The 3 Branches of American Government –
Their Origin and Purpose
DRAFT
Robert J. Allen
Starkville Tea Party
2/26/11
You wouldn’t know this if you get all your “information” from the public schools, state colleges, and liberal media, but the Constitution of the United States of America is a thoroughly Christian political document. *1 Nearly every major portion at least of our Constitution is directly, or indirectly, derived from, and based upon, a specific Christian teaching, or at least is consistent with Scripture. Many of these teachings are DISTINCTLY Christian teachings – in the sense that no other religion on Earth teaches them. In these cases the other religions teach something else – even the direct opposite of – what the Bible teaches on that specific matter.
This is especially true when we consider the 3 branches of American Government. There are several Christian teachings that relate to the 3 Branches of American Government, but the one that perhaps led the most directly to them is the teaching that man is a sinner.*2
*2
Gen. 8:21 “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”
Jer. 17:9 “9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Mk. 7:
20: And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21: For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22: Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Rom. 3:
4: God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
5: But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6: God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
7: For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
8: And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
9: What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
10: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12: They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13: Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15: Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16: Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17: And the way of peace have they not known:
18: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”
1 Jn 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”
The other religions or philosophies of the world, and the governments based on them, outright STATE, or silently presume, that man is NOT a sinner, but is basically good, or at least is perfectable by law, education, and/or self-will. This belief that man is basically good is a basic belief of communism, of the Secularized nations in Europe, and of the religious states of Islam. It is an incredible contradiction that these governments – especially the communist and Islamic ones – would be based on this high view of man, when every one of these governments are unusually oppressive to their citizens. For all their professed belief that man is basically good, all the supposedly basically-good men that are leaders of these governments are murderous and oppressive tyrants ruling over police states that all deny, and refuse to secure, the God-given rights of their supposedly basically good hedonistic, pagan citizens.
But, in THIS nation, every one of our Christian, or Christian-oriented, founding fathers understood and accepted the truth of the sinfulness of man.
They also accepted the summary statement by the Englishman Lord Acton who famously stated that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
And BECAUSE our founders acknowledged the sinfulness of man, they were not men who were going to put a lot of trust in men – even in themselves. So, when these founders got together to write our Constitution and form the new government, they had a problem… they realized that men cannot be trusted, but that men were also all they had to work with in staffing the new government. They solved this dilemma by designing a government that entrusted as little governmental power as possible to any one man in government, that distributed governmental power and authority as widely as possible, and that put power holders in a sort of antagonism with each other so that one power-holding official in one part of government would “check and balance” the power held by another official in another part of government. In this way, our founders hoped to minimize the damage any one corrupt man who managed to get into the system would be able to do.
Here too, they got the idea, and example of, distributing the power of government to many officials also primarily from the Bible.*
* These men realized that the purpose of civil government, according to the Bible, is to be God’s servant to restrain evil, to punish evildoers, and to reward good (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14)… that government is to allow the individual to govern himself, in a climate of freedom and liberty as expressed in Leviticus 25:10, which informs us, :”Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” and in II Corinthians 3:17 which reveals to us that, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Our founders knew from many verses, but particularly from Isa. 33:22 (which says, “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.) that, to be effective, governments need to do, and have, 3 specific things:
1. They need to have one or more judge(s) to settle disputes between parties
2. They need to have rules, or set laws. And
3. They need to have one or more law enforcer(s)
Our founders followed the example of, or model in, Isaiah 33:22 and designed 3 separate Branches into our Federal Government:
1. The Legislative Branch (Article I) which is charged with writing, or giving, new law. This was intended to be the strongest Branch of government.
2. The Executive Branch (Article II) which is charged with enforcing the law. This was intended to be the next strongest Branch of government. And
3. The Judicial Branch (Article III) which is charged with settling, or judging between, disputes over the law when different parties claim a conflict exists between them concerning the application of the law. This was intended to be the weakest Branch of government.
This “checks and balances” and separation of powers into these 3 Branches of Federal government, was only a part of the separation designed into our government to protect us from the perversion of our government that sinful men that get into our government would be prone to do against us.
Our Founding Fathers understood that local and state government was more important than federal government. So they designed our Constitution to specifically limit the powers of the Federal government – they limited the Federal government by giving it only 17 powers. All other rights and powers that our Creator endowed to men – many more than 17 – are reserved to the states and to the individual.
And so we see further separation of powers and additional checks and balances prescribed – especially in the Bill of Rights – in the:
Separation between Federal powers and States rights, in the
Separation between Federal powers and individual rights, and in the
Separation between State rights and individual rights.
Now, when the sinful men that we all are happen to be saved sinners, we have new creatures* introduced into the mix…creatures that have a new heart and a new and different motivation for the way we live. Therefore, when saved sinners are the ones who occupy offices in our government, the tendency to abuse the power and authority of their office is – not eliminated – but at least greatly reduced. And saved sinners WERE the great majority of our first office-holders and on into our first hundred or more years. And with these saved sinners in government, our system of separation of powers and checks and balances worked pretty well. But, after a while Christians, for the most part, backed out of government and allowed the offices of our nation, state, and local governments to be mostly filled by non-Christians who began abusing the power of their offices — just as we were warned they would do – all to the great harm of our nation.
