Our Founding Fathers knew that a Virtuous People is One of the Surest Safeguards against Tyranny. But if the Virtuous Don’t Vote, Liberty will be Lost.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution make it clear: In our constitutional republic, the people hold the power. As Benjamin Franklin said, “In free governments, the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns.”
The government is not our “master” but rather a servant—of both God and man. It is charged by God (Romans 13:1-7) with protecting God-given rights. The Declaration states, “All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” These rights come from God, not the government (much to the chagrin of MSNBC), and the government’s role is to “secure these rights.”
The most significant way our Founding Fathers secured this sovereignty for American citizens in perpetuity was by giving them the right to elect their own representatives in the government, from the county sheriff to the President of the United States. A vote is an exercise of sovereignty. It reminds us that “we the people,” are the sovereigns. There is no hereditary monarchy in America.
However, the people must exercise this sovereignty and this right to vote with virtuous responsibility. John Adams warned, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” A self-governing republic cannot survive without moral virtue. Liberty without morality and religious conviction leads to chaos and despotism.
The Declaration also teaches that governments “derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.” When a government becomes destructive, it is “the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.” Yet, this right must be exercised by a people who understand that freedom requires discipline, restraint, and a commitment to the moral order given by God. Without this foundation, tyranny is inevitable.
Thomas Jefferson stressed that “all power is inherent in the people; they may exercise it by themselves; it is their right and duty to be armed.” But this right assumes people will wield it responsibly, guided by truth and virtue. Living among armed and immoral people is a dangerous place, almost as dangerous as living under a government that would disarm the people.
In Federalist No. 48, James Madison, the “father of the Constitution,” referred to the Constitution as a “parchment barrier,” stressing that written laws alone will not restrain government power. He argued that structural safeguards, like checks and balances, are essential to prevent the abuse of authority. In a democratic republic where power originates from the people (or at least is supposed to), the people themselves are the most significant safeguard against tyranny.
But a cowardly people, a people addicted to vice, a people who care more for themselves than for others and for future generations, is no check at all. They lack the fortitude and the moral clarity to stand against evil. They lack the purpose necessary for self-sacrificial action. Most of all, they lack the backing of Almighty God. Such a people are not a check on tyranny but will invite and then learn to love tyranny (think Stockholm Syndrome).
At the heart of our republic is this truth: The people are sovereign, but that sovereignty is only sustainable if exercised by a moral and religious people. As Jefferson said, “When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.” Liberty decays when people lose their moral grounding.
These principles align with the Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate and Protestant Resistance Theory. The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate asserts that lower-ranking authorities have the right and duty to resist tyranny when higher authorities violate God-given rights. A virtuous people will produce magistrates willing to stand against tyrants, and the people will rally to them. But an immoral people will not elect a righteous magistrate nor stand with him if given one.
Protestant Resistance Theory teaches that civil disobedience is required when rulers oppose God’s justice and forfeit their legitimacy. This is seen throughout Church history, including in the Founders’ resistance to British rule (referred to by the British at the time as the “Presbyterian revolt”), believing King George III had abandoned just governance.
In our time of creeping tyranny, we must remember that government exists to serve, not control. But we must equally remember that freedom requires virtue. Liberty can only be sustained by moral, virtuous citizens. Immorality inescapably leads to chaos and chaos to tyranny.
But only a people full of virtue and courage—those who love God and love their neighbor—deserve, are fit for, and are alone and capable of preserving true freedom. If we continue toward despotism, if immorality continues to spread, it will be because the moral and virtuous citizens in our nation fail to lead.
It is impossible to deny that there are new and growing forms of wicked tyranny all across America. The tyranny of child sacrifice. The tyranny of excessive taxation. The tyranny of the anti-human LGBT agenda. The tyranny of government-monopolized education. The tyranny of a government that would shut down churches. The tyranny of a government that would take away our right to bear arms in self-defense.
If virtuous citizens fail to lead in civic life, tyrants will gladly fill the vacuum. For this reason, Christians must not only be personally virtuous but also ought to be leaders in civic life. Christians can do this in many ways, but on November 5th—today—we must do so at the ballot box.
If Christians fail to vote, you can be sure the pagans will. If Christians fail to defend the Constitution at the ballot box, tyrants will gladly shred it behind closed doors in smoke-filled rooms.
Without the active engagement of the most virtuous citizens in America, which should be the Christians in our land, liberty will be lost, and tyranny will prevail. Constitutionally and biblically, we are called to resist, not simply yield, when the state demands what rightfully belongs to God or the individual. The call is to stand firm on the foundation that our lives, work, and property belong first to God, then to individuals, and no institution on earth can claim otherwise.
Whether through supporting or opposing various candidates and various ballot initiatives, Christians across America have the opportunity to resist these tyrannies and vote for liberty today. In some cases, we could even call it a duty according to the Word of God, which tells us in Proverbs that we are to “rescue those being led to slaughter.” In many states (such as Florida, Missouri, and others), the slaughter of preborn children is directly on the ballot. Christians must be salt and light in opposing such wickedness year-round and at the ballot box today.
Furthermore, pastors should encourage Christians under their care to be informed and engaged. If pastors and other wise leaders do not disciple in this area, who knows which podcasters and bloggers will? Teaching your church what the Bible says about specific political issues and applying it to our lives and our votes is not divisive. However, letting half your congregation be primarily discipled in politics by Joe Rogan and the other half by David French is.
Christians cannot expect that a virtuous population will defend us from tyranny in America while abdicating our responsibility to participate and lead in civic life. Let us not be like the progressives C.S. Lewis denounced, those who “make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise,” or those who “laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”
If we want liberty, we must have virtue. And if we want a virtuous society, we must embody it and vote for it. If we wish for Christian morals and values to saturate this land and undergird our laws once again, we must take seriously our responsibility to be salt and light. Christians, of all people, should steward the political talents that we have been entrusted with by both God and our Founding Fathers.
There is much work to be done to reform our government. And even more work is needed for us to become a more free and virtuous society, work for which I and other elected officials and activists will need your partnership and support. Many of these projects will require more significant time and resources, but simply showing up to your local precinct today is the easiest way for Christians to lead in civic life.
I will be there. Will you?
