Category: Truth

How My Relationship with God Affects My Marriage

(Chapter 2 of A Biblical Worldview Affects Every Area of Life)

Authentic biblical Christianity’s most obvious fruit will be displayed in our most important relationships, beginning with our marriage.

Our New Covenant relationship with God qualifies us – as God’s beloved children (Ephesians 5:1) – to experience a rich inheritance (Ephesians 1:11, 1:13-14), eternally – in heaven, (1 Peter 1:4), but also in this life – on earth.

So just what does this earthly inheritance look like, and how does it affect our marriage?

The Holy Spirit

A 2017 article in Psychology Today says that the number one reason that marriages fail is a “failure to wed,” contrasting that with a healthy marriage:

Two separate and uniquely different people come together to form a whole whose essence is greater than the sum of its parts, and not two individuals who are constantly “hijacking the we” by trying to make their partner become more like them.

Neil J Lavender Ph.D.
“The Two Shall Become As One,” June 22, 2017

And another article says:

What does it mean to “hold fast” or “cling to,” or literally “to be joined to,” another person? Marriage establishes and protects one’s most fundamental human relationship. More fundamental than father and mother. More fundamental than the resulting children, precious as they are. More fundamental than a best friend.

“What is the Mystery of Marriage?” desiringGod.org, July 11, 2018

It is the Holy Spirit who – for the Christian couple – takes this all from theory to reality.

The Holy Spirit actually inhabits Christian husbands and wives (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 1:22), and “pours out” His own love into the hearts of married Christian couples (Romans 5:5). The Spirit “knits” our hearts together (Ephesians 4:1-3; Colossians 2:2), and creates the “bond of peace” between us (Ephesians 4:1-3) that He helps us to keep (Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 3:16-17; Philippians 4:13; John 16:7).

A victorious life

The Bible (Ephesians 5:31-32) says the Christian marriage is a “great mystery,” in the sense that something profound is being revealed.

Meditate on this for a moment.

God, the supernatural Creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1) – the Bible calls Him “Yahweh” (Genesis 22:14), and “I am Who I am” (Exodus 3:14) – has chosen to use the Christian marriage to reveal Himself to this world.

As a couple, we – in the Spirit – possess the character of God (Matthew 5:9; 6:33; 1 John 3:9), and (to an extent) the supernatural wisdom and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24; 4:20; Ephesians 1:17-21; Colossians 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; James 3:17; Proverbs 8:11-12, 17-19), and are thus able to navigate and overcome adversity in any situation in which we find ourselves (Matthew 7:24-27; Romans 8:37; 1 John 5:4). No matter what life throws our way, we know that with God’s help, we will thrive (2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 John 4:4; Deuteronomy 28:9, 13).

Righteousness, peace and joy

What about the famous statistic that half of all marriages end in divorce? That’s true, but only when it comes to first marriages, half of which are dissolved. Second and third marriages actually fail at a far higher rate

Forbes Advisor, Jan 8, 2024

When a Christian couple weds, they make a covenant (Proverbs 2:17) to stay together for life (Mark 10:9; Romans 7:2-3), and although many will say that is at best improbable (Matthew 19:10), the Bible says, that “he who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.”

What does that favor look like? Affection (1 Corinthians 7:3), Love (Ephesians 5:2-33; 1 Peter 4:8), Respect (Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Peter 3:7) and their resulting blessings (Deuteronomy 28:2; Psalm 127:3-5; Psalm 128:3).

Abundance

When people hear the word “abundance,” they somehow get the picture of some kind of materialistic obsession with things, with “stuff,” but that’s not what Jesus talked about in John 10:10:

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Are you living that kind of life? Are you living abundantly?

The other day, I heard a scripture that kept repeating itself over and over again in my mind:

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:3

That kind of “eternal life” doesn’t begin when we die. The Bible uses the word “zoe,” and that means:

"the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical,"

and 

"life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous."

How does that kind of life look in a marriage? Intimacy (Hebrews 13:4; Proverbs 5:18; 30:18-19), Harmony (John 17:26; Ephesians 4:3-4; 1 Peter 3: 8; Proverbs 19:14; 31:10, 11 Ecclesiastes 4:12 ;9:9), Contentment (Philippians 4:19; James 3:18; 3 John 2; Revelation 22:1-5; Deuteronomy 28:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 3:9-10; 8:32-35; 10:22; Ezekiel 47:12;), and Overflow (Luke 6:38; John 7:38; Acts 2:45-46; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Philippians 2:4; 1 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 3:16-18; Proverbs 3:10; 22:9; 31:20, 23; Isaiah 58:6-7).

Hope

The first time the word “hope” (tiqva) is found in Bible is in the book of Ruth, which ironically, is the story of a family that had given up hope. However, it is also a story of how God restored that hope (Ruth 4:13-15). 

Tiqva = "hope of deliverance" or "a hoped-for outcome"

What kind of deliverances or outcomes should Christian couples expect as beloved children of God?

