HUMAN SINFULNESS AND THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS

We have seen the governmental system instituted by America's founders at work in the impeachment process. We have also seen on display their reason for instituting this kind of system--human sinfulness.

The Founders believed that human nature has been corrupted by sin and in this “fallen” state cannot be trusted with power. That is why they divided the powers of government between a Senate and House and between the Judicial and Executive branches.

We saw this division of power clearly at work this past week. During the first part of the impeachment process, when the Democrat controlled House was in charge, it seemed that the opponents of the president were having their way and the supporters of impeachment were elated.

However, the process eventually shifted from the Democrat controlled House to the Republican controlled Senate. After just two hours of testimony from the president’s lawyers, some Democrat senators are reportedly considering voting for dismissal of the impeachment charges against the president.

The Founders’ Mistrust of Human Nature

The Founders divided the powers of government and put in place checks and balances to keep ultimate power out of the hands of any one person or group. They did this because they held a Biblical view of the human condition as being flawed by sin. In short, they did not trust sinful human beings with power.

The Founders held the traditional Christian belief that humanity was created a noble creature in the image and likeness of God, but that this image became, not erased, but marred as a result of the Fall and sin (Genesis 1-3). Salvation through Jesus Christ restores this image, but this restoration is a process that is not completed in this world.

Humanity—even Christian humanity—in this flawed condition cannot be trusted with power. They would agree with Sir John Acton, who said, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Their belief in mankind’s proneness to sin is expressed both implicitly and explicitly. It is expressed implicitly in how they formulated the Constitution and how they structured the government. It is expressed explicitly in prayer proclamations they formulated and prayer journals they kept. Below is a sampling of their own words in this matter.

In Their Own Words

During a difficult time in the War for Independence, the Continental Congress proclaimed December 11, 1776, as a Day of Fasting and Repentance. The proclamation recognizes the reality of human sinfulness and the need for Divine forgiveness. It reads in part,

RESOLVED, That it be recommended to all the United States, as soon as possible, to appoint a day of solemn fasting and humiliation; to implore of Almighty God the forgiveness of the many sins prevailing among all ranks, and to beg the assistance of his Providence in the prosecution of the present just and necessary war (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that DefinedAmerica, 116-17).

John Hancock (1737-1793), President of the Second Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, proclaimed a Day of Prayer while serving as governor of Massachusetts in 1793. He too acknowledges the reality of sin and the need for Divine forgiveness. He calls on the populace,

That with true contrition of heart we may confess our sins, resolve to forsake them, and implore the Divine forgiveness through the merits and mediation of JESUS CHRIST our Savior . . . and finally, to overrule all the commotion in the world, to the spreading of the true religion of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, in its purity and power, among all the people of the earth (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that DefinedAmerica, 173).

A prayer journal that George Washington kept while in his twenties contains the following prayer.

Direct my thoughts, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit . . . daily frame me more and more in the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 132).

Samuel Adams (1722–1803), signer of the Declaration of Independence and known as the Father of the American Revolution, declared February 28, 1795 as a Day of Fasting and Prayer while serving as governor of Massachusetts. The words of that Proclamation reveal the profound depth of faith in America’s founding generation and their recognition of the need for Divine forgiveness. It reads in part,

Calling upon the Ministers of the Gospel, of every Denomination, with their respective Congregations, to assemble on that Day, and devoutly implore the Divine forgiveness of our Sins, To pray that the Light of the Gospel, and the rights of Conscience, may be continued to the people of United America; and that his Holy Word may be improved by them, so that the name of God may be exalted, and their own Liberty and Happiness secured (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 104).

They Abolished Aristocracy and Honorific Titles

Whereas modern liberalism claims that human nature is essentially good and that people only need a change of environment and circumstances to perfect their behavior, the Founders held no such utopian view of the human condition. Their mistrust of human nature to handle power is also expressed Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution where they abolished aristocracy and honorific titles in the American system. They wrote,

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

We can be thankful for the vision and insight of the Founders. Their insights into human nature and mankind’s inability to handle power, led them to give us the longest lasting Constitutional government in human history. This government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people, has protected America from dictatorships, oligarchies, and monarchies.

By keeping power out of the hands of a few, the system of government they formed is protecting America through the present impeachment proceedings.

A Lesson for the Church from America’s Founders

The modern church should take a lesson from the Founders. Wherever we see a centralizing of governmental ecclesial power, accompanied by a love of honorific titles, we should be concerned. We should remember the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 23:8-12 where He warned His disciples about pursuits of power characterized by the adoption of such titles. He exhorted,

But you, do not be called “Rabbi”; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, 1726, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. He is also the founder of the "1726 Project" whose goal is to spread the message of America's birth out of the First Great Awakening and call on believers everywhere to pray for another Great Awakening across the land.