When George Washington was inaugurated as President in 1789 before a New York City crowd, he got down on his hands and knees and kissed the Bible. Then he led the Senate and the House of Representatives to an Episcopal church for a two-hour prayer service.[1] Washington later said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”[2]
In 1891 scholars uncovered a 24-page manuscript in Washington’s handwriting which he entitled, “Daily Sacrifices.” They were a collection of prayers that he either authored or copied. One of them read: “O most glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving savior, I acknowledge and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day. I have called on thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins.”[3]
Clearly our first president was a man of faith, which is why the disregard for religious liberty we see today in our country would have shocked the Founding Fathers. For most of our nation’s history, Christians in this country have enjoyed freedom from persecution and government restrictions. However, as our nation has grown more secular and as the levers of power are increasingly controlled by leftists there has been a definite antagonism against Christianity.
Albert Mohler, The President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently wrote in a Decision magazine article, “We now see an ardent and aggressive hostility to religious freedom. Will Christian schools have the right to operate on Biblical principles? Must a Christian wedding photographer, cake designer, or florist be compelled to celebrate a same-sex marriage? Will the Christian Gospel and the preaching of the Bible be classified as hate speech? These are not hypothetical questions. Every one of these issues has been in the headlines in recent years. Given the leftward shift of the larger culture, this pattern will grow more acute election by election. America’s cherished First Freedom is at stake in this election.”[4]
This summer during COVID lockdowns we witnessed the unfair treatment of churches, especially in the liberal dystopia of California. On July 13, Gov. Gavin Newsome ordered that all churches remained closed citing rising cases of the virus. In response, John MacArthur, the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley and the elders released a statement saying they would NOT comply with the shutdown order.
When government officials saw that MacArthur would not budge they fined his church $20,000 for violating the edict and threatened to fine them $1,000 a day and/or up to five days in prison for each time they disobey the order. MacArthur and the church brought a lawsuit against the city of LA and the State. They still await a ruling in court.
MacArthur argued, “God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state and the church. Each institution has a sphere of authority and jurisdictional limits that must be respected. God has not granted civic rulers authority over the doctrine, practice or polity of the church…When any government official issues orders regulating worship, he steps outside the legitimate bounds of his God-ordained authority. The Biblical order is clear—Christ, not Caesar, is Lord of the church.”[5]
Who would have ever thought that in America we would see such a thing? But, if it can happen there, then it can happen anywhere. In many states where churches were ordered to remain closed casinos, abortion clinics, and marijuana dispensaries were allowed to stay open. Christians must take note of this and not give power to a party or a candidate which clearly shows a disdain for religious freedom and the church.
So, what are some practical things we can do? First, is pray. We are commanded in 1 Tim. 2:1-3 to pray for “kings and all who are in authority.” Paul wrote that in the first century when the vile Roman Emperor Nero was lighting Christians on fire. We should pray for the salvation of our elected officials, just as William Tyndale did when he was being executed for translating the Bible into English, “Lord open the eyes of the King!”
Second, we should not look to government, but to God. Psalm 146:3 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, in whom there is no salvation.” Don’t think for one second that an election will solve the deep-seated problems in America. Our problems are not political or economic, but spiritual. This nation desperately needs a heaven-sent revival, like what happened in Nineveh when Jonah begrudgingly preached God’s mercy. “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). God spared them, and if it happened in Nineveh, then it can happen in America.
Third, we must stiffen our
spine and stand for Christ. If you study the great lives of the Bible, you’ll
notice that God called men and women to stand-to-toe with powerful rulers and
deliver the Word of God. Moses preached to Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” Elijah
forecasted to Ahab that no rain would fall for 3.5 years. Daniel interpreted to
God’s handwritten message on the wall to drunken Belshazzar. Jesus said to
Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” and Paul told Felix that one day he
would stand before Judge Jesus. We can stand for what is right by sharing the
Gospel at work, school and in the everyday traffic of life. And we can stand for
Biblical convictions on Nov. 3 by casting our ballot for leaders that best
comport with the Christian worldview. God’s people cannot sit this one out—we must
fight for religious liberty or it could be taken away! -DM
[1] David Jeremiah, What
in the World Is Going on? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 126.
[2] Ibid.
[3] D. James Kennedy, What
If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 69.
[4] R.
Albert Mohler Jr. “What’s at Stake in America’s 2020 Election,” Decision, October
2020, p. 8.
[5]
John MacArthur, “The Church’s Duty to Remain Open,” Decision, September
2020, p. 6-8.
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