“Love and cherish”Romans 13:8“Love never fails…”
Song of Songs 2:10“Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.”
Song of Songs 8:6“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death.”
Song of Songs 8:7“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised.”
“For better or worse”Romans 5:1-2“We have peace with God… and (we) rejoice in hope…”
Romans 12:12“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer…”
Romans 15:13“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 1:18“That you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…”
Proverbs 10:28“The hope of the righteous is gladness…”
Proverbs 23:18 “Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”
“In sickness and in health”James 5:15“The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
1 Peter 2:24“By His wounds you have been healed…”
Psalm 103:2-3“Bless the LORD…Who heals all your diseases…”
Proverbs 17:22“A joyful heart is good medicine…”
“For richer or poorer”Psalm 1:1-3“Blessed is the man (whose) delight is in the law of the LORD… He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
Psalm 9:18“For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.”
Psalm 37:5“I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”
Jeremiah 29:11“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Deuteronomy 28:12“The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”
“Till death do us part”Matthew 19:6“So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Psalm 52:8“I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.”
Psalm 91:16“With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”
Psalm 128:3“Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house…”
Proverbs 31:28-29“(Her husband) praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.'”
Rightful Hopes of Christian Couples

Satisfaction

In addition, the Bible makes Christian married couples this promise to look forward to:

The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer(s) of the Breach, the Restorer(s) of Streets to Dwell In…

Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth…”

Isaiah 58:11-14

A Biblical Worldview Affects Every Area of Life

Model of a Biblical Worldview

Our thoughts, our actions, our priorities, and how we spend our time and money, are all very good reflections of our worldview.

Below is a list – developed over many years of trial and error and listening to God’s voice – of my own priorities, as I believe God has assigned them.

  1. My relationship with God
  2. My marriage
  3. Our family
  4. Our home and finances
  5. Church
  6. Community

What I am going to attempt to do is to build a biblical foundation for thinking about each of these areas of life, beginning with my relationship with God. I will do the same for each area in subsequent blogposts.

  1. My relationship with God

However, fewer understand that long ago, God stepped into history with a new paradigm – a new way of doing things (Jeremiah 31:31; 33:14-15).

I know that, above all, He is always for me (Romans 8:31; Psalm 23:6; 58:11; 97:11).

  • My relationship with God, because of my tender heart and clear conscience, will be characterized by boldness–the kind of audacity exhibited by little John-John Kennedy when he barged into the Oval Office to talk with the President of the United States, his father, John F. Kennedy. (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Timothy 1:5; John 15:7; 1 John 3:22; Psalm 37:4)
John-John and JFK

A chief (defining) characteristic of the new covenant is liberty vs bondage. (Galatians 2:4; 3:25; 5:1; John 8:32-34, 36; 2 Corinthians 3:17)

The Great Exchange
“The word ‘imputation,’ according to the Scriptural usage, denotes an attributing of something to a person, or a charging of one with anything, or a setting of something to one's account.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

What is that inheritance?

No more condemnation. The “law of the Spirit” has made me free from the “law of sin and death.” (Luke 11:13; Romans 8:1-2)

God is for me, not against me. (Romans 8:31; Isaiah 54:17)

I am no longer a “sinner;” I am a saint who occasionally sins. (Romans 6:6-9,11-14; 7:17, 20; 12:2) This is not just semantics; I have a new, regenerated nature. (Romans 7:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17) Although I do not now have a “license” to sin (Romans 6:15), I do not want to, because it is no longer my nature to do so. (Romans 6:17-18, 22; 7:6)

Since the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in me, He will also give me resurrection power in every area of my life. (Romans 8:11; Romans 6:4; Isaiah 60:1) I am going to be victorious in any situation in which I find myself. (Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 John 5:4-5)

I believe that God “gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did,” (Romans 4:17) and that marvelous things are in store for me. (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20; Jeremiah 29:11)

Even in adversity, I can hope in God’s grace to meet my need. (Romans 5:3-5; Romans 8:35) Abraham is my forerunner and example in this kind of belief. (Romans 4:18-20) Like him, I am fully convinced that what God has promised me -in the Scriptures, through preaching and teaching, and by various prophetic (rhema) “words” – He is also able to perform. (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; Romans 4:21)

  • Satisfaction – when the end of my life comes, I will not feel as though I had left anything “on the field,” (Romans 12:1-2), but rather, a deep feeling of having lived a fully and satisfying life (Ephesians 6:13; Psalm 91:16).

My relationship with God is the foundation of my Biblical Worldview.

Next week we will consider how a marriage built on that foundation is built to last (Matthew 7:24-27).

“A Republic, if you care to keep it.”

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 9

Make us a king to judge us like all the (other) nations.”

1 Samuel 8:5
The King’s Crown

There’s a famous quote making it’s way around the Internet, about Benjamin Franklin being asked what kind of government the United States was founded to be. It is said that he replied:

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Our founding fathers knew that the history of republics was not good, and that they often tended to end in tyranny.

For example, the once very successful Dutch Republic, formed in 1588, had declined and decayed until it had all but disintegrated by the time of the American founding. And in their own history, their ancestors had formed a republic named the English Commonwealth, in 1649, but it had only lasted for 11 years, until 1660.

