Faith | It’s the Fourth of July! Why do we celebrate?
After years of unjust abuses of individual rights and taxation without representation, our courageous founding fathers took a firm stand and declared the American colonies independence from England.
The Declaration of Independence states in part, “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.” Therefore, natural rights are God-given, not originating from government, and are to be protected by government.
Our forefathers who signed the Declaration risked their lives, fortunes, sacred honor, and the well being of their families by trusting that God would bless their endeavors. Many Americans sacrificed their lives to gain our independence so that their posterity could have a better life.
In 1787, the U.S. Constitution was written. It begins with, “ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
All 55 writers of the Constitution, expressed a religious belief in God.
In 1791 the Bill of Rights was added guaranteeing our individual rights to protect us from a tyrannical government. The first of 10 amendments guarantees our most sacred right in having the free exercise of our religious beliefs and the second amendment guarantees our right to bear arms in order to protect those rights.
We have the oldest written constitution still in existence in the world today. With the continued sacrifices of those in our military, it protects our liberty and our freedoms.
Our nation was founded on the belief in an almighty, sovereign, just, and loving God. Governments are meant to protect one’s liberty and freedoms from evil in the world. Thankfully, our nation was established on principles from the Bible with the government to have limited powers, and the people to retain the rest.
As John Adams said, “Our government was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”
James Madison stated, “Religion is the basis and Foundation of government.”
George Washington said “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” In his Farewell Address, he said, “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
Adherence to religion and morality were our founders’ essential foundations for good government, individual rights, and national well-being.
I am very thankful to our founding fathers, and all the people who have served in our military during wars and peacetime to preserve our independence. Many giving the ultimate sacrifice of their lives to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.
Our forefathers gave us freedom from the British. Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect sinless life as the Son of God in the flesh, gave us freedom from the bondage of sin and Satan. He sacrificed himself to be unjustly brutally crucified on a Roman cross to take upon himself the wrath of God as payment for our sins.
God gives us the freedom to choose to trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, so that one day we can live in happiness forever in his heavenly kingdom or spend eternity in hell, separated from him due to our resistance to his offer of forgiveness and salvation.
May we celebrate this Independence Day, being thankful for the sacrifice of so many, and the many God-given blessings we enjoy in our wonderful nation, and hopefully an eternal future in his heavenly kingdom.
