our prosperity, our success, and victories. Very little is said of character and sacrifices.

Samuel Langdon spoke very differently in 1775 than our ministers speak today. Their understanding of the separation of church and state was completely adverse to our understanding today. 

Speaking concerning  "Isaiah 1:26, And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counselors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city." Langdon began, "Shall we rejoice, my fathers and brethren, or shall we weep together, on the return of this anniversary, which from the first settlement of this colony has been sacred to liberty, to perpetuate that invaluable privilege of choosing, from among ourselves, wise men, fearing God, and hating covetousness, to be honorable counselors, to constitute one essential branch of that happy government which was established on the faith of royal charters?" Do you feel the weight in his words? Rejoice or weep, the contrast between the two immediately demands ones attention. Sacred to liberty, a word commanding a high price for purchase, followed by perpetuating that invaluable privilege. He has just begun to speak and the hearer already knows something of immense value permeates the moment. Wise men, fearing God, hating covetousness, honorable, royal charters! These words carry great force when spoken by men of character and conviction. 

Today we not only lack the words, but we are also bankrupt for wise men of character and conviction who truly view and understand the term royal charters! Langdon continues, "Let us consider, that for the sins of a people God may suffer the best government to be corrupted, or entirely dissolved; and that nothing but a general reformation can give ground to hope that the public happiness will be restored, by the recovery of the strength and perfection of the state, and that Divine Providence will interpose to fill every department with wise and good men." 

Today, we mistakenly look to our own wisdom to create this utopian government we are continually told we deserve. We have forgotten the doctrine of Divine Providence of which our founders were so keenly aware. Our thoughts and actions are only good and wise or sinful and foolish depending upon Gods graciousness upon our society. On March 30, 1863 President Lincoln in calling for a nation day of prayer and fasting stated, "We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; And we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!"  

The value of preseeding generations is rarely spoken of in our society today except when selectively phrasing them in a fashion that supports our own agendas. This leaves us ignorant of who we were and what we as a nation and people are to be about.  If one is moved by such words as these, the question must arise, "what can we do?" There is a sad reality, there may be nothing we can do to turn and find our way back as a nation. There is a point where God says their iniquity is full, and no repentance will be granted. This is what so concerned such men a Langdon and Lincoln, a concern that is seriously depleted in our society today. However, if you are moved by such words, you are not relieved from your responsibility to repent and strive for reformation in your own life and family. 

I have heard it said, just because you cannot win is no reason not to fight. There are things of such value to give one's life for, if not for success, for the honor. (That quote might fly well with the Klingons). One does not refuse to preach the Gospel because a nation will not repent, all the more reason to preach the Gospel. It is incumbent upon each of us, to conform our lives to the law of God regardless of a nations moral condition. We cannot do this perfectly nor in a manner acceptive of His demands of righteousness, therefore the Christian puts his faith in Christ to bring him into justification with God. However, all society will not look in faith to Christ for redemption, therefore, the infusion of right principles and understanding of justice must be maintained in a society. A sense of moral value and a high level of understanding of justice can be exerted within a society when the culture is supported by such foundations. We must arm ourselves with this understanding, and make out defense and offense in prayer, first for our own virtue, then for our leaders, then for our nation. In doing so we place our trust in Gods Providence and in hope of His granting repentance to a nation. 

Langdon would continue with words which weigh heavily upon our time some 244 years later, "When a government is in its prime, the public good engages the attention of the whole; the strictest regard is paid to the qualifications of those who hold the offices of the state; virtue prevails, everything is managed with justice, prudence, and frugality; the laws are founded on principles of equity rather than mere policy, and all the people are happy. But vice will increase with the riches and glory of an empire; and this gradually tends to corrupt the constitution, and in time bring on its dissolution. This may be considered not only as the natural effect of vice, but a righteous judgment of heaven, especially upon a nation which has been favored with the blessing of religion and liberty, and is guilty of undervaluing them; and eagerly going into the gratification of every lust."

We may never return to America's beginning as a nation, but let it not be said, it was not worth the living in our own individual lives. 

