Series: N/A
Service: Sunday Morning Worship
Type: Sermon
Speaker: Wayne Galloway
Biblical Revelation and Principles of Government
Rom. 1:18-23a
Introduction:
1. This weekend our country is celebrating its 250th anniversary.
a. In respect to that I have watched a movie entitled “The Great Awakening,” about
George Whitfield and Benjamin Franklin.
b. I have studied casually about Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham
Lincoln and others.
c. I have recently read the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and the
Amendments to the Constitution.
2. I do not think that the church is the place to address political issues. And I am certainly not interested in debating the religious convictions of the founding fathers. I understand that even unbelievers have consciences and “do instinctively,” at least sometimes, things that are consistent with the law of God (Rom. 2:14-15).
a. God has designed human beings with a high level of intellectual ability that He
expects us to use appropriately.
b. Believers and unbelievers alike have this ability.
3. While I am not interested in debating the religious convictions of the founding fathers, I do recognize that on the left there are those who would present them as purely secularists to advance the secularist cause. On the right, there are those who would present them as upholding Christian faith. They too do this to advance their own cause. The truth is probably somewhere in between these two extremes.
4. Who were these men? Were they trying to establish a government based on the revelation of God? Are the key principles of our government biblically based? If they are, does that make us a “Christian nation” with God on our side?
Discussion:
I. There is evidence of biblical principles within the early documents of this country, and it was not uncommon for the founding fathers to allude to and quote Scripture in their speeches.
A. One of the chief principles evident in the Declaration of Independence. “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.”
1. Gen. 1:26-27 describes man as created in the image of God.
2. Gen. 9:6 values man’s life because he is created in the image of God.
3. This principle has far-reaching implications.
a. To love our neighbor (Matt. 5:21-25; 43-48).
b. Racism is out. Verbal diminishing is out. Unwillingness to reconcile is out.
Graciousness is in. Respect is in. Honor is in.
4. The Declaration of Independence is a list of 27 grievances the people had against
the King of England for violating their rights as human beings.
B. Anything you read about justice, equity, fairness, traces back to this basic principle.
All men are created equal and deserve to be treated fairly. Cf. James 2:1-13.
1. The Declaration of Independence charges the King of England with Tyranny.
2. They said, “He has obstructed the Administration of Justice,” “plundered our
seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.”
“Deprived us of the benefit of Trial by Jury.”
3. They said, “We have petitioned him in the most humble terms and he has
responded by repeated injury.”
4. They said, “Such a Tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
C. All forms of abuse are ruled out by this fundamental principle. Ex. Slavery, spousal
abuse, child abuse, abuse by employers, abuse of the elderly . . .
D. On the positive side, the Bible calls on people to seek that which is good for others.
II. There is an underlying assumption here based on biblical principle. Men are imperfect, often immoral, take advantage of one another and abuse power. The Bible calls this “sin.”
A. There would be no need for law if men did the right thing (1 Tim. 1:8-11).
B. Our constitution provides for a distribution of power. Why? Because those in power
tend to take advantage of those without power.
1. Legislative branch—makes laws.
2. Executive branch—enforces laws.
3. Judicial branch—interprets laws.
C. Our founding fathers saw this in the King of England, and anticipated it the new
government.
D. Did these founding fathers borrow this principle from the text of Scripture? Did they
come to this conclusion by their own experience? Did rational thinking cause them to
draw this conclusion? However it was that they came to it, it was the truth.
III. Another biblical principle is the right of private ownership.
A. The ten commandments state: “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15). Additionally, “You
shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his
male or female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your
neighbor” (Ex. 20:17).
B. The N.T. reiterates the same concept in Eph. 4:28: “He who steals is to steal no
longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that
he will have something to share with one who has need.”
C. The Bill of Rights states: “No one is to be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without
due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just
compensation.”
D. Our Constitution and The Bill of Rights recognizes the right of private ownership.
Were the authors of The Bill of Rights deliberately borrowing from the biblical text?
Did their own rational thinking and good reason (common sense) cause them to
come to this conclusion?
IV. Another element of The Bill of Rights that many are interested in discussing is Amendment I, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof . . .”
A. Is this a biblical concept?
1. Some might argue that it is based on Matt. 22:21: “Render to Caesar the things
that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
2. Some might reason from Jesus’ statement in Jn. 18:38: “My kingdom is not of this
world . . . My kingdom is not of this realm.”
3. Yet, this was something new with the coming of Jesus, for the O.T. is characterized
by a theocracy, a form of government where a deity is considered the supreme
ruler and state laws are interpreted and administered by religious officials.
B. The founding fathers were opposing a similar system in England and the church of
England (Anglican) where the King of England controlled the religion of English
citizens. They were not opposed to religion itself as the secularists of our day are.
They were just opposed to the government running religion. So, they wanted religion
to be free from governmental intervention and control.
V. There are many key principles from the Bible that may be found in our founding documents, but we must be careful not to overinterpret this.
A. This does not mean that the founding fathers were Christians. Nor does it mean that
they were basing their conclusions on a belief that the Bible is an inspired
revelation from God.
B. Many of them did not believe in the God of the Bible, the inspiration of Scripture,
miracles, that Jesus was the Son of God, that God sent His Son into the world to
save sinners.
C. From what I have studied I would have to conclude that most of the founding
fathers were like politicians today, that is, they held a variety of religious
views.
D. They believed in good behavior, that virtuous behavior was good for society. They
believed that such things made for good citizens and profitable circumstances.
E. They held a generic belief in God, but they elevated themselves and their own
reasoning above everything else.
1. They held a form of theological rationalism. They believed that religious beliefs
should be based on human reason rather than on divine revelation.
2. Many of them saw the Bible as containing positive moral behaviors, but they saw
the same in other documents and other religions. The Jeffersonian Bible excises
(literally cuts out) parts that Jefferson in his rationalistic approach did not agree
with.
3. Rationalism is the philosophical belief that human reason and logic are the
primary sources of knowledge, rather than divine revelation.
4. Rationalism stands opposed to Christianity. Ideas of the Bible being inspired,
miracles, resurrection, a divine Messiah dying for sins, gives way to the “goddess
of reason.”
5. In our modern world Humanism is an example of rationalistic philosophy.
6. There are positive elements to rationalistic thinking.
a. Reason is a good thing.
b. Organization is a good thing. Much better than chaos.
c. Elevating human value is a good thing. Honor. Respect. Kindness.
Goodness. Human rights. Equity. Fairness. Equality. All positive.
7. I am pleased to live where humans are valued.
Conclusion:
1. Rationalism is opposed to Christianity (Rom. 1:22-23a).
2. Any system of thought that elevates man over the revelation of God needs to be acknowledged for what it is.
3. Many in our world today embrace this kind of thought. Doing good is indeed a good thing. Yet if man is elevating his thinking of good over what is revealed by God it is severely flawed.
4. What about you? Do you really believe in the God of the Bible? Or do you just believe it contains some workable moral principles that you will evaluate and accept or reject as you choose?
