Sun 9:30a Class; 10:30a Worship; 11:35a Communion
Bible Bites
Righteousness Exalts a Nation
I occasionally hear people describe America as a “Christian nation.” They are wrong.
Our country is not a theocracy like Old Testament Israel. Our country’s civil and religious laws are not one and the same. Our country’s civil leaders are not spiritual leaders as well. Sadly. America is not “Christian”.
To say that we are a Christian nation is to say that all, or at least most, Americans are Christians; but this is not true. It is to say that God directly legislates our laws; a quick glance at Washington suggests otherwise. It is to say that Americans live upright, moral, and god-fearing lives; but the evidence suggests otherwise.
Solomon said, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14.34). A quick look at a daily newspaper reveals sin and disgraceful behavior everywhere. Abortion, rape, murder, greed, dishonesty, homosexuality, pre-marital and extra-marital sex, divorce, and bigotry are not characteristic of people ruled by Christ (1 Corinthians 6.9-11). These are characteristic of people who have forgotten God entirely Romans (1.18-32).
I don’t mean to be pessimistic, but the strength and vitality of any nation is proportional to its morality. Contrary to popular political thought, America’s greatest problem is neither her economy nor her national security; her greatest problem is sin. And that is a problem that cannot be solved at the election booths. It is a problem that can only be solved in the heart and life of each individual as he comes to God through Christ. (Romans 5.1-11; 6.15-23)
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. . .” (Psalm 33.12)