May the Grace of God be upon each of you,

David

          

"Jeffersons Faith"

This is a short post to consider the faith of one of our most controversial Presidents considered to be among the elite group called our Founding Fathers. Atheist claim him as an advocate for their side and offer many anti-religious quotes or statements made by him during his lifetime. The most general consensus is that he was a Deist. Yet, many Christians also claim him as their advocate and offer many favorable Christian statements uttered during his tenure.

So what was Presidents Jeffersons faith? I suppose if you were to ask him he would say something like:  "My views . . . are the result of a life of inquiry and reflection, and very different from the antichristian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which He [Jesus] wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others." ~ Thomas Jefferson. (Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, editor (Boston: Grey & Bowen, 1830), Vol. III, p. 506, to Benjamin Rush, April 21, 1803.)

In trying to understand what Jefferson believed about God and religion we need to consider more than just the quotes offered by Atheist as well as those offered by Christians. We must understand like the rest of us, Jefferson was not born a Christian, he was born a sinner. Like the rest of us, he would have had to hear the Gospel and by a special work of the Holy Spirit become convinced of his sin and repent and believe by faith alone in Christ alone.  However, even after such a profession, a time of growth must be allowed for that faith to mature. Also, one must consider the influences over the curse of his life that would hinder or strengthen that faith. Where ever we are in our Christian faith, if we have been a Christian very long we did not start where we are now. Our views and understanding of the Gospel have changed over the years. Depending upon the teachings we have received and the influences we have had in our life all affect the growth and understanding of our faith.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Because of the sinfulness of men, Christianity has had those who for their own profit or pride bring un-sound or unbiblical teaching into the church. They all hold the Bible as their authority or claim they have discovered some new understanding of its contents. Many have been subjected to such teachings, some to their destruction. These unbiblical teachings range from doctrinal error to outright heresies. Jefferson's faith appears to have grown and become strongly rooted in the Reformed tradition and he held very Orthodox views within the Church. This is reflected in a national prayer he offered March 4th, 1805 stating:

"Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. 

Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.

Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.

In time of prosperity fill out hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." ` Thomas Jefferson, March 4th, 1805.  

In this prayer, we see an understanding of the Trinity, of Gods Sovereignty, of his Providential workings in His creation and among the nations. We see the source of authority and our total dependency upon God to save us. We see the understanding of our responsibility to evangelize as a people true to God and to be thankful for that which we have been given and commissioned. And finally, we see his understanding that Christ is the source and the sustainer of our faith.  All of the elements in this prayer are fundamental elements of Orthodox Christian beliefs and of sound doctrine. They most certainly are not the beliefs of a Deist or one with anti-christian views.

However, the latter part of his life left him with a very different understanding of the Gospel.

"The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute inquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament, there is internal evidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It is as easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds from dunghills." 

~Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, January 24, 1814

In the latter part of his life, he came to deny the doctrine of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ. This appears to be a result of a religious movement that influenced much of his area of Virginia. This movement was carried by men such as Thomas Campbell, Barton Stone, and a close friend of Jefferson a Reverend James O'Kelly as well as others. These men brought un-Orthodox teachings, advancing their personal views and proclaiming their sect as the group returning to true biblical teachings. It came out of what is known as the Cane Ridge Revival of Kentucky.  They rejected traditional Christianity, the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the authenticity of the Bible, and many of the writings of the Apostles. They claimed that only certain parts of what we have as scripture now could be understood as true teachings. Of course, they were the ones who knew which parts were true.  Jefferson became heavily influenced by these men and this movement. His faith was so troubled in the end it is difficult to say if his faith was a saving faith or a destructive heresy.

The lesson we learn here is not whether or not Jefferson was a Christian, but the importance of sound doctrine. Not everything that cries Christian is Christian. It may look good, sound good, and bear a very close resemblance to true Christianity, however, we must be very diligent in our study. We must test every doctrine against the scripture and the church's understanding of that scripture over history. For many have had their faith made shipwreck.

