Living Constitution...or the Bible...

Living constitution is the precept that the interpretation of the laws of the land should evolve as society changes. Proponents believe the original constitution was the starting point and was valid for the generation living at that time, but societal norms have changed and thus the interpretation of that document must keep pace meeting the needs of the current generation.

The idea of a living constitution opens the door for judges with varied political ideologies to interpret the constitution in a way that coincides with their particular ideology. That is a very slippery slope.

Who are the proponents and opponents of living constitution? Examine the basic definitions of liberalism and conservatism and the answer is evident. A major tenet of liberalism offered by Webster and accepted by most is ‘a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the innate goodness of man, and the autonomy of the individual…’ It is noted that the terms ‘progressivism’ and ‘liberalism’ are closely related. Conservatism on the other hand is partially defined as ‘a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions…’ Recall that conservatism is from the Latin conservare which means to save or preserve.

Which political philosophy as defined above more closely relates to scripture? The Bible provides insightful information on the topic.

“For I am the LORD, I do not change…yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you…” Malachi 3:6-7

This passage was written approximately 1,000 years after the law was given. The Israelites, however, were judged according to that original set of ordinances.

“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment…but You are the same…” Psalm 102:25-27

The Old Testament affirms that God and His laws do not change. How about the New Testament?

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines…” Hebrews 13:8-9

‘Various’ in this passage translates from the Greek poikilos meaning many and diverse while ‘strange’ means doctrines foreign to Christian faith, unheard of, causing surprise and wonder.

The Bible clearly reveals that God the Father and Jesus the Son are immutable and do not change. The Father has established the original ordinances and the Son will judge mankind based on those same laws.

“…but now(God) commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-31

Therefore, according to the Bible God raised Jesus from the grave to judge mankind at the appointed time in the future using the ordinances established thousands of years ago as the benchmark. So if that future judgment is based on ordinances set forth thousands of years ago, on what basis can principles of our constitution established just hundreds of years ago and based on Biblical principles be updated? It appears that the only things changing are contemporary societal norms and some contemporary politicians would have us believe the answer is to update our laws to keep pace with such changes.

As stated above liberalism espouses progress which means change. No one will soon forget the battle cry of presidential hopeful Barack Obama in 2008; “change we can believe in”. Election results confirmed that many subscribed to that philosophy but today many of those have severe buyer’s remorse.

The wisest man in the world said:

“…Do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly…” Proverbs 24:21-22

There is another method being used to recognize the change in societal norms. Some contemporary liberal thinkers would allow judges to interpret existing law in accordance with their personal view of what contemporary values actually are. That kind of thinking would undermine the entire judicial system and would totally discard the ‘justice is blind’ concept as well as deliver a death blow to judicial impartiality.

So the argument remains. There are many who espouse the concept of applying justice in accordance with changing societal norms and there are those who remain steadfast on believing that judicial administration should be based on the original constitution which was drafted around Biblical principles. Recall “…He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” where righteousness is absolute based on millennia old Biblical principles.

Living constitution is inconsistent with the Biblical teaching of the immutability of the Godhead and the original definition of righteousness.

There are many professed Christians who espouse liberalism and there are many who espouse conservatism. It is always constructive for the individual Christian to examine their political ideology to see if it aligns with Biblical teachings. The Bible is not silent on such issues.

Once again, this is America and dissenting opinions are allowed and encouraged, at least for the time being.

Are We Writing History or Merely Living it?

As I was watching a program on TV the other evening entitled Earth 2100 I was intrigued by several comments made by the narrator. One of his comments was, “Our future is not yet written.” This comment implied that we as a nation are really the captain of our own fate. He firstly stated that if we take the correct actions now we can write our own future and we can do specific things as avert climate change while sustaining global prosperity indefinitely.

If one subscribes to humanism then the above statement may be accepted as true, however, the Bible portrays a different view of future world events. Thus the question, has history already been written?

Consider the following scripture passages:

“He chose us…before the foundation of the world…” Ephesians 1:4

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him (Anti-Christ), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8

“Then the King (Christ) will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…’” Matthew 25:34

The common phrase in each of the above is ‘from/before the foundation of the world.’ Therefore, according to the Bible, the afterlife destiny of individuals was determined before the world was, the necessary death of Christ was determined before the world was, and the future kingdom for those chosen was also designed before the world was.

In fact the Bible states that all significant events were determined before the foundation of the world.

“Known to God from eternity are all His works.” Acts 15:18

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure…Indeed I have spoken it; I will also being it to pass, I have purposed it; I will also do it.” Isaiah 46:20-11

“I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it…Because I knew that you were obstinate, and your neck was an iron sinew…even from the beginning I have declared it to you; before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you lest you should say, ‘my idol has done them…’” Isaiah 48:3-5

To be more specific God declared He had a master plan for Israel. They were to show the rest of the nations He was God. Israel was a stiff-necked people, however, and took God’s counsel lightly.

“Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory.” Isaiah 46:12-13

God did not mince words when it came to telling Israel how they were attempting to do it ‘their way.’

“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit…Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 7:11-12

One would think we would learn from Israel’s indifference.

“Now all these things happened to them (Israel) as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” I Corinthians 10:11-12

So just what is Israel’s prewritten future?

“…Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land…Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 36:21-28

Therefore, the future of Israel was foreordained before she was even a nation and God has confirmed that He will fulfill His covenant with them.

When God called Abraham to be the father of the nation which would be called Israel, He made a very succinct proclamation accompanying that promise:

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3

In view of the above, why would professing Christian leaders such as the present president and his recent predecessors attempt to establish their legacies around dividing Israel’s land? For those who believe the Bible the history of the future of Israel has already been written. One would think our goal as a nation would be to insure that our foreign policies relative to Israel and her enemies coincide with that history.