* II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Now we have been recently and increasingly witnessing – especially in the actions of the current administration (whose fruit makes them known*3 to me at least, that they are NOT Christians, but corrupt Pagan anti-Christian Secularists – regardless of what words they SAY about themselves being Christians*4 ) officers in each of these Branches abusing the powers and authority of their offices. In doing so, they are increasingly corrupting our government. It is the duty of the officers within a corrupted Branch, and of the other Branches, to check and balance this abuse. But, as we have seen – many times in just the last 2 years – the officers in the different Branches are failing to do their duty. Many of us are persuaded that these officers are failing to do their duty because they are actual accomplices and parties to the corruption being perpetrated by these other officers in one or both of the other Branches.
This then brings us to a very important insightful quote by John Adams. In this quote Adams warned us,
“We have no government armed in power capable of contending in human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
To restate, expand upon, and explain what Adams said:
“We in America have no government with strong enough laws, enough police, enough prisons… that is capable of controlling and overcoming the uncontrolled… lusts, sins, and criminal intents of people who are not self-controlled by the strong and proper sense of what is right and wrong taught by Christianity. Our Constitution was made only for a Christian people, who will exercise self-control and will not have to have their every action and behavior defined by more and more specific laws and who will have to be watched over, spied upon, and dictated to, to make sure they do right. Our government is wholly inadequate for the government of any people who hold to any other religion.”
Isn’t the inadequacy of our government to control the corrupting effect of non-Christians what we are seeing done in our nation, and to our Constitution, today? Are we not seeing all about us how true Adams’ warning was, and is? At all levels of government, in nearly all places, we see non-Christian, and even anti-Christian, officials and common citizens demanding rights and behaviors that a Christian, in self-control, does not do, would not do, and certainly would not demand that he has a “right” to do. These false “rights” and behaviors the non-Christian officials and common citizens are demanding today (abortion, sodomy, profanity, theft-by-welfare, blasphemy… ) have until recently been recognized to NOT be legal rights at all, but to be “criminal” behavior. But non-Christians – especially militant anti-Christians – who do not have the internal moral guidance and self-control mechanism that Christians have, are not only DOING such formerly illegal things, but are insisting upon MAKING THEIR BEHAVIOR LEGAL, and even common practice in the nation in general.* They are insisting in having these CRIMINAL BEHAVIORS officially declared, and defined, to be just as much “rights” as are the freedoms of religion, speech, assembly, and others that have always been recognized as genuine rights. And in many ways, these Secularists have gotten their way — which is why our nation is having such trouble socially and culturally. And in the process, these non-Christians are destroying our Constitution and our nation with it. These people have corrupted and perverted our government to the point that our protective layer of separation of powers and of checks and balances are no longer effective. These protective items that were designed to protect us and our Constitution have now actually been turned against us. And, but for the grace and mercy of God, this breach in our Constitutional “security system” may succeed in destroying us.
* Romans 1:
18: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19: Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23: And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24: Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26: For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28: And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30: Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31: Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Notes and References
* 1 Our Constitution is a Christian Political Document
“We have no government armed in power capable of contending in human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
John Adams
Explained version:
“We have no government armed in power (equipped with strong enough laws, enough police, enough prisons…) capable of contending in (controlling, overcoming) human passions (lust, sin, criminal intents…) unbridled (unguided, uncontrolled…) by morality (a strong and proper sense of what is right and wrong) and religion (Christianity). Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious (Christian) people (who will exercise self-control and will not have to have their every action and behavior put into laws and who will have to be watched over, spied upon, and dictated to, to make sure they do right. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other (people who hold to any other religion).”
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
President John Quincy Adams
“Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind…It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are empathically Christian…This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation…We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth…These , and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterance that this is a Christian nation.”
Supreme Court, The Church of the Holy Trinity vs. United States, 1892
“Religion” at this time was understood, in the American context, and by these and other quotes and documents, to mean – and to mean only – “Christianity”.
We are seeing all about us how true this statement is. All about us we see people demanding rights and behaviors that a Christian, in self-control, does not do, would not do, and certainly would not demand the right to do. These false “rights” and behaviors (abortion, sodomy, profanity, theft by ,welfare, blasphemy, have until recently been defined legally as not rights at all but as “criminal” behavior. But non-Christians – especially militant non-Christians – do not have such an internal self-guidance mechanism as Christians do. These non-Christians not only do such formally illegal things, but insist upon making their behavior legal and even common practice in the nation in general. And in many ways, they have gotten their way, which is why our nation is having such trouble socially and culturally.
*2 America’s Declaration of Independence states, “All men are created equal.”
The concept of universal human rights and equality comes exclusively from the biblical ideas that all people are created in the image of God and from Jesus’ sacrificial death for all.
All men are created equal
Declaration
Gen. 1:26,
Acts 10:34,
17:26,
Gal. 3:28,
1 Pet. 2:17
This concept was unknown in history outside of biblically-based cultures.
Importance of governing self and family as first level of governance
First, Second, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments
Mat. 18:15-18, Gal. 5:16-26, 1 Cor. 6:1-11, 1 Tim. 3:1-5, Tit. 2:1-8
*3 Matthew 7:
15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18: A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19: Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
*4 James 2:
18: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20: But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22: Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24: Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25: Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26: For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.