Chuck Baldwin
The birth of Christ and the birth of America are linked
By Chuck Baldwin
As we approach the day in which we commemorate Christ's birth, I am reminded of a quote by John Quincy Adams. On July 4, 1837, he spoke these words:
"Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? . . . Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies, announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?"
Adams was exactly right. The United States of America is the only nation in human history established by mostly Christian people, founded upon Biblical Natural Law principles, and dedicated to the purpose of religious and personal liberty and equal justice under the law for all men. This truth is easily observed within America's earliest history.
America's forebears first established a written covenant with God and each other as early as November 11, 1620, when they penned The Mayflower Compact. It states in part:
"In the name of God, Amen. . . . Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."
From the beginning, the sentiments and statements of America's founders make it clear that this country has enjoyed a love and appreciation for the rights and freedoms recognized in Natural Law that are unique in the annals of human history. No other nation has such a heritage.
The Declaration of Independence states, "[Men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It also states that these rights are "self-evident" and that they constitute the "Laws of Nature." These principles are taken directly from the scriptures – and from Enlightenment fathers such as Locke and Montesquieu, who formed their writings from the scriptures.
The Law of Nature is described in Romans 2:14-16. That our Creator is the Author of life is seen in Genesis 2:7. That God, not government, grants liberty is seen in Galatians 5:1. The "pursuit of happiness" is found in Ecclesiastes 3:13.
Beyond that, virtually every one of the ten articles contained in the Bill of Rights has scriptural foundation. The First Amendment recognizes the Natural right of freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. Our founding documents properly established a government designed to "secure these rights." Therefore, under the First Amendment, Christians (and others) are free to preach their faith and assemble for worship, as plainly instructed in Holy Writ.
Likewise, the Second Amendment has Biblical Natural Law foundation. Our Lord said in Luke 11:21, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." In Luke 22:35, 36 He said, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." The principle of armed self-defense is redundant throughout the scriptures in both testaments. Genesis 14, Esther 8 and 9, and Revelation 13:10 are good places to start. In fact, Revelation 13:10 is an extended commentary on the words of Jesus to Simon Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ told Peter to put up (not give up) his sword in Matthew 26:52. No passage of Scripture has been more egregiously misinterpreted (except Romans 13*) than this passage in Matthew.
It is truly incredible to me how many Christians do not understand the sacred duty of self-defense. Obviously, this is because America's pastors are not teaching the principles of Natural Law as found in the scriptures.
I realize that there are many pastors and Christians who try to impugn the necessity of owning a firearm. These people are famous for saying things such as "God will take care of you; no one needs a gun." Of course, these same people always condone police officers carrying guns and shooting people in self-defense – and if these pastors and Christians were in trouble, they would not hesitate to call a gun-toting policeman to come to their assistance (if they had time, of course). I never understood why it is that Christians who are not policemen are supposed to "trust God" to take care of them and, therefore, remain unarmed, but Christian police officers are somehow exempt from this same spiritual notion.
Beyond that, many pastors teach that Christians are obligated to obey civil authorities who demand that we surrender our firearms. They even quote Romans 13* and other scriptures in a lame attempt to prove this ludicrous assertion.
For these reasons, my attorney son and I collaborated on a book that takes the scriptures (Old and New Testaments – including the passages in Genesis 14, Esther 8, Matthew 26, and Revelation 13 referenced above) to prove that self-defense is not just a right under our Constitution, but it is a moral obligation given us by our Creator. In the book, we show that Christians who are unwilling to defend themselves and their families have actually denied the Christian faith. We show that the Bible nowhere teaches God's people to remain defenseless or to surrender their means of self-defense to ANY civil authority.
In the book, we look at the scriptures that the "no gun" preachers use to support their "no one needs a gun" lunacy and show how unbiblical these positions are. We go through both testaments and show that our Creator has given us the obligation to defend the life He has given us. We also put to rest many of the distortions of Scripture that anti-gun preachers use to turn Christian men and women – who are created to be providers and protectors – into sheepish slaves of the state.
Yes, keeping and bearing arms is a spiritual duty. Defending oneself or family is as "spiritual" as praying or reading the Bible or any other "spiritual" exercise.
The title of our book is "To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns." To order the book, go here:
To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns
It is not only important to be armed; it is even more important to understand the moral and spiritual underpinnings of WHY we should be armed. And that is exactly what our book attempts to do.
Other articles contained in the Bill of Rights also have scriptural basis. For example, the Fourth Amendment is found in Deuteronomy 24:10, 11. The Eighth Amendment originates in Deuteronomy 15:2, 3. Again, these principles are "self-evident" truths which come from "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." Even the pattern for America's constitutional form of government consisting of three distinct branches – legislative, executive, and judicial – is seen in Isaiah 33:22. America's founders held a healthy distrust of monarchies, and for very good reason. Sinful man can only be trusted with limited power and authority. Only the LORD can be trusted with kingship over our lives, as Isaiah notes in the above reference. Accordingly, our country's founders wisely separated the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government in our U.S. Constitution.
