(Note: The use of the term “man” or “men” in this article is inclusive of both men and women)
After delivering the U.S. Constitution to the American people on September 17, 1787, two of the framers, John Adams and James Madison, taught the American people clearly that the government they just fashioned would only work with a moral and religious people. John Adams, our first Vice-President, and our second President, observed,
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”2
James Madison, our fourth president and some say “the Father of the Constitution”, wrote,
“… Our Constitution requires sufficient virtue among men for self-government, otherwise, nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring one another.”2
Before laying out this framework for the new American government, our founders spent time intently studying other governments in power at that time and from history. They debated the roots of failure for other nation states and identified what America must avoid to succeed. Amid the many different philosophies incorporated into America’s founding documents to ensure success was one obligatory and binding key element. That indispensable element was and still is the “self-governed” man.
Merriam-Webster defines “self-governed” as:
“Not influenced or controlled by others; exercising self-control”1
Our founders visualized America to be a republic different from any other government established in history. They dismissed the idea of a king ruling over the people and created a nation where the people ruled themselves. They were to be a self-governed citizenry. Along with the newly expanded rights and responsibilities for that citizenry, written into the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, came the expectation that the nation would flood with self-governed residents who understood, accepted, and practiced self-control. They framers were certain that if the people were self-governed, the nation would be self-governed.
True historical accounts tell us that over 75% of our Forefathers were men who trusted Christ as Lord and Savior and 95% of them, including those who were not Christians, believed Scripture to be absolute truth and should be taught and followed. God’s word strongly influenced their thoughts and decisions. They accepted the biblical premise of humanity’s imperfect nature. They had experienced the tyranny of King George III and believed that men do not need an earthly king standing between them and God. They believed man should govern himself and answer directly to God. They acknowledged that the Bible taught God created government and gave man the authority and guidance through Scripture to administer that government. The catch; however, was and still is the depraved condition of man’s heart. Left alone, the heart of man cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9). God, therefore, established a remedy providing a way for man to have self-control through the power of His heart-changing plan of salvation offered through His Son Jesus. With God, all things are possible including a self-governed man.
Throughout 5800 years of recorded history, governments, including democracies and republics, have risen and collapsed. In fact, the Hebrew republic instituted by God Himself passed away over time. The Roman Empire was a republic but it succumbed to tyranny and fell to ruin. Could failure happen to the American republic, the most successful and prosperous nation ever established on the face of the earth? Yes, of course, and if we look at our current situation with impartial eyes, we will see signs that America is indeed crumbling.
What does the Bible say about the self-governed man?
Well, actually a lot. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament contain multiple verses pertaining to personal self-government. Self-mastery is one way the Bible defines self-government and the term used most often for this in the NKJ translation is “soberly”. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:3:
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”3
Paul’s words communicate the notion of man being serious and sound-minded, discreet and behaving in an orderly manner. In 1st Peter 4:7, the Apostle stated:
“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”4
The writer of Proverbs 25:28 stated:
“A man who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down.”5
Akin to a city whose wall is broken down with no defense against enemy invaders, a man without self-governance lacks restraint over his passions, anger, and lusts. Therefore, he destroys himself by his own actions and emotions. Truly, this is a very sad and ugly outcome.
In opposition to the undisciplined man, the Apostle Paul lauds the person controlled by the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. You will no doubt recognize this as the list of the Fruits of the Spirit finding the ninth fruit listed to be “self-control”. Paul teaches that personal self-rule or self-control is possible through the influence and power of the Holy Spirit directing a man’s life. Sin does not come out of ignorance. Rather, sin comes from lack of submission to the will of God and results in the inability to exercise self-control. More clearly, we impede the Holy Spirit’s power to nurture self-governance by exerting our own self-will.
What are the characteristics of a self-governed man?
