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Most historians agree that 17th- and early 18th-century Christian America was a light on a hill to the rest of the world. After such a noble beginning, how is it America finds herself where she is today - despised by most of the world? The answer must be some incisive change in the country's spiritual course.
What made 17th-century Colonial America unique among all the other nations? Many of the Colonies' governments were based upon the laws of Yahweh1 instead of the laws of man. When Americans stopped believing in the perfection of Yahweh's moral law and reverted to man's law, everything changed. This occurred in 1788 when the States ratified the United States Constitution. Because they have never actually considered the Constitution from a Biblical paradigm, many Christian sources endorse the Constitution as a Biblical document created by Christian men. But, a document that promotes the will of the people over the will of Yahweh for his people is not compatible with the Bible. Neither can such a document be the answer to America's current national crises. Rather than being the solution to America's problems, could the Constitution actually be the genesis of those problems? The Constitution is not the Biblically compatible document we have been told it is. It actually conflicts with Christianity and is often hostile to both Yahweh's sovereignty and morality. Christians2 have a responsibility to uphold Biblical principles in every sphere of life - including government. We will never become a nation that pleases Yahweh by promoting the Constitution. The key to what made America great (and what can restore her to her former greatness) can be found within the Scriptures. In Luke 11:52, Jesus3 declared the Pharisees had taken away the key of knowledge and kept others from entering the kingdom. The key of knowledge is Yahweh's law:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee ... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God.... (Hosea 4:6)4
The Pharisees eliminated the key of knowledge with their man-made traditions:
Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? ...ye [have] made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:3-9)
The commandments of men are also preventing the kingdom from being fully realized today. When the States ratified the Constitution, it set America on a path away from Yahweh's law. This, of course, runs contrary to everything we've been told about the Constitution for more than 220 years. But a lie is still a lie regardless how often it's been told. History doesn't lie. Look at America before and since the Constitution's ratification. Before 1788, America was principally Christian. Since 1788, America has become progressively less Christian in every respect. This alone speaks volumes about the Constitution. What has been the Constitution's fruit? We have only to look at the last 200-plus years to know it shackled us with bondage and corruption, dishonest legislators, an inequitable court system, ungodly wars, and pervasive taxes:
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18)
Libertarian attorney Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) wrote that the Constitution "has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it."5 Man-made surrogates never have and never will provide liberty. Forgiveness (liberty from our personal sins) is realized through Jesus' blood-atoning sacrifice and resurrection from the grave. All other liberty is found in the implementation and enforcement of Yahweh's perfect laws of liberty - never in the hollow promises of man-made covenants. Yahweh's grace on the personal level and Yahweh's law on the community level are our only means to true freedom. When either of these is abused, freedom is also abused. Except for occasional interference from the British kings across the Atlantic, this nation experienced its greatest liberty in the 1600s and early 1700s. From the ratification of the Constitution until now, our liberties have been whittled away. At present, we would be hard-pressed to find a nation with less liberty than the United States of America. This is difficult to accept, especially because we have so often been told the framers were godly men. Christian Constitutionalists are quick to share the framers' Christian-sounding quotations. Hundreds of books, replete with such quotations, have been compiled, and no one can question that many of the framers and their disciples often said the right things regarding Yahweh, His Son, Christianity, and occasionally even His laws. However, such stand-alone statements mean very little. Thomas Jefferson made Christian-sounding statements, but no one would argue he was a Christian. Some people seem to believe the only thing necessary to prove one's Christianity is an invocation of God. This erroneous and dangerous assumption opens the door to political abuse in the name of Christ and the Christian sanction of ungodly actions - including those of the framers. To date, the battle between Christians and secularists over the Constitution has been a war of quotations - and there are plenty to go around from both sides, often from the same framers. The framers may have recognized the Bible and Christianity's influence upon society, but this does not mean they legislated and adjudicated according to Yahweh's laws. One only needs to look at the record to know Yahweh's laws have been ignored since the Constitution's ratification. In order to conclude the framers were Christians, today's Christian Constitutionalists have severed the framers' words from their actions:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [anomian - lawlessness]. (Matthew 7:21-23)
Although some of the framers claimed to be Christians, they practiced lawlessness. They nowhere attributed the inspiration for any specific article or amendment in the Constitution to the Bible or the laws of Yahweh. Worse, they created "laws" contrary to those of Yahweh. The Constitution embodies the following serious Biblical infractions, among others: - The Preamble's substitution of a new national god in place of Yahweh.
