Revelation 2
”Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.“ Revelation 2:4 NKJV
It is obvious that most Americans, including many of our leaders, have forgotten that the United States of America was founded on Christian principles by Christian men and women. Whether or not our society wants to admit it, our country was established as, and should remain, a Christian nation. Sadly, the moral decay of American society today reveals that this is not the case. But there is hope, which comes from Jesus and resides in us! It is our God-given duty to change the world around us for the better. Let us be encouraged by learning some of the things that our founding fathers and other notable US leaders have written and said:
“We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.” -Samuel Adams
Thomas Jefferson said, “The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time” (Virginia delegates to Congress, August 1774) and “Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just” (Notes on Virginia, 1782).
“In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. … To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?” (June 28, 1787, Benjamin Franklin, at the Constitutional Convention).
At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, Benjamin Franklin 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. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning…”
John Hancock, on Oct. 5, 1791, declared a day of thanksgiving to God for many blessings, including: “the great and most important Blessing, the Gospel of Jesus Christ: And together with our cordial acknowledgments, I do earnestly recommend, that we may join the penitent confession of our Sins, and implore the further continuance of the Divine Protection, and Blessings of Heaven upon this People … that all may bow to the Scepter of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the whole Earth be filled with his Glory” (emphasis his).
“Let an association be formed to be denominated ‘The Christian Constitutional Society,’ its object to be first: The support of the Christian religion. Second: The support of the Constitution of the United States” (Alexander Hamilton, in a letter to James Bayard, April 16-21,1802).
John Adams wrote: “The general principles, on which the Fathers achieved independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite … And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence” (letter to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813).
“We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” – John Adams
“I consider a decent respect for Christianity among the best recommendations for public service.” – John Adams
George Washington, who is considered the “Father of Our Country,” wrote this in his prayer journal: “Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ.”
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.”
Patrick Henry, who was a leader of the American revolution, wrote this in his will: “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian Religion. If they had that and I had not given them one shilling they would have been rich; and if they had not that and I had given them all the world, they would be poor.”
In addition to the faith of our founding fathers, here are some quotes from former Presidents of the United States:
“All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purest patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship.” – Grover Cleveland
“The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” – Calvin Coolidge
“The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience.” – Herbert Hoover
“American life is builded, and can alone survive upon…[the] fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago.” – Herbert Hoover
“The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because christianity is the only religion that changes the heart.” – Thomas Jefferson
“We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.” – Ronald Reagan
“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“The teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally…impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teachings were removed.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“America was born a Christian nation—America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.” – Woodrow Wilson
In addition to these quotes, Congress regularly called for days of fasting and prayer throughout history. For example, it declared one on May 17, 1776, as a “day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer…[to] confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease His [God’s] righteous displeasure, and through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain His pardon and forgiveness.”
So what can we do to help our nation return to Jesus and His principles? First and foremost, each of us needs to be sure to repent of sin and to return to making God the center of our lives. This will require regular “self-checks” to make sure you stay on the right track and that you have not “forsaken the love you had at first.” Then, we must stay informed of current events, take the time to vote, and encourage other Christians to do the same. We should pray for godly wisdom for our current leaders, as well as praying for more Christian leaders to be elected. “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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). President James A. Garfield, who was also a Christian minister, once said “Now, more than ever before, 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.” President Garfield’s words are amazing and absolutely true. So let us all band together as Christians living in a post-Christian nation and stop tolerating ignorance, recklessness and corruption. We must help return the culture and morality of our nation to its godly and pure origins, so that as a nation we can be a shining example for God’s ultimate glory.