“Fight
the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were
called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many
witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12
Two
hundred and forty-one years ago, this nation became a truly American nation;
free from control of the British crown. A
documented was drafted, declaring the New World a nation under its own
authority. We know this document as the
Declaration of Independence. While
modern society debates the religious and moral beliefs that forged the
beginning of this nation, I feel that some of the writers and signers, our “Founding
Fathers” can speak for themselves:
“Suppose
a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book,
and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited!
Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and
industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to
piety, love and reverence toward Almighty God...What a Utopia, what a Paradise
would this region be. The Bible is the
best book in the world.” - John
Adams
“Here
is my creed: I believe in one God,
Creator of the Universe. That He governs
it by His Providence. That He ought to
be worshipped…” - Benjamin
Franklin
“We
all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will
they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses.” - Thomas Jefferson
“God
commands all men everywhere to repent (Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:15). He also commands them to believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and has assured us that all who repent and believe shall be saved
(Acts 3:19) in a way of free grace through the atonement.” - Roger Sherman
“Our
all-gracious Creator, Preserver, and Ruler has been pleased to discover and
enforce His laws by a revelation given to us immediately and directly from Himself. This revelation is contained in the Holy
Scriptures.” -
James Wilson
“The
Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any
other book in the world. By renouncing
the Bible, philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral subjects…It is
the only correct map of the human heart that ever has been published.” - Benjamin Rush
“It
behooves you most seriously to reflect upon your past conduct; to repent of
your evil deeds (Acts 8:22); to be incessant in prayers to the great and
merciful God to forgive your manifold transgressions and sins (1 Kings 8:50);
to teach you to rely upon the merit and passion of a dear Redeemer, and thereby
to avoid those regions of sorrow—those doleful shades where peace and rest can
never dwell, where even hope cannot enter (Ephesians 2:12).” - Thomas McKean
“I
am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my
existence, in full belief of His Providential goodness and His forgiving mercy
revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never
ending happiness in a future state.” -
Robert Treat Paine
“I…[rely]
on the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.” - Samuel Adams
“On
the mercy of my Redeemer I rely on salvation and of His merits, not on the
works I have done in obedience to His precepts (Ephesians 2:8-9).” - Charles Carroll
Thank you, gentlemen, for this example to follow.
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