Biblical Citizenship Course Review – Week 5
May 3, 2025
by Lynda Keck
In the first four weeks of this course, we had many great discussions about the foundations of our Constitution, the mindsets of the Founding Fathers, and their intentions for setting up this new and unique democratic republic. In week five, we transitioned to learning more about the intentional efforts of the authors of the Constitution to design limitations within it. It is clear from the voluminous writings left for our posterity by the signors of this great document that they understood the deep importance of a small, limited government. They feared the human tendency to allow governing bodies to grow out of control, seize ever more resources and power and thus abuse individual liberties and rights of the people.
To fully understand the framework of how this limited government would operate, they wrote Article I which has sections specifically laying out the powers of the government. Roughly speaking, it is outlined as follows:
- Sections 1 through 7 set up the basic structure of the federal government (including the structure of the branches, officers, elections and terms of service).
- Section 8 lists the “DO”s for federal government.
- Section 9 lists the “DON’T”s for federal government.
- Section 10 lists the “DON’T”s for state governments.
In short, any powers not specifically given to the federal government are given to the states except the ones listed in Section 10 (which protects individuals from overreach of the states).
One of the major reasons our federal government has grown far beyond the original intent of the Founding Fathers is the widespread misuse of the “general welfare” clause written into Article I, Section 8. This section gives the federal government power to lay and collect taxes to pay for the defense and general welfare of our citizens. Reading the Federalist Papers and the many tomes of historical evidence on the intention of the founding fathers – the “general welfare” phrase was intended to mean paying off the legitimate debts of the nation incurred during times of war and national disaster. It was NOT intended to include the broad interpretations used by the great welfare state springing up under certain administrations nor the special interest groups lobbying Congress today.
Two other clauses in the Constitution are often used to leverage growth and spending – the “necessary and proper” clause and the “commerce clause”. For example, the “regulate commerce” clause was ONLY meant for three powers within the federal government:
- Negotiate with foreign nations
- Settle issues between the states
- Settle issues with Native American tribes
Despite clear limitations, we have spawned such overreaches as OSHA, farm controls, FTC, FDA, DOE, etc. Every aspect of commercial enterprise in our nation is now highly regulated.
In a video about September 17th (Constitution Day in the USA), Barry Loudermilk drove home the point originally made by Hamilton that it is the duty of the people serving in our government to properly discern between general concerns and local concerns. Congress must be limited to concerns of the nation as a whole while the States concern themselves with more localized concerns.
Looking for guidance on how to choose leaders that will do justice to the original intent of our Founding Fathers, we need look no further than the Bible. In Exodus 18:21 we are admonished as follows:
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ~ KJV
Further, guidance in how righteous leaders should be interpreting law is in 2 Corinthians 3:6 –
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. ~NIV
We wrapped up this lesson with encouragement from John Witherspoon (a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States):
“Shall we establish nothing good because we know it cannot be eternal? Shall we live without government because every constitution has its old age and its period? Because we know that we shall die, shall we take no pains to preserve or lengthen our life?
Far from it, Sir: it only requires the more watchful attention to settle government upon the best principles and in the wisest manner that it may last as long as the nature of things will permit”.
In our final discussion, we agreed that all branches of our government, both horizontally and vertically need these 4 things from us:
- watchful attention (per John Witherspoon)
- do your duty (per Sam Adams)
- faithful & unweary dedication (per John Hancock)
- perseverance to do what is right (per John Jay)