But the primary example that the founding fathers looked to – which had been the model for all later republics – was the Roman Republic, which lasted 482 years, but it ended tragically in 60 years of civil wars and the rise of the dictator, Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar

Why do republics fail?

In pondering this question, I was drawn back once again to a study of the world’s very first tyrant, Nimrod (first referenced in Genesis 10:8).

“Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth.” (the Hebrew word used here is “gibôr“).

Genesis 10:8
Gibor = "strong, mighty, impetuous" (Genesius' Hebrew Lexicon)
Impetuous = "acting or done quickly and without thought or care," (Bing) marked by impulsive vehemence or passion (or) by force and violence.." (Merriam-Webster)

God had commanded mankind to spread out and take dominion over the earth, but instead the people congregated together in a city and started dominating each other, and Nimrod was the worst of them.

So, why do people follow tyrants?

An article in Psychology Today claims that people hunger for “strong parental figures,” and that they are afraid to take responsibility for their own lives, preferring instead to stay on the sidelines, and “let someone else run the show,” even though the people they follow are often “narcissistic,” “calculating,” and “cruel.”

Do you think that is true? That people are afraid to take responsibility for their own lives, and that they would rather follow the directions of someone else, even if they have demonstrated themselves to be narcissistic and cruel?

That’s exactly what the Bible says that the ancient people of Israel did, although they were warned against it.

“‘This is how a king will reign over you,’ Samuel said… ‘He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage… He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves…'”

1 Samuel 8:11-18

When told that George Washington had turned down an offer to become America’s first king, King George III of England said: “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

But the people who rule our country today have little resemblance to George Washington.

The Psychology Today article goes on to say this about tyrants:

“They tend to have a blend of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorder traits such as a lack of empathy, grandiosity, thirst for power and control, lying and deceit, indifference to conventional laws or rules or morality, and more.”

Psychology Today, February 2, 2017

It remind us of a warning by one of the Founding Fathers, James Wilson of Pennsylvania:

“Sir, there are two passions which have a powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice; the love of power, and the love of money. Separately each of these has great force in prompting men to action; but when united in view of the same object, they have in many minds the most violent effects. Place before the eyes of such men, a post of honour that shall be at the same time a place of profit, and they will move heaven and earth to obtain it… And of what kind are the men that will strive for this profitable pre- eminence, through all the bustle of cabal, the heat of contention, the infinite mutual abuse of parties, tearing to pieces the best of characters? It will not be the wise and moderate; the lovers of peace and good order, the men fittest for the trust. It will be the bold and the violent, the men of strong passions and indefatigable activity in their selfish pursuits. These will thrust themselves into your Government and be your rulers.”

James Wilson, Constitutional Convention of 1787

In Chapter 3 of our book, we talked about God’s plan for self-government, and the wise advice for doing so from Thomas Jefferson, Alexis de Tocqueville, and William Penn.

Back in the 1970’s and 80’s there was an old album cover that was pretty popular.

Keith Green‘s “No Compromise”

The artwork on the cover of the album depicts the scene where Haman, the Prime Minister of the Persian Empire is passing by, and everyone is bowing down to him – everyone but one man named Mordecai, and Haman tried to have him killed.

Some years earlier, another man named Daniel, had to disobey the king of his day, and his political enemies tried to have him killed.

And when that same king went to throw them into a fiery furnace, Daniel’s three friends replied:

“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, Daniel 3:17-18

William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, once said:

“Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.”

And in our third chapter, we quoted from Thomas Jefferson’s 1787 Notes on the State of Virginia, where he wrote:

“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”

What is venality?

venality = "openness to bribery or corruption" (dictionary.com)

One thing that Mordecai, Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego definitely had in common is that they were not open to corruption. They were incorruptible, in the same way that George Washington was incorruptible. If we want to be able to stand against tyranny, and against manipulation – even when your government is telling you otherwise, we have to take responsibility for our own lives.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God is ready to heal our land. Are we ready to do our part?

Isn’t Time for Another Miracle?

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 8

“The Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them.”

Judges 2:16

The word translated here as “judge” should be understood in the sense of deliverer (see Judges 3:9 & 3:15)

deliverer = "a person who saves someone from a painful or bad experience" (Cambridge Dictionary)

Based on that definition, you can probably think of times when our country was in trouble, and then someone seemed to be raised up -sometimes out of nowhere – specifically to lead the country through that difficult time.

Between 1776 and 1797 – for example – George Washington led the nation through it’s War for Independence, and became the First President of the United States.

David McCullough, in his famous book – 1776 – wrote this about Washington:

“Without (his) leadership and unrelenting perseverance, the (American) revolution almost certainly would have failed.”

1776: The Illustrated Edition by David McCullough, 2007, p. 230
General George Washington at Trenton

And in our own century there have been numerous cases of this, most notably John F. Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962, when the President of the United States single-handedly “stared down” the Soviet Union when they attempted to to place nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Another example was when, in December of 1980, President-elect Ronald Reagan advised Iran not to wait for his inauguration to release the 52 American hostages they had been holding since November 4, 1979, to the demoralization of our whole country. And that sadness was turned instantly into joy when, just moments after the former actor became the became the 40th President of the United States, Iran complied. To appreciate the magnitude of this event on the American psyche, one only needs to watch Disney’s wonderful production of the 2004 Kurt Russell movie, Miracle.