The signers of our Declaration of Independence could have never imagined that individual states and municipalities would deny their citizens the right to carry arms. They could have never dreamed that states would deny their citizens the right to be free from warrantless searches – a right that is violated every day throughout this country. They could have never imagined that the time would come when their posterity would be denied the basic freedoms to publicly express their reverence for God. Never could they have imagined that the day would come when citizens of the several sovereign states (each with a State constitution protecting religious liberty) would be denied their right to pray in school, place Nativity scenes on public property, or hang copies of the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls.
I am also confident that America's founders would be completely repulsed by the way the United States has jumped headlong into corporatism, socialism, and globalism. At the national level, Democrats and Republicans alike have created a central government so large that it would be unrecognizable to any founding father – even Alexander Hamilton or John Adams. Big Business sucks feverishly at the teat of Big Government; the major media has become little more than a propaganda ministry of Big Government; corporate 501c3 churches view Big Government as a god to be worshipped; and America (including and especially Christians and churches) seems to be drunk on the perpetual wars and entangling alliances of Big Government. Surely, our Founding Fathers must be turning over in their graves.
Therefore, at this Christmas season, let us recommit ourselves to our nation's founding principles. Furthermore, let us renew with vigor the fight for freedom before our liberties and heritage disappear altogether.
Yes, John Quincy Adams was right. The birth of Christ and the birth of America are indissolubly linked.
*My attorney son and I also wrote and published a book entitled "Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission." This book expounds with sound interpretation and reasoning the priority of God's commandments relative to citizens' submission to government. There is hardly a statement made in this book that does not have a direct reference to the scriptures and illustrative commentary.
This book is one of the strongest defenses of lawful submission – and one of the strongest attacks against the ubiquitous "obey-the-government-no-matter-what" claptrap being taught in most U.S. churches. In short, this book is one of the best friends that liberty has right now.
To order our book "Romans 13: The True Meaning Of Submission," go here:
Romans 13: The True Meaning Of Submission
And again, to order our book "To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns," go here:
To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns
© Chuck Baldwin
December 16, 2016
As we approach the day in which we commemorate Christ's birth, I am reminded of a quote by John Quincy Adams. On July 4, 1837, he spoke these words:
"Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? . . . Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies, announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?"
Adams was exactly right. The United States of America is the only nation in human history established by mostly Christian people, founded upon Biblical Natural Law principles, and dedicated to the purpose of religious and personal liberty and equal justice under the law for all men. This truth is easily observed within America's earliest history.
America's forebears first established a written covenant with God and each other as early as November 11, 1620, when they penned The Mayflower Compact. It states in part:
"In the name of God, Amen. . . . Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."
From the beginning, the sentiments and statements of America's founders make it clear that this country has enjoyed a love and appreciation for the rights and freedoms recognized in Natural Law that are unique in the annals of human history. No other nation has such a heritage.
The Declaration of Independence states, "[Men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It also states that these rights are "self-evident" and that they constitute the "Laws of Nature." These principles are taken directly from the scriptures – and from Enlightenment fathers such as Locke and Montesquieu, who formed their writings from the scriptures.
The Law of Nature is described in Romans 2:14-16. That our Creator is the Author of life is seen in Genesis 2:7. That God, not government, grants liberty is seen in Galatians 5:1. The "pursuit of happiness" is found in Ecclesiastes 3:13.
Beyond that, virtually every one of the ten articles contained in the Bill of Rights has scriptural foundation. The First Amendment recognizes the Natural right of freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. Our founding documents properly established a government designed to "secure these rights." Therefore, under the First Amendment, Christians (and others) are free to preach their faith and assemble for worship, as plainly instructed in Holy Writ.
Likewise, the Second Amendment has Biblical Natural Law foundation. Our Lord said in Luke 11:21, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." In Luke 22:35, 36 He said, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." The principle of armed self-defense is redundant throughout the scriptures in both testaments. Genesis 14, Esther 8 and 9, and Revelation 13:10 are good places to start. In fact, Revelation 13:10 is an extended commentary on the words of Jesus to Simon Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ told Peter to put up (not give up) his sword in Matthew 26:52. No passage of Scripture has been more egregiously misinterpreted (except Romans 13*) than this passage in Matthew.
It is truly incredible to me how many Christians do not understand the sacred duty of self-defense. Obviously, this is because America's pastors are not teaching the principles of Natural Law as found in the scriptures.