- Article 1's usurpation of Yahweh's legislative powers.
- Article 2's commandeering of Yahweh's executive sovereignty.
- Article 3's supplanting of Yahweh's judicial system.
- Article 6's repudiation of Christianity.
- Amendment 1's promotion of pluralism, polytheism, and idolatry.
- Amendment 2's replacement of the Biblical responsibility to bear arms.
- Amendment 8's condemnation of Yahweh's judgments.
Although Christians expose and combat sin on many fronts, very few identify the Constitution as an idol of national prominence:
It is possible for an idol to become so entrenched in the fabric of society that even the people of God fail to recognize it for what it is and to take steps to get rid of it. Our modern idols are not always easy to detect. They often take the shape of ideas and institutions woven into the warp and woof of our culture.6
A Christian's devotion cannot be split between Yahweh's law and man's law. As Christians, and therefore subjects of the King of kings, our devotion is due exclusively to Yahweh, His kingdom, and His law.7 His battle, and thus His subjects' battle, is not for constitutionalism, but for His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, governed solely by His perfect law.
The law of YHWH8 is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of YHWH is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of YHWH are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of YHWH is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of YHWH is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of YHWH are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-9)
Christians must stop serving two masters. We must choose between the document that begins "We the People," and the one that begins "In the beginning God." As Yahweh's ambassadors, we must choose between a government of, by, and for the people and a government of, by, and for Yahweh. Like Gideon in Judges 6, we must tear down our fathers' idol and altar before we can restore Yahweh's kingdom here on earth. Without question, this is a costly decision, but any cost incurred will be far exceeded by the rewards of choosing correctly: Yahweh's pleasure and blessings, the legacy we leave our posterity, peace and prosperity, and the foundations for what will ultimately be the near elimination of crime. If WE THE PEOPLE be God, follow them. But if Yahweh be God, we must follow Him. The United States Constitution is a document few Americans have read and to which fewer yet have given any serious thought, especially from a Biblical paradigm. We must study Yahweh's law and create a vision for His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). You can explore the difference between Yahweh's perfect law and the Constitution, beginning with the books Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective (A Primer) and Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant.
End Notes
1. YHWH (most often pronounced Yahweh) is the English transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, the principal Hebrew name of the God of the Bible. For a more thorough explanation concerning the sacred names of God, The Third Commandment" may be read online, or the book Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
2. Not everyone claiming to be a Christian has been properly instructed in the Biblical plan of salvation. Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-41, 22:1-16; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-13; and 1 Peter 3:21 should be studied to understand what is required to be covered by the blood of Jesus and forgiven of your sins. For a more thorough explanation concerning baptism and its relationship to salvation, the book Baptism: All You Wanted to Know and More may be requested from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for free. 3. Yeshua is the English transliteration of our Savior's given Hebrew name, with which He introduced Himself to Paul in Acts 26:14-15. (Jesus is the English transliteration of the Greek Iesous, which is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Yeshua.) Because many people are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Yeshua, I have chosen to use the more familiar Jesus in this tract in order to remove what might otherwise be a stumbling block. For a more thorough explanation concerning the sacred names of God, "The Third Commandment" may be read online, or Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.* 4. All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version. Portions of Scripture have been omitted for brevity. If you have questions regarding any passage, please study the text to ensure it has been properly used. 5. Lysander Spooner, No Treason, No. 7, The Constitution of No Authority, http://praxeology.net/LS-NT-6.htm#.> 6. Dennis Oliver Woods, Discipling the Nations: The Government Upon His Shoulder (Franklin, TN: Legacy Communications, 1996) p. 82. 7. For additional information regarding Yahweh's law and kingdom as they pertain today under the New Covenant, Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant may be read online, or the book may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 69363, for a suggested $5 donation.* 8. Where the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) - the four Hebrew characters that represent the personal name of God - has been unlawfully rendered the LORD or GOD in English translations, I have taken the liberty to correct this error by inserting YHWH where appropriate. For a more thorough explanation concerning the sacred names of God, "The Third Commandment" may be read online, or the book Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.* *In Matthew 10:8, we are admonished, "freely ye have received, freely give." Although we have a suggested price for our books, we do not sell them. In keeping with 2 Corinthians 9:7, this ministry is supported by freewill offerings. If you cannot afford the suggested price, inform us of your situation, and we will be pleased to provide you with whatever you need for whatever you can send.
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