Miracle

As we, in 2021, look around us, at the trouble our nation is in, we can be tempted to feel hopeless, even desperate. But we can take a lesson from the people of ancient Israel.

“When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer…”

Judges 3:9

“When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them…”

Judges 3:15

Benjamin Franklin once said:

“Have we now forgotten that powerful Friend?  Or do we image we no longer need His assistance?”

Benjamin Franklin, address to the Constitutional Convention, 1787

And the Apostle Paul told us that we have been born in America at this particular moment in time for a reason, so that we would

“Seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him…”

Acts 17:27

Yes, times are difficult, and yes, most of the institutions of our society are failing and falling down around us. It’s time to “cry out” to the Lord for a deliverer, and believe that He will provide one.

Here is the word of the Lord for today:

“God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did…” (Romans 4:17)

God governs in the Affairs of Men

History is the Life-Blood of a Free People

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 7

The book of Exodus opens this way:

“The children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.”

Exodus 1:7

400 years earlier, Joseph had saved Egypt from destruction during the seven years of famine.

But, during those 400 years:

“There arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.”

Exodus 1:8

It is never a good idea to forget your history.

England had experienced a religious reformation and had grown to be a world power under King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I.

But everything changed in 1603, when the King of Scotland also became – for the first time – the King of Great Britain (and thus the King of England). He didn’t know much about English history (such as King John and Magna Charta). He didn’t know much about the Rights of Englishmen, nor did he care.

King James I

When people (like the group we know as the “Pilgrims”) chose to separate from the Church of England, King James had some unkind words for them.

“I shall make them conform or I will harry them out of the land or else do worse” 

King James I (1603-1625)

And that is exactly what he did.

“For some were clapped into prison, others had their houses beset and watched, night and day, and hardly escaped their hands.  And most were feign to flee and leave their houses and habitations and their means of livelihood.”

William Bradford, Of Plimouth Plantation, 1630

You see, King James believed in something called “the Divine Right of Kings,” and that his power as the King over England was absolute (meaning that it could not be questioned).

One website says:

“James’s great failure as an English king stemmed from his inability at first to perceive wherein the English assembly differed from the Scottish Parliament, and from his unwillingness to accept the differences when at last he became aware of them.”

In fact though, the problems didn’t end with James I. They went on for many years, with struggles between various kings and Parliament, until the English Bill of Rights was signed into law in 1689. But that only came after the King at that time (James II) fled the country, which became known as The Bloodless Revolution!

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he wasn’t writing it from within the bubble of the current events of his time. He was writing it from within the context of the hundreds of years of history since King James and the Pilgrims. And not only that, he was writing it from within the context of the ancient rights of his ancestors going all the way back through history to Magna Charta.

That is the our heritage as American citizens, and we would do well to remember it.

Do you desire a better country?

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 6:

The Embarkation of the Pilgrims

In 1532, Niccolo Machiavelli published his famous work on political theory, called “The Prince.” He had used Spain’s King Ferdinand (the same one who sent out Christopher Columbus) as a model for perfect governance.

Unfortunately, his model included brutality and ambition, and always endeavoring, “above all things,” to gain “the reputation of being a great and remarkable man” (like Nimrod at the Tower of Babel [see Genesis 10:10 and 11:1-9]), and to always keep “the minds of his people in suspense and admiration” of King Ferdinand and his ambitious pursuit of gold and glory.

Statue of Ferdinand in Greek/Roman style

Therefore, it should not surprise anyone that the Spanish Conquistadores who colonized America brought with them Machiavelli’s views that in politics, the end justifies the means and that political and public morality are unnecessary, and even to be avoided.

It is important that we understand that these are the fundamental ideas that the “Spanish Golden Age” was built on.

The Spanish Golden Age (the 1500s-1600s) may be considered to have been contemporaneous with what we often call the Renaissance, and its accompanying zeitgeist. 

zeitgeist = "the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time." (Bing)

The defining spirit of the Renaissance was “Rebirth,“ which sounds good… But it was actually only the rebirth of pagan Greek and Roman values and ideas that stood in direct contrast to those of Christianity, upon which Medieval Western Civilization had been built.

And interestingly–but not surprisingly–it was (this same) Ferdinand’s grandson, King Charles I of Spain, who later, as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, would condemn the Christian reformer Martin Luther as a heretic, ban him as a political outlaw, and order his writings to be burned.

Luther before Charles V

Yet, soon afterward, Luther working in hiding, translated the Bible into the common language of the German people, inspiring a young Englishman named William Tyndale who just happened to be living in exile in Luther’s hometown in Germany at the time. Tyndale then translated the Bible into English, and had it smuggled back into his home country in England.

60 years later, Charles’ son, Phillip II (Ferdinand’s great-grandson) became the champion of what became known as the Counter-Reformation.

