In 1787, a woman asked Ben Franklin what sort of government the Founders had given the people. He said, “A Republic,” then added, “if you can keep it.” America, with all its spots and blemishes, is still a true gift from God … if we can keep it.
As of now, we have the ability to self-govern and enjoy God-given freedoms. But the Founders also realized that religion must be the foundation for the Republic to last. John Adams made this clear when he stated, “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”
The reason Christian values are so important is because they promote self-control. Without self-control, there is more government intervention, oversight and authority. As U.S. Congressman Robert Charles Winthrop said in 1849, “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.”
Drowning in Information, Starving for Truth
We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom and truth. We are being flooded by misinformation primarily because of deception, and deception must be veiled, at least initially, to accomplish its purpose. Isaiah 33:6 offers one way to unveil deception. God reminds us that His wisdom and knowledge must be the stability of our times. God commands us to expose the unfruitful works of darkness with the truth (Ephesians 5:11). Truth is the only thing that stabilizes.
When do we ignore so-called conspiracy theories, and when do we pay attention?
And certainly we are in unstable times. Clearly forces are working to undermine God, our nation and our families. When do we sit up, take notice, and expose the unfruitful works of darkness? I believe that we need to expose and rip away the veil of deception and recognize what we see around us when:
- It’s an attack on God’s character and His Word.
- It’s an attack on God-given freedoms.
- When it harms or oppresses the innocent.
- When sin is legally sanctioned. Legal is not always lawful.
Comments are closed for this post.