In this article, I continue to address some of the Constitution’s more serious “camels”—which Christians should be choking on instead of swallowing:
The Preamble’s Humanism
Francis Shaeffer described humanism as “the placing of Man at the center of all things and making him the measure of all things”1:
The Preamble is arguably the most brazen human claim to sovereignty ever written. If you stop and think about its presumptuous claims, you will see that this new constitution is humanism of the rankest sort….
“…[the Chaldeans’] judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. …imputing this his power unto his god.” (Habakkuk 1:7, 11)
The New American Standard Bible renders verse 7 more accurately: “their justice and authority originate with themselves.” The Preamble declares that “WE THE PEOPLE,” for various reasons, do “ordain and establish this constitution….”….2
The framers nowhere attributed Yahweh3 as the source of anything specific in the Constitution. He’s not even acknowledged, except perhaps as the paper’s timekeeper. Horace Greeley correctly stated, “Almighty God is not the source of authority and power in our government; the people of The United States are.”4
In one of his many arguments on behalf of the Constitution, [James] Madison revealed where ultimate power resides in a Constitutional Republic:
“As the people are the only legitimate fountain of power … it is from them that the constitutional charter under which the [power of the] several branches of government … is derived.” (James Madison, The Federalist, No. 46 (New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1888) p. 217.)
Alexander Hamilton stated it similarly:
“The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought to flow immediately from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority.” (Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, No. 22 (New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1888) p. 135.)
This emphasis on the people by both the federalists and anti-federalists alike is evidence that they had lost sight of Yahweh and His ultimate authority. Such an emphasis on the people cannot be found anywhere in the Bible….
John Adams confessed to the same humanism regarding the States’ Constitutions:
“It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service [the establishment of the States’ Constitutions] had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the inspiration of Heaven … it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses…. Thirteen governments [of the original states] thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone….” (John Adams, The Works of John Adams, 10 vols. (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company, 1865) vol. 4, pp. 292-93.)5
According to Habakkuk, the Chaldeans’ justice originated with themselves. So does the justice of WE THE PEOPLE: “WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice….”
What an audacious assertion. Only Yahweh is just, and only He can establish justice:
“Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy [Yahweh’s] throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.” (Psalm 89:14)….5
The “justice” the framers wrote about in the Preamble was not the justice that originates with Yahweh but rather with themselves. Otherwise, they would have followed the example of America’s true Christian founding fathers in the 1600s and cited, or at least mentioned, the laws of Yahweh upon which their justice was based.
Anytime autonomous man attempts to establish justice outside Yahweh’s moral laws, the result is always injustice. In Isaiah 5:20, this transposition is depicted as calling good evil and evil good. The word “autonomous” comes from two Greek words: auto meaning self and nomos meaning law. The word, which literally means “self-law,” is just another way of describing humanism and, in this instance, constitutionalism….
Justice is defined as “the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness.” (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, s.v. “justice,” p. 720.) This is a perfect description of Yahweh and His law, particularly from the perspective found in Isaiah 33:22 and James 4:12 that there is only one lawgiver and judge. All law, righteousness, equity, morality, truthfulness, and justice originate with and emanate from Him. None of this exists outside Yahweh and His law, and it all existed long before 1787. Because the Constitution did not uphold Yahweh’s lawfulness, righteousness, and justice, it established lawlessness, unrighteousness, and injustice. Christian Constitutionalists recognize this in regard to any other false god. Their unwillingness to apply the same criterion to WE THE PEOPLE is evidence that WE THE PEOPLE is indeed a god to them.5
The Ephesians in Acts 19 cried out for two hours, “Great is Diana of Ephesians!” Idols are never surrendered easily. Proponents of the Constitution are especially tenacious. Most Americans have been crying out for over two centuries, “Great is the Constitution of the United States!”
“Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne [and compounded] their iniquities.” (Lamentations 5:7)
If we hope to pass on to our posterity a Christian legacy and the means for them to one day rule over their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:13, Matthew 5:13, 1 Corinthians 6:2-4, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, etc.), we must first repent of our American fathers’ idol and its inherent humanism.
Stay tuned for Part 3.
Related posts:
The Preamble: WE THE PEOPLE vs. YAHWEH
Petition for Forgiveness Signature Pledge
1. Francis Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto (1981), in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, 5 vols. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1982) vol. 5, p. 426.
2. Chapter 3 “The Preamble: WE THE PEOPLE vs. YAHWEH” of Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective.
3. YHWH, the English transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, is most often pronounced Yahweh. It is the principal Hebrew name of the God of the Bible and was inspired to appear nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament. In obedience to the Third Commandment and in honor of His memorial name (Exodus 3:15), and the multitudes of Scriptures that charge us to proclaim, swear by, praise, extol, call upon, bless, glorify, and hold fast to His name, I have chosen to use His name throughout this blog. For a more thorough explanation concerning important reasons for using the sacred name of God, see “The Third Commandment.”
4. Horace Greeley, quoted in Robert Michael, A Concise History of American Antisemitism (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005) p. 87.
5. Chapter 3 “The Preamble: WE THE PEOPLE vs. YAHWEH” of Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective.
agree with you on all points about the federal constitution…….
however, Almighty God is acknowledged the Commonwealth of Kentucky constitution…..
We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
is the reference to “Almighty God’ in the Kentucky constitution from Genesis 17:1? ….. I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.(King James Version)
Gen 17:1 And it came to be when Abram was ninety-nine years old, that יהוה (YAHWEH) appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Ěl Shaddai – walk before Me and be perfect.