The Counter Reformation was an all-out cultural, religious, and even military war intended to reverse the the work of Luther and Tyndale.

Philip II sent the Spanish Armada (the largest fleet ever seen in Europe up to that time) to attack England, and to restore the religious and political status quo of what had been Spain’s Golden Age. The Armada was destroyed by a storm.

In fact, the Spanish Armada was sent three times to destroy England–in 1588, 1596, and 1597–but it was destroyed three times, each time by bad weather!

Destruction of the Spanish Armada

Providentially, then, William Tyndale’s Bible seems to have ended up making its way into the hands of a generation of common Englishmen, just as their King Henry VIII was making himself the head of a whole new church in England, and just as England was preparing to replace Spain as a world power.

And it was these same Englishmen who brought that same Bible–and its ideas–to the New World.

In 1607, Captain John Smith was among 100 colonists who planted Jamestown in Virginia. In 1608, Smith became the leader of the community, and established measures to save it from ruin, including an instruction from the Bible.

“If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat”

2nd Thessalonians 3:10

This is not to say that Captain John Smith was, necessarily, a Christian–only that the Bible was already starting to affect the way that everyday people chose to live their lives.

But soon after (in 1620) a group of Christian people established Plymouth Plantation as a Christian community–based on the example of the early church (in the book of Acts).

Their Governor, William Bradford (in his book, Of Plimouth Plantation), called the Plymouth settlers pilgrims, referring to the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 13.

Embarkation of the Pilgrims

The chapter goes on to say:

“…Those who say such things (calling themselves pilgrims) declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country...”

Hebrews 11:14-16

And that’s the way they lived. They left behind all that England was, and whatever comfort it had been for them, and looked forward to life in this New England, and what they dreamed would be a better world for them and their families.

Other Christians followed them to New England, setting up what they called the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Governor of the Massachusetts colony, John Winthrop, saw New England prophetically, quoting from Matthew 5:14.

“For, we must consider (he wrote) that we shall be like a City upon a Hill; the eyes of all people are on us.”

John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity,” 1630

And just a few years later, in 1639, Christians from the (then) small towns of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield in Connecticut drew up “the first written constitution known to history...” The “Fundamental Orders” (as they called them) were based on a sermon by Reverend Thomas Hooker on May 31, 1638. The text for his sermon had been Deuteronomy 1:13.

“Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you…”

Deuteronomy 1:13

In his sermon, Hooker asserted that based on the Old Testament example of the ancient Israelites (which was imitated by early Christians in the New Testament book of Acts), “the foundation of authority is laid in the free consent of the people…”

That idea could not have come out of the Spanish Golden Age. It could not have come out of the Renaissance, or the thought of Machiavelli.

The Bible says that:

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

2 Corinthians 3:17

But the Bible also says that:

“The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs (because it has been subjected to corruption) …”

Romans 8:20

That is why the American experience has not matched up with the prophetic voices of Winthrop and Hooker, or all their hopes and dreams for America.

But one day,

America and “the creation itself…will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the (revelation of the) children of God…”

Romans 8:19, 21

It is time for the children of God in America to shake off the chains of corruption, to step out of the grave-clothes of past experience, and to walk in what has been prophesied over this land.

That is our legacy (and America’s legacy), and (as John Winthrop wrote) “the eyes of all people (shall be) upon us.”

Christianity, Christmas & Capitalism

The Bible, Christianity & American Government, Chapter 5:

The Grain of Egypt

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: ‘Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good. Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.'”

Genesis 41:17-24

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do…'” (Genesis 41:25)

“The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.“

Genesis 41:26-32

God knew that a famine was coming upon Egypt, and God warned Pharaoh ahead of time.

Why do you think He did that?

In the New Testament–in 2 Peter 3:9–God tells us that He is “not willing that any should perish…”

In fact, in another place, it tells us:

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Matthew 6:26

And the apostle Paul, quoting from a classic Greek poem, Phaenomena, by the Greek poet Aratus, alluded to the “Father-heart” of God:

“For we are also His offspring.”

Acts 17:28

The Bible characterizes the relationship between our Father in heaven and Economic Theory here on earth in this way:

“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1

And as we have illustrated in previous chapters, this was the Economic worldview of William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson–in fact it was part of the Judeo-Christian tradition that our country was built on (see our book, Let’s Think Together [available on Amazon], p. 14).

Moses on the U.S. Supreme Court building

Yet, today, some people are trying to move our country away from this tradition. Today, some people want to move, instead, toward creating a Secular State. And they want to build this Secular State upon the Doctrine of Socialism, which may be considered–like the movements that led to it (Unitarianism and Transcendentalism)–to be a Christian heresy.

heresy = "belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious  doctrine (especially Christian)." (Bing)

Some people today claim that, “The ideas of early American socialism evolved out of Christian thought.” But that is very much a misunderstanding of Biblical Teaching.

There is no question that Jesus cared about the poor. He began His earthly ministry by quoting from the book of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…”

Luke 4:18

And later, He taught:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

And:

‘“When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

Luke 14:12-14

Jesus obviously taught that we should take care of the least among us (Matthew 25:40).