I realize that there are many pastors and Christians who try to impugn the necessity of owning a firearm. These people are famous for saying things such as "God will take care of you; no one needs a gun." Of course, these same people always condone police officers carrying guns and shooting people in self-defense – and if these pastors and Christians were in trouble, they would not hesitate to call a gun-toting policeman to come to their assistance (if they had time, of course). I never understood why it is that Christians who are not policemen are supposed to "trust God" to take care of them and, therefore, remain unarmed, but Christian police officers are somehow exempt from this same spiritual notion.
Beyond that, many pastors teach that Christians are obligated to obey civil authorities who demand that we surrender our firearms. They even quote Romans 13* and other scriptures in a lame attempt to prove this ludicrous assertion.
For these reasons, my attorney son and I collaborated on a book that takes the scriptures (Old and New Testaments – including the passages in Genesis 14, Esther 8, Matthew 26, and Revelation 13 referenced above) to prove that self-defense is not just a right under our Constitution, but it is a moral obligation given us by our Creator. In the book, we show that Christians who are unwilling to defend themselves and their families have actually denied the Christian faith. We show that the Bible nowhere teaches God's people to remain defenseless or to surrender their means of self-defense to ANY civil authority.
In the book, we look at the scriptures that the "no gun" preachers use to support their "no one needs a gun" lunacy and show how unbiblical these positions are. We go through both testaments and show that our Creator has given us the obligation to defend the life He has given us. We also put to rest many of the distortions of Scripture that anti-gun preachers use to turn Christian men and women – who are created to be providers and protectors – into sheepish slaves of the state.
Yes, keeping and bearing arms is a spiritual duty. Defending oneself or family is as "spiritual" as praying or reading the Bible or any other "spiritual" exercise.
The title of our book is "To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns." To order the book, go here:
To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns
It is not only important to be armed; it is even more important to understand the moral and spiritual underpinnings of WHY we should be armed. And that is exactly what our book attempts to do.
Other articles contained in the Bill of Rights also have scriptural basis. For example, the Fourth Amendment is found in Deuteronomy 24:10, 11. The Eighth Amendment originates in Deuteronomy 15:2, 3. Again, these principles are "self-evident" truths which come from "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." Even the pattern for America's constitutional form of government consisting of three distinct branches – legislative, executive, and judicial – is seen in Isaiah 33:22. America's founders held a healthy distrust of monarchies, and for very good reason. Sinful man can only be trusted with limited power and authority. Only the LORD can be trusted with kingship over our lives, as Isaiah notes in the above reference. Accordingly, our country's founders wisely separated the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government in our U.S. Constitution.
The signers of our Declaration of Independence could have never imagined that individual states and municipalities would deny their citizens the right to carry arms. They could have never dreamed that states would deny their citizens the right to be free from warrantless searches – a right that is violated every day throughout this country. They could have never imagined that the time would come when their posterity would be denied the basic freedoms to publicly express their reverence for God. Never could they have imagined that the day would come when citizens of the several sovereign states (each with a State constitution protecting religious liberty) would be denied their right to pray in school, place Nativity scenes on public property, or hang copies of the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls.
I am also confident that America's founders would be completely repulsed by the way the United States has jumped headlong into corporatism, socialism, and globalism. At the national level, Democrats and Republicans alike have created a central government so large that it would be unrecognizable to any founding father – even Alexander Hamilton or John Adams. Big Business sucks feverishly at the teat of Big Government; the major media has become little more than a propaganda ministry of Big Government; corporate 501c3 churches view Big Government as a god to be worshipped; and America (including and especially Christians and churches) seems to be drunk on the perpetual wars and entangling alliances of Big Government. Surely, our Founding Fathers must be turning over in their graves.
Therefore, at this Christmas season, let us recommit ourselves to our nation's founding principles. Furthermore, let us renew with vigor the fight for freedom before our liberties and heritage disappear altogether.
Yes, John Quincy Adams was right. The birth of Christ and the birth of America are indissolubly linked.
*My attorney son and I also wrote and published a book entitled "Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission." This book expounds with sound interpretation and reasoning the priority of God's commandments relative to citizens' submission to government. There is hardly a statement made in this book that does not have a direct reference to the scriptures and illustrative commentary.
This book is one of the strongest defenses of lawful submission – and one of the strongest attacks against the ubiquitous "obey-the-government-no-matter-what" claptrap being taught in most U.S. churches. In short, this book is one of the best friends that liberty has right now.
To order our book "Romans 13: The True Meaning Of Submission," go here:
Romans 13: The True Meaning Of Submission
And again, to order our book "To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns," go here:
To Keep Or Not To Keep: Why Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns
© Chuck Baldwin
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