El Shaddai 1) almighty, most powerful
a) Shaddai, the Almighty (of God)
Mark, good for State of Kentucky, at least in as far it went. However, until they reinstate Yahweh’s moral laws as the basis of government, this is mere lip service, akin to Paul wrote Timothy:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
‘they’ never do anything until they are shown and directed what to do. i have shown my extensive research on the Ten Commandments in the u.s. supreme court to many politicians and they consistently ask me the same question. ‘what do you want me to do’?
this resolution has been written to be presented to city councils, county courthouse officials, and state reps/senators across the state of kentucky:
Whereas, the Ten Commandments are the moral foundation of law in the State of Kentucky, in the United States of America, and throughout much of the world; and
Whereas, our people need to know the source and foundation of law in order to understand, appreciate, and obey our laws; and
Whereas, M.W. Cunningham has prepared and published a visual display titled “The Ten Commandments in the Supreme Court” which illustrates and explains the Ten Commandments as they are displayed in the building of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.;
Therefore Be It Resolved, that ___________________________________ directs that the display titled “The Ten Commandments in the Supreme Court” be displayed in the _________________________________________ and urges people to view and study this display and the principles it inculcates.
any comments?
I can’t imagine this renegade, apostate, tyrannical government would ever consider such an idea.
Worth a shot, Mark. Go for it. Hard rocks are not broken except by repeated hammer blows. Consider your resolution one of those blows. Blessings of God be with you.
Agreed! If for no other reason than for them to know to Whom they are accountable.
Almost every state constitution begins by resting its authority on God’s law, in one way or another. The larger problem is with the people and who they elect. Voters who are less ten fully committed to Christ will elect weak and godless men to rule over them. The words of the founding documents then become so much waste paper blowing away in the wind. We need good documents but better yet to be ruled by righteous men.
How about a document that requires–and defines–righteous men to be nominated and then presented to Yahweh for the final choice to be made?
OK – But then how will we know which men Yahweh chooses?
Deuteronomy 17:15, 1 Samuel 10:20-24, and Acts 1:23-26, specifically the terms “whom Yahweh thy God shall choose,” “whom Yahweh hath chosen,” and “thou hast chosen,” and the means it was accomplished.
Then consider Proverbs 16:33 and 18:18.
Excellent post, Ted. You’ve given me some good quotes to pull out of the bag when I need them.
Mother’s Day, May 12, Ariel Sharon has died. Watch what happens to Old Jerusalem and Israel now…Hagar may now be cast out…http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/daily-weblogs/2013/05-2013/ariel-signs/
Ted I see the truth in your posts, but my question is what does this look like and how do we establish such a Godly government with sinfull man involved?
David, I’m pleased you’ve joined the conversation. You’ve posed a difficult answer to answer. However, let me do my best. What follows is from a similar questions from an earlier post. First Roger Mitchell’s questions. His questions concern Biblical appointments versus constitutional elections:
How is this going to be applied in modern-day America? We have no apostles. There is no “prophet-leader” like Moses or Samuel. Who is going to do the “appointing” to decide who the lots will be cast in favor of or against? Are these appointed ones themselves going to chosen by multiple, myriad lots cast, starting from a vast pool of candidates?….
And now my answer:
Roger, thank you for the great questions. Let me begin by saying that I think your opening question should not be “How is this going to be applied in modern-day America?” but instead “How is this going to be applied in post-judgment and decentralized America?” Until Yahweh judges this nation for her apostasy, there is no applying any of this and very little of Yahweh’s other moral laws, except on an individual basis.
Christians have got to stop staring off into heaven looking to be saved out the mess we’ve created here on earth, when instead we’re supposed to have been the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). We also must realize that we’re in this battle for the long haul and that what we’re doing today toward better establishing–that is, seeking Yahweh’s kingdom and righteousness here on earth as it is in heaven–is for probably two or three generations of our posterity down the road. With this in mind, exactly how it will look then is difficult, if not impossible, to predict.
When finally a generation returns to Yahweh, establishing HIS law as the supreme law of the land, who appoints what will mostly be judges (no presidents or legislators) is the easy part. Provided we’re talking about Biblically qualified men (whether lots are required or not), who cares who does the actual appointments? However, obviously, it would be someone (probably a spiritual leader) who himself is Biblically qualified and who would anoint the prospective judges with oil and the laying on of hands, witnessed by whatever community (very small and localized) they would be serving. This will likely be accompanied with a sermon to both judges and people alike and their respective responsibilities to Yahweh and to each other.
It is also my opinion that along with Yahweh’s judgment (what I believe will be multifaceted and extremely severe) on this nation, which will eliminate much of America’s population, that secession of much smaller land areas will be part and parcel of establishing Yahweh’s law over any given geographical area. Now, that’s how I envision it occurring at some point in the future. That said, I’m no prophet and Yahweh may have a completely different plan in mind. The only thing I know, regardless Yahweh’s implementation plan, THIS generation of
Christians need to be doing whatever they can to hopefully make it possible for a future remnant of our posterity to finally do it right(eous) the next time around.
We’re (hopefully) at the VERY BEGINNING of what is the most exciting paradigm shift in America’s history, except perhaps what took place in early 1600 America when they established governments of, by, and for Yahweh instead of, by, and for the people. How exciting to be living when we do in the service of the KING of kings!
David, I hope that helped.