Based on the section written above, we can draw very clear conclusions of what we hope to see in the self-governed man. Jesus is the perfect example of a self-governed man. We are broken, however, and struggle with sin. He did not. Therefore, it is only by the power of the Spirit of God striving with us that we can live as self-governed men and women. Again, I refer to Paul’s teaching on the fruits of the Spirit. The life and person of the self-governed man characteristically exemplifies love for others, joy independent of circumstances, godly peace at all times, patience in life’s challenges, heartfelt kindness to others, goodness extended to those around us for their benefit, faithfulness in all our relationships including our relationship with God, and self-control or self-government. The self-governed man has the inner moral strength to do what is right even when others are not looking. He holds unshakable standards as to what is right and what is wrong. He loves truth and fears God.
Giving a victory sermon on December 11, 1783, which was set aside as a day of Thanksgiving for God’s blessings on America, George Duffield, a Presbyterian preacher in Philadelphia, delivered a lesson based on Micah 6:8. In his message, Duffield set the stage for what is required for America to remain free by describing American’s greatest obligation to our new nation – self-governed citizens. Quoting Duffield:
“It is that we love the Lord our God, to walk in His ways, and keep His commandments, to observe His statutes and His judgments. That a sacred regard be maintained to righteousness and truth. That we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Then shall God delight to dwell amongst us. And these United States shall long remain a great, a glorious, and a happy people. Which may God, of His infinite mercy, grant. Amen.”6
A self-governed man acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God. Micah illustrates a beautiful picture, but one that is impossible to achieve without a change of heart.
How does a man become a self-governed man?
How can a broken, sinful human being become a person who exemplifies or demonstrates the fruit of the spirit? How can a corrupt man from birth become virtuous and meet the elected official qualifications listed in Exodus 18:21:
“…men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain?”
How does a corrupt person set his will aside to follow God’s will? Jesus explained how this all could occur to Nicodemus in John 3:16 when He said:
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”7
Simply put, a person can only become self-governed by receiving, through faith in Jesus, forgiveness of his sins and making a commitment of himself to Jesus as Lord of his life. Acts 4:12 says:
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”8
In this process of faith, repentance, and redemption, God creates a self-governed man through inward change. God changes his heart. He is a new creation now with the ability to submit his will to Jesus Christ. What is impossible for man to do within his own power, Jesus does for him.
What is the correlation between the self-governed man and a self-governing nation?
Because our Forefathers grasped the depravity of humanity and understood the reality of Jeremiah 17:9, they conceded that, without a changed heart, man could not be entrusted with governmental power and authority. Building a new nation on principles found in Scripture, they framed the U.S. Constitution on the foundational pillars of virtue and morality. A self-governing nation such as this was new and untried. In fact, until 1787, the average life span of any nation’s constitution was 17 years. On September 17, 2023, America’s Constitution will turn 236 years old. Ours is a government centered on the free individual and duty-bound to protect the sovereign rights of its citizens. Truly, the establishment of America is part of our Christian heritage.
God gave us something unique but the key to its success is effective individual self-government. Quoting John Adams:
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”9
Adams’ warning applies to every American. If we want to keep the gift of liberty God gave us, the gift millions sacrificed their lives through our national history to retain, we must look to God and seek Him above all else. Robert Winthrop, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative from 1847 – 1849, said:
“… Men in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or a power external to them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or the bayonet. It may do for other countries and other government to talk about the state supporting religion. Here, under our own free institutions, it is religion which must support the state.”10
How do we stop America from following Rome’s pathway to disintegration?
In America, “We the People…” are the government. If America fails, it is because the citizens of America failed to take a moral stand and to promote virtue. The pillars of virtue and morality would have crumbled. And I go a step further to say if America fails, it is because Christians and the Church failed to stand up and say “no” to the corruption that crept into our culture over the past 80 – 100 years. Christians allowed God’s removal from our schools, our legal system, and our government without so much as a whimper. We bought the lie of separation of church and state disseminated by the left. In the 1600 and 1700’s, American pulpits were ablaze with messages addressing the need for Christians to be involved in culture and government. Unfortunately, for most churches, that seems to be something of the past. To believers in Jesus Christ, I say it should never be so.
