America has seen many changes over the last 250 years. Through the tumultuous storms of war and the shifting sands of culture, our country has navigated countless trying times. While our current struggles suggest that America has lost its way, the foundational values embedded into the fabric of this nation stand the test of time.
The Founding Fathers dreamed of a place where all people could live in true freedom. This could be possible only in a country built upon Biblical values.
Billy Graham once said, “America has probably been the most successful experiment in history. The American Dream was a glorious attempt. It was built on a religious foundation. Its earliest concepts came from Holy Scripture.”
The value of human life is one of the core pillars of our nation. Written into the Declaration of Independence is the concept that all people have inherent worth because they are created by God.
The Bible says that “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
While most Americans agree that a nation’s laws should protect human rights, we must return to the understanding of a person’s value based on God’s Word. If our society truly desires to provide for and guard its people, we must repent and turn back to God’s ways.
Billy Graham said, “Since Jesus Christ walked the Earth, the thinking of the world concerning social matters has changed radically. Because of Him, the world has witnessed a new reverence for human life and learned something of the dignity and worth of man.”
And yet today our nation is largely ignoring the truth He revealed. The escalating support for abortion, assisted suicide, and gender transition reveals an increasing shift away from traditional Biblical values—and its emphasis on the worth of each and every life. Our culture exalts tolerance as a supreme virtue, but it fails to grasp the deeper meaning.
Franklin Graham explains, “Being tolerant [means] accepting the fact that every person is created in the image of Almighty God and that we each have a soul that will live for eternity.”
A society that does not value human life is on a slippery slope toward destruction.
What’s the answer? America can be healed only by returning to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A return to our roots starts with personal revival. Although humans have inherent worth, we are sinners in need of a Savior.
“As a nation, our sins are so great. We have increasingly turned our backs on God and His commands, embracing godless secularism. We need to ask His forgiveness and seek His face,” said Franklin Graham.
There is hope and healing available to all who repent.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
As we continue to celebrate 250 years of freedom, may we embrace our Founding Fathers’ dream to build a country where every person is valued equally as a reflection of God’s image.