But nowhere did He indicate that we are under some kind of compulsion–religious or governmental–to give to others. In fact, He taught the opposite:

“Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?”

Matthew 20:15

And the apostle Paul confirmed this:

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Second Corinthians 9:7

A wonderful illustration of this is found in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Scrooge and Tiny Tim

At first, Ebenezer Scrooge is described as:

“A tight-fisted hand at the grindstone… A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, 1843, 165th Anniversary Edition, p. 3

And when two philanthropic business men stop by his office to ask for a charitable donation for the poor and destitute, Scrooge responds:

“Are there no prisons? …And the Union workhouses? …Are they still in operation?

And when they they reluctantly agree that they are, Scrooge goes on to say:

…Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course… I am very glad to hear it.”

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, 1843, 165th Anniversary Edition, p. 3

There is no question that Scrooge started out as a hard man. Yet at the end of the story, the much-changed Scrooge is described this way:

“To Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world… And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge…”

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, 1843, 165th Anniversary Edition, p. 11

Did a government program change Scrooge? Did the Home Office or the Metropolitan Police have to force him to change his ways?

Take a look at another, similar example from the Bible:

“Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.”

Luke 19:1-2

And when he met Jesus, he changed–very much like Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Bible says:

“Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.'”

Luke 19:8

No one had to coerce Zacchaeus. An experience with Jesus changed his heart. And he didn’t need a government to “redistribute” his wealth. He did it himself, and he did it willingly.

About three hundred years ago, a minister named Jonathan Edwards, commonly referred to as “America’s greatest theologian,” preached his way through the “Great Awakening” in colonial America. His preaching is known to have resulted in “faintings, uncontrollable weeping, and screaming,” and a number of people reacted against it by separating themselves from what they called “revivalist emotionalism.” Alternatively, they established what became “the liberal wing of Christianity,” which morphed, first, into Unitarianism, and then, Transcendentalism. This is where the modern understanding of “Political Liberalism” (in the sense of social reform) began.

Early socialist experiments were Brook Farm (1841), New Harmony (1825), The Rappite Community (1815), and the Oneida Community (1841). All failed. But the Utopian Socialist dream is still alive, and Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are representatives of it.

American citizens are free to support their ideas if they so choose. But, let us not try to justify it with any half-baked nonsense about attributing such notions to the Bible or to Christ Himself. That they are not free to do.

Also available as a podcast at Apple Podcasts or Podbean.

Also available on YouTube.

See our book on Worldviews.

The Bible, Christianity & American Government

Chapter 4: God’s Plan for Self-Government, Then and Now

“I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel…” (Benjamin Franklin)

In the last chapter, we talked about Noah, and Nimrod, and how the people got together to disobey God and build a centralized empire around their Tower of Babel.

Soon afterwards, God thwarted their ambitions and scattered the tribes, with the children of Japheth heading off toward the North, the children of Ham heading toward the South, and the children of Shem spreading out through the Middle East. Some people have even gone so far as to say that Noah himself–even before the Tower of Babel incident–headed East and founded ancient China.

Fu Xi and Nuwa

The Book of Job–considered by many to be the oldest book of the Old Testament–seems to recall what had happened to Nimrod’s ancient empire:

“He (God) leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the mighty. He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the discernment of the elders… He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”

Job 12:19-20, 24-25

The point here is that man–us, we–no matter how smart we get, no matter how advanced we become–can never be smarter, or more powerful than God, and thankfully, He is good, and kind, and wants the best for us.

A case in point may be observed in the Book of Jonah.

From the Jerusalem Bible around 1957

The people of Nineveh (in the Neo-Assyrian Empire) had become cruel and ruthless, and were threatening the nation of Israel. So, God was not happy with them. So what did He do? Did He send down fire from heaven to consume them? No, instead, He sent a prophet–Jonah–to warn them. And this is what God said to Jonah about the city of Nineveh–which (coincidentally) had been part of Nimrod’s ancient empire:

“…Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”

Jonah 4:11

Benjamin Franklin once said:

“I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel…”

Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention, 1787

But some people today are no longer impressed with the ideas of Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson, or Plato and Aristotle:

“In a certain sense, then, today’s preschoolers are smarter than the greatest thinkers of the ancient world.”

Steve Stewart-Williams Ph.D., evolutionary psychologist and cultural evolutionist

This is the kind of thinking that leads people to say things like this:

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” 

Barack Obama, campaign visit to Columbia, MO

Back in ancient times, God chose Noah to build the ark and save the human race, but only a couple of generations later, it is Noah’s grandson Nimrod–not Noah–who built the first empire and set himself up to lead it. Benjamin Franklin would have called that laboring in vain–in vanity–in the idea that Nimrod was smarter-better– than the people around him.

Elitism is defined as “the attitude or behavior of a person or group who regard themselves as belonging to an elite.” (Bing)

Why is elitism so prevalent? One source says:

“Abraham Lincoln’s dream of governance ‘by, of, and for the people’ has mutated into a deathless trope, emanating from megaphones in the hands of charlatans, philistines and fools.”