History records an interesting phenomenon that took place at the end of the Revolutionary War period or shortly thereafter. Around 1783, Evangelical Christianity experienced a major downswing in America and church attendance dropped to an all-time low. French rationalism swept over the college campuses and they became hotbeds for atheism. Pushing back against the tide of the resulting persecution, three students at a small school in Virginia named Hampden-Sydney College started meeting secretly in a woods near the school to pray for America. They risked ridicule and animosity from other students if found out but did not let those threats stop them. The secular intolerance of people of faith seemed as strong then as it is now. Over time, they decided that it was a better witness if they met on campus and started conducting their prayer meetings in one of their dorm rooms. When other students became aware of what these courageous young men were doing, a mob formed at their door nearly beating it down while making threats. The President of the college, Robert Blair Smith, heard of the riot and questioned some of the rioters at the scene. They told President Smith about the praying and singing taking place in that dorm room and their determination to break it up. Mr. Smith’s eyes filled with tears when he comprehended how far the school had fallen in its recognition of God. The courage of the three students, unyielding in service to their Savior, condemned his heart. He turned to the three worshipers and commended them for their bravery in their stand for Christ. President Smith went on to assure them that they could meet openly without interruption in the future.
The following Saturday, to the surprise of those three warriors for Christ, conviction had spread across the entire campus and the meeting room filled with students. A spirit of revival captured the entire student body and that passion lit a flame of revival across the schools and churches in Virginia. This was the beginning of the Second Great Awakening in America and from Virginia the revival swept across the entire nation. It all began with three sincere students who prayed asking God to change American hearts and bring the nation back to Him. In essence, history shows God birthed America between two great spiritual revivals.11 As I appraise our nation’s condition today, I conclude that our nation’s problems are not political. Our problems are of the heart. They are spiritual. There is an absence of a citizenry filled with self-governed people.
Our calling as believers in Jesus Christ is to engage the culture in every area. As the Church, we cannot choose the spheres we want to impact and those we do not. Jesus said in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20):
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”12
I highlighted the word “everything” in verse 20 because Jesus did not limit our responsibilities to a portion of His teachings. He did not say to do only those things with which we are comfortable. He said teach men to observe everything He commanded. Unfortunately, the Church set manmade limits by choosing to separate itself from government and culture oversight. The immoral and debased conditions of America today directly relate to silent Christian voices and the failure of believers to live a biblical worldview before the world.
The bottom line is we cannot expect to be a self-governed nation if we are not a nation of self-governed people. We desperately need another Great Awakening in America. It has to start somewhere and that may be with you and me. Will you join me in seeking repentance and asking for spiritual renewal? Will you pray for God’s Spirit to move across our land to open hearts and eyes to seek and see Jesus? Will you pray for our leaders as instructed to do in 1st Timothy 2:1 – 3? Will you pray that God will bring this nation, our gift from God, our heritage, back to Him? If we will not, who will?
1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-governed
3 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:3&version=NKJV
4 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204:7&version=NKJV
5 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+25%3A28+&version=HCSB
6 George Duffield, “A Sermon Preached on a Day of Thanksgiving” (sermon, Philadelphia, PA, December 11, 1783), https://www.consource.org/document/a-sermon-preached-on-a-day-of-thanksgiving-by-george-duffield-1783-12-11/
7 The Holy Bible, John 3:16, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203:16&version=CSB
8 The Holy Bible, Acts 4:12, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%204:12&version=HCSB
9 https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3102
10 https://quotesgram.com/robert-charles-winthrop-quotes/
11 100 Bible Verses That Made America, Robert J. Morgan, W Publishing Group, 2020, pg. 116-118
12 The Holy Bible, Matthew 28: 19-20, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028%3A19-20&version=HCSB
Excellent column.
Excellent and very well-researched article!!