“If their duty, their honor, and their oaths will not bind them, let us not put into their hands our liberty, and all our other great interests.”
Gouverneur Morris, the “penman of the Constitution.”
Philadelphia Convention Jul 1787
In developing our Constitution, our Founding Fathers were faced with a conundrum. To create a government that looked after the daily administration and liberty of a free-willed people, there needed to be a check on the frailty of those men who would govern. Specifically, the frailty of man is described in the Bible in Saint Paul's letters to the Galatians.
Gal 5: 19-21 NIV
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Human Nature
One of our Founding Fathers, James Madison, described these frailties in the context of establishing our country and its Constitution as follows:
“If Men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and the next place, oblige it to control itself.” James Madison/Alexander Hamilton Federalist 51, 1788
“Will it be sufficient to mark with precision the boundaries of these departments in the Constitution of the government, and to trust to these parchment barriers against the encroaching spirit of power? … But experience assures us, that the efficacy of the provision has been greatly over-rated; and that some more adequate defence is indispensibly necessary for the more feeble, against the more powerful members of the government.” James Madison, Federalist 48, 1788
To combat this human tendency, the Founding Fathers created the bicameral form of government and its three branches. This demonstrated a structural check to this human frailty. But, they realized more was needed. A higher, more personal standard. A standard of personal character. The Founding Fathers looked to the Bible for this standard and found that God himself held a standard by oath (Gen 26:3; Eze 20: 15&23; Eze 36:7; Isa 62:8; Psa 106: 26; Deu 10:20.2.) They found God saying, you can trust me to do as I say. God holding Himself accountable for His future actions. What higher standard could there be?
As morality is fundamental to character, this oath is to be the character check of those who would hold office. It is the offset to the frailty of mankind. Mankind being as it is, it stands that no matter what is written, said, or intended by man it is his actions that determine an outcome. That is, “you will know them by their fruits” (Mat 7: 15-20). More fundamentally, it is the character of the man carrying out those actions that is important. Will he do as he says he will? Is this person of good character? Can you trust him?
Accountable to a Higher Power
The Founding Fathers’ conclusion was to require an oath as a foundation to our Constitution. This was so important to them it was the first act of congress and the first law signed by George Washington. This oath is meant to put a check on the character of those who would take office. The oath would not only hold them accountable for the responsibilities of office; but, more importantly, accountable for their morality. As Oliver Walcott put it in the Connecticut Ratifying Convention in 1788, it is a “direct appeal to the God who is the Avenger of Perjury.” In short, attesting to their trustworthiness in the eyes of God. Oaths as a Constitutional requirement are found in Article 6, Clause 3.
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution;"
So, God-fearing men put the oath into our seminal document to ensure mankind was safe from the frailties of mankind’s very nature. And, in so doing, those taking the oath would hold themselves accountable to an entity bigger than man; God. A God that can hold a person responsible for their actions timelessly.
Why then is there an option to “affirm”? We will cover that in an upcoming blog, “to swear or to affirm to uphold the Constitution, a religious test.”
Convention of States reminds us of the Judeo-Christian foundations of our country. We work to achieve our aspirational goal to inspire a spiritual and political reawakening in America. Our founders created a nation where we all enjoy freedom of religion while they kept God very present in the process with prayer and oaths.
Lean more about Florida COS here.
