As a nation we recently celebrated 249 years of freedom from tyrannical rule, religious oppression, and the right to pursue things that few countries allow.
Joseph Ellis, a famous American historian, wrote that our Declaration of Independence contained “the most potent and consequential words in American history.”
How could one document stand the test of time the way that our Declaration has? My theory is that the success of this charter is encapsulated in this unambiguous quotation.
“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.”
“Created By God”
These words make it abundantly clear that our Founding Fathers believed that we have a Creator. That He has granted us certain rights, and those rights cannot be taken away by our governing authorities.
“All Men Are Created Equal”
When our founders penned these words there were still thousands of people that were not being treated as equal because they were slaves. God’s plan for equality has slowly come to fruition in this country as we strive to judge men and women by the content of their character.
“Unalienable Rights”
Life- Deuteronomy 30:19 gives us an idea of what our Founding Fathers used as a template for their thoughts on life.
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live”
Liberty- The Oxford Dictionary explains liberty as, “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.”
Pursuit Of Happiness- By writing in this provision they were opening the opportunity for people to acquire and possess property. Along with this comes safety and protection of things owned and worked for.
“Self-Evident Truths”
These men felt that their was no need for debate or discussion about these things. These truths were obvious to all. Once again, scripture tells of this in Romans chapter 1, verse 20. It says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Thomas Jefferson was said to be the author of the Declaration of Independence, but he received input from John Locke, William Blackstone, George Mason and Ephraim Brevard, who were all devout Christians. So many of our foundational documents were rooted in the truths of God’s Word and grounded in Biblical Principles.
As our country approaches a quarter of a millennium, we must hold tightly to the truths that have made our nation great. May God continue to bless the United States of America!
