Woodridge Baptist Church, Mobile
The president of the U.S. created quite a stir when he stated that our country is not a Christian nation. At first I was quite disturbed by his statement but upon further reflection I came to some conclusions I hope you will think about.
From a historical perspective the president is wrong. There is no doubt our country was founded by patriots with a strong Christian perspective. Nearly all of the early documents have written into them a firm dependence on God and in particular an understanding that God and Jesus were one and the same. Every president takes the oath of office with his left hand placed on an open Bible and concludes with the statement, “So help me God.” There can be no doubt about the influence Christianity had on the establishment of America.
From a biblical perspective the president is right. Christianity is not a collective faith but a faith that depends on individual choice. Those of us who are Baptists had forefathers who were known as Anabaptists. That name came as a result of reading the New Testament, which affirms baptism as being administered to those who made a conscious commitment of their life to Jesus Christ.
Later on they became known as Baptists. The key in this designation was in the fact that individual choice was more important than baptism.
There is no ancestral faith, no collective faith; there can only be personal faith by an understanding individual.
True Christians are people who at some point in their life were prompted by the Holy Spirit. After that prompting, there was a time when that individual, as an act of their will, yielded their life to Jesus Christ thereby experiencing God’s forgiveness.
The question for you as a reader is not whether or not America is a Christian nation but whether or not you are a Christian. He is there at your heart’s door waiting for you to make the most important choice of your life. It cannot be a collective choice — it is specifically your decision.
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