DAVID MASCIOTRA, SALON, OCTOBER 25, 2015

So how do these “elite” come to power?

We put them there.

My favorite president was James A. Garfield. And he once said:

“Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. . . . If the next centennial does not find us a great nation . . . it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.”

James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, 1877

If the people who are running any particular area of our culture–whether it’s government, or media, or higher education, or whatever— have values that are different than ours, we have a responsibility–a duty–to do something to rectify the situation. If we don’t, we are accepting it. We are, in fact, saying “This is the type of culture I deserve.”

Is it?

We are very fortunate to live in the greatest republic–the freest democracy–that has ever existed throughout the history of the world. And we do not have to see it fall into ruin.

Let me leave you with this quote from Richard Maybury (the writer of the wonderful “Uncle Eric” series of books):

“Perhaps more than anything else, (we) should assume humans have the ability to overcome their problems and move forward… One of the most noteworthy characteristics of America’s founders is that they were aware of their own world, and indeed (that) their own characters and personalities, were not the best that humans could do. They worried about slavery, poverty, and war, and wanted something better. More importantly, they knew enough law and economics to believe something better was possible and they were working toward this goal.

“They were not utopians. They realized a perfect society is not possible. But they knew we could do much better and they were trying to create the legal environment that would enable this to happen…

“The belief that a better tomorrow is possible is absolutely essential not only for the rescue of our country but for the mental well-being of the individual. Young people need it desperately. However, we need to visualize this better future…”

Richard J. Maybury, from “What Would Thomas Jefferson Think About This?” 1994

Available on podcast and YouTube:

Also, see our book on Worldviews:

The Bible, Christianity & American Government

A Biblical and Historical Study

Chapter 2 (Genesis 1:27-28)

“We will lead the exploration of space because discovery is one of the tests of the vitality of a nation.”

Richard M. Nixon (then Vice President of the United States) 10/25/1960

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade… not because (it is) easy, but because (it is) hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win…”

President John F. Kennedy 9/12/1962
President John F. Kennedy

Jacqueline Kennedy, JFK’s widow, once said, “At night before we’d go to sleep, Jack (JFK) liked to play some records; and the song he loved the most came at the end of this record. The lines he loved to hear were, ‘Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.'”

Camelot

This was the America that I grew up in–filled with promise. I have often wondered, “What went wrong? “Why hasn’t America fulfilled it’s potential?”

The Bible says:

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:27-28

In these verses, God gave Adam & Eve four commands:

  1. “Be fruitful and multiply” (meaning: “Reproduce, become numerous”
  2. “Fill the earth” (meaning: “Spread out across the earth”)
  3. “Subdue it” (meaning: “Conquer it“)
  4. “Have dominion over it” (meaning: “Rule it”)

Man was created to be a conqueror–to gain mastery–but not over other men. He was to explore the earth, to study it, and to figure out how to live upon it–all of it.

Did you know that almost 1/2 of the earth is still uninhabited?

If man’s energies were invested in harnessing–exploring, studying, utilizing–the resources of God’s creation as God intended, the rest of the earth’s land surface–not to mention the ocean, the moon, and other planets–could support a much greater population than we have today.

Yet today, rather than facing these challenges, we talk about “population control.“

population control = "a policy of attempting to limit the growth in numbers of a population, especially in poor or densely populated parts of the world, by programs of contraception or sterilization." (The Free Dictionary)

The 1972 Report of the President’s Commission on Population Growth and the American Future concluded that:

“No substantial benefits would result from continued growth of the nation’s population.”

Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, 3/27/1972

And in 1974, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Henry A. Kissinger, issued National Security Study Memorandum #200, that concluded that continued global population growth posed a grave security risk to the United States. Kissinger argued that:

“We cannot wait for overall modernization and development to produce lower fertility rates naturally”

Henry Kissinger, NSSM #200, 12/ 10/1974

He called for an “all-out-effort to lower growth rates.”

Specific strategies included undermining the traditional role of motherhood and “concentrating on the education and indoctrination of the rising generation of children regarding the desirability of smaller family size.”

And in 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled, in a 7-2 decision, that:

“The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is a fundamental right to privacy that protects a pregnant woman’s choice whether to have an abortion.”

Oyez, re: Roe v. Wade, (Jan 22, 1973)

The Bible says:

“Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…”

Romans 1:21-22

Maybe that’s what happened to America.

Look at the Space Program today. Instead of planning colonies on the moon, or Mars, today we spend billions trying to find rocks with bacteria on them, hoping to find the origins of life.

Our nation has truly lost it’s way.

It seems that when the elimination of individual human lives for the perceived good of society-at-large became an option, society was no longer driven by the need for more living space. Yet it was that very need that would have driven mankind to conquer the earth–as God desired–or reach out into space–as John F. Kennedy dreamed–and fulfill his God-given potential.

