“Since the creation
of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20)
In the Congress of the United States of
America, on July 4, 1776, all thirteen States adopted a unanimous
Declaration, which began with the following words: “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.”
In Thomas Jefferson's "Rough
Draft" of the Declaration, the original opening words were, "We
hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable," but it
was changed during the writing to be "self-evident."
I like "sacred and undeniable"
because of the obvious reference to the Lord, but I think "self-evident"
is also very interesting, because it teaches us something about life
and about God.
There are some truths in life that are so
obvious that anyone can see them, if we just look. We can’t see
gravity, though the effects of it are everywhere. To deny gravity
is to deny reality and place yourself at risk. Love in its pure
form endures for those who truly love, even when the other person
outwardly changes. Real love sees deeper and loves the person, even
when something like the “aging” process affects outward beauty.
Throughout most of history, all too many have
denied “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”
to those around them. Those in power tend to want the privileges of
life for themselves, but are less likely to allow happiness to
others. This is not unlike all too many loveless marriages, where a
marital partner wants happiness, but for whatever reason, denies it
to their spouse. It is self-evident that the very nature of
marriage is to love one another, at least as much as we love
ourselves.
Among our heroes are Mike and Renée Bondi. You
may know Renée’s story, how God enabled her to survive her paralysis
and become, from a wheelchair, an internationally known singer and
speaker, trusting that the Lord will see her through. You may not
know that she told her fiancé Mike to “go
away” after she became paralyzed, but he did not “go
away” and they eventually married. Mike simply loves Renée.
There are many areas of life that are
self-evident, and one is the existence of the God who loves you and
me. He simply IS! He said very much those words when He appeared
to Moses, who wondered about God's “Name.”
Moses thought he was too old for the job God was giving him, and
blurted excuses, such as, “They (the people of Israel)
may say to me, ‘What is His Name? What shall I say to them?”
(Exodus 3:13). The response of God was, “I
AM WHO I AM… Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’”
(Exodus 3:14). God was telling Moses, as He is telling you and me,
that He is Self-Evident. He is the Eternal One who just IS. You
have to pretend that He does not exist in order to not believe in
Him.
As people, we pretend a lot more than we know.
I think it is amazing that some of the very people who wrote the
words, “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal,” themselves
kept others in bondage through a system so common in history that it
even has a name – “Slavery!” Those who said “all
men are created equal” had “slaves!” Incredible! They
decided to believe the lie that somehow those they enslaved were not
“human.” Blacks were “property,” they said, not people.
Adolph Hitler perpetuated a similar lie, before
and during World War II, when he convinced a nation that somehow
Jews and Slavic peoples were “lesser beings” who could be enslaved
or killed without penalty by those who were then in power.
In the present world, something similar has
occurred in relation to our unborn children. Those in power have
decreed that the unborn are “not human” and therefore they can be
killed. No penalty is ascribed to those who do the killing, or to
those who aid and abet them. The phrase “all
men are created equal,” contains the word “created” - it is
Self-Evident that the unborn are “created” long before they are born
into this world.
If we acknowledge that God is the Creator, it
becomes more difficult to enslave or kill others, and that is why
some do not want to believe in God. Others pretend that He somehow
“agrees” with their Godlessness. God does not agree with them at
all.
To deny God is to deny reality: “Since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power
and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
To deny others the right to become whatever HE has decided for
them, is a denial of reality: “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.” We MUST care for others, no matter
who they are, or we deny the God who Created us all. And to do so
is also to deny ourselves.
Jesus said, “Whoever
therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches
men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven”
(Matthew 5:19). You might wonder, “What commandments?” for everyone
seems to have commandments for everybody else. When He was asked, “Which
is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36), Jesus
answered, “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew
22:38-40). “Your neighbor” includes EVERYONE in this world; whoever
they are. Do you love them?
Do you love God? He exists whether you want Him
to or not, and His Commands that you love both Him and others in
this world, are Self-Evident – Judgment falls on those who do not
obey Him. If you are willing, He will show you the way to obey
those commands. His “Way” is Jesus
Christ (John 14:6).
Lord Jesus, I trust in You now. I see that God
exists and understand that You expect me to – love! Please forgive
me and fill me with Your love. In Jesus Name. Amen.