Tit 1:9  Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. 

Tit 1:10  For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 

Tit 1:11  Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. 

May the Grace of God be upon each of you,

David

  

"The rise and fall of a Nation"

"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about." - President Woodrow Wilson.

Websters 1828 dictionary of American English ~ NATION, n. [to be born]
1. A body of people inhabiting the same country, or united under the same sovereign or government; as the English nation; the French nation. It often happens that many nations are subject to one government; in which case, the word nation usually denotes a body of people speaking the same language, or a body that has formerly been under a distinct government, but has been conquered, or incorporated with a larger nation. Thus the empire of Russia comprehends many nations, as did formerly the Roman and Persian empires. Nation, as its etymology imports, originally denoted a family or race of men descended from a common progenitor, like tribe, but by emigration, conquest and intermixture of men of different families, this distinction is in most countries lost. 

Generally speaking, we all have a special affection for the land in which we were born. We often think ourselves superior to those born elsewhere. In rare instances, one is able to be involved in the formation of a new nation. This may inspire one to greater affections for that land because of the hardships and sacrifices that have been personally felt or witnessed. As we consider our history from where ever we are in the world, we must recognize nations rise and nations fall. I will suggest in this post, that rise and fall can at times be so subtle its people don't even recognize it's demise.

In the case of the American experience, we have a people coming together for a common purpose under common influences. One usually thinks of the word "freedom" when the American Revolution is mentioned. However, more is involved than just freedom and the desire for it. For you see, a criminal desires freedom, yet freedom obtained is an injustice done and a demise to human society. 

Paul tells us in Rom 6:22  (But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.) Freedom from one thing must mean willing servanthood to another. Otherwise, freedom without law is not true freedom but anarchy. American freedom was the putting off of one rule and the putting on of another. The new government that was established embodied a particular world view and ideas of freedom that was derived for the most part from the religious principles by which they the people then desired to live. Much concerning these principles have been written about on this blog over the past decade, one can peruse through those if interested, for the moment I want us to consider a specific perspective.

We must I think, consider the quote above from President Wilson a present reality. We as Americans, for the most part, have forgotten what we were about as a nation. We don't know where we came from nor what we have been about. We are confused about the remnants of our history and the shadows of the original government that remains.

I would suggest the nation that then was no longer exists, it has fallen and another one has risen. I say this because the people of that America would not recognize the government that is now. And the people that are now, have no desire to be ruled by the principles that governed Americans then. We are casting off all we have been about and embracing that we know not what. The early American system thrived with its Christian influence and religious values. 

President John Adams rightly observed: "It must be felt that there is no national security but in the nation’s humble acknowledged dependence upon God and His overruling providence." 

His son, John Quincy Adams later would state on July 4, 1837:  "In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. It forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation. The Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission on Earth [and] laid the cornerstone of human government on the first precepts of Christianity.”

It can be summed up by the words of Alexis de Tocqueville, “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce – and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

That America has but all been stripped away, we as a people now are clothing ourselves with values entirely different. Freedom rings to a different note than it rang for us in early America. It is a difficult time for us as a people; the social, moral, and religious issues divide us greatly. We have taken opposing sides and all to often see each other as enemies.

Enemies we are not, but simply a fallen people who have lost their way and forgotten what they have been about. I think Tocqueville missed the point slightly in his statement, "America is great because she is good," America was great because the Gospel had born fruit, and the people did not feel bound by our laws but kept by them. Our jurisprudence was conducive to our religious values. It cannot be denied that the influence of the Gospel upon our people from the very beginning gave us a very unique ability to govern ourselves. It set standards of behavior in human affairs that gave us our understanding of justice and right government. It formed our society and the way we were expected to live and work and raise our families. This was all an effect upon the heart of our people.  The definition of all these things have now changed and thus we are in great conflict. Unless there is a revival of our former spiritual affairs, an entirely different nation will emerge. One nation will have fallen and another will have arisen. It is my desire that the God of Providence will be pleased to once again turn our hearts to the Gospel. 

God bless each of you,

David