That’s part of what people are talking about when they call for “a culture of Life rather than a culture of Death.“

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

The speech he was planning to give later in the day–the speech that he did not live to deliver included these words:

“We in this country, in this generation, are–by destiny rather than choice–the watchmen on the wall of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint… That must always be our goal… For as it was written long ago, ‘Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'”

John F. Kennedy, REMARKS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY AT THE TRADE MART IN DALLAS, TX, NOVEMBER 22, 1963 [UNDELIVERED]

It raises some interesting points.

In 1962, for example, President Kennedy appointed Byron White as justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. White turned out to be one of the two jurists who voted against Roe vs. Wade, and he wrote the dissenting opinion, saying:

“The Court apparently values the convenience of the pregnant mother more than the continued existence and development of the life or potential life that she carries… I find no constitutional warrant for imposing such an order of priorities on the people and legislatures of the States…”

Judge Byron “Whizzer” White, writing for the minority, January 22, 1973
Whizzer White

It leaves us with a lot to think about doesn’t it?

The Bible, Christianity, and American Government

A Historical Study

This book was originally published 2006. We will soon be publishing the 2nd edition. Also, we recently read the first chapter (below) on our podcast and on our first YouTube video.

Chapter 1 – Introduction

In 1651, an English philosopher and political theorist named Thomas Hobbes wrote a book called, Leviathan. In it he claimed that people are predatory in nature and that they need a larger predator–the State (which he called Leviathan) –to control their behavior.

Hobbes’ Leviathan

Do you agree with Hobbes?

Hobbes borrowed the word Leviathan from the Bible, where it is used to describe a fierce sea monster or dragon. (See Psalm 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1). However, Hobbes, should not, in any sense be considered a Christian believer. In fact, it is probably more fair to classify Hobbes as a secularist.

secularist = "The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education." (TheFreeDictionary.com)

In the Bible, in the book of Revelation (Rev. 20:2) Satan (the devil)–the arch-enemy of mankind–is also called “the dragon.”

The Bible also refers to Satan as:

  • “The ruler of this world” (John 12:31)
  • “The god of this world” (2nd Corinthians 4:4)
  • “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2)

How did Satan get this power?

It was surrendered to him in the Garden of Eden, when Adam & Eve chose to submit to him, rather than submitting to God.

The book of Romans says:

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey…”

Romans 6:16

And in another place, the Bible also says:

“…The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (referring once again to Satan).”

First John 5:19

And when we look around the world-even over just the past 100 years–we see 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi Germany, 40 million killed in the former Soviet Union, and at least 50 million killed in Communist China. And even here in America (just considering the past two years) what do we see? Rioting, looting, burning, and all kinds of corruption and violence.

People used to quote from the Bible to describe America:

“Righteousness exalts a nation…”

Proverbs 14:34

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…”

Psalm 133:12

But people don’t quote those about America anymore.

The Bible does say (in 1st Timothy 1:9) that the law is necessary to control the behavior of unrighteous people. And it says (in Proverbs 28:2) that the less people govern their own behavior, the more government (Leviathan) they need.

In the 1830’s, a Frenchman named Alexis de Tocqueville came to America to see why our War for Independence had been such a huge success in comparison to the bloodbath of his own country’s French Revolution. He wrote:

“Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the fist thing that struck my attention; the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things. In France, I had always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions… Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power…”

Democracy in America (Alexis de Tocqueville)

In other words, our rulers can be considered a reflection of the health of the spiritual life of our nation. Consequently, then, we can say that any effort to reform our government merely through political action alone must fail.

Take a look back at the old black and white film, The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) with Walter Huston. Satan’s authority over this world is not limited to sitting on people’s shoulders.

The Devil and Daniel Webster

The Bible records something that Satan once said to Jesus:

“All these things (all the kingdoms of the world) I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me.

Matthew 4:8-9

Make no mistake about it–Satan’s influence in our nation’s seats of power is real–and strong.

Does this mean that all rulers are evil and are being manipulated by Satan? No, the Bible, in fact, gives multiple examples of wholesome rulers: Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Daniel, and Nehemiah.

But it is very difficult to be in a position of power and privilege, and not be corrupted by it. By handing out favors–power position, privilege, and wealth, Satan has firmly established his dominion over our world–and, we no longer have the power (in ourselves) to throw off his tyranny.

Take a look at the Bible again–at the book of Job:

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook? …Will you play with him as a with a bird…Lay your hand on him; remember the battle–never do it again! Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false… No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up…

“On earth there is nothing like him… He is king over all the children of pride.”

Job 41: 1-10, 34-35

The book of Ephesians says:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:12

So what are we to do?

About 500 years ago, a man stood–alone–against all the powers of Medieval Europe.

Trial Before the Holy Roman Emperor

And he wrote a song, the words of which say:

“Our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and–armed with cruel hate–on earth is not his equal…”

And he continued:

“…Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; were not the right man on our side–the man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He… and He must win the battle.”

The first step in defeating Satan, and overcoming the tyranny of Leviathan is to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone has the power to defeat Satan.

The Bible says:

“…Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”

2nd Corinthians 3:17

That was true in the Middle Ages, it was true for our Pilgrim Fathers and in the founding of America, and it is true today.

Our next chapter will be about God’s plan for self-government.