BiblicalInsights.net

The first appearance of In God We Trust on a United States coin came in 1864, when In God We Trust debuted on the 2-cent piece following public appeal for our nation’s money to recognize God.  One such plea came in the form of a letter from a minister, M. R. Watkinson who sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase in November, 1861 that proposed the motto “God, Liberty, Law.”  Secretary Chase and United States Mint Director James Pollock were moved by the minister’s letter and replied, “No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe in His defense. The trust of our people should be declared on our national coins.”
The minister’s letter resonated deeply with Pollock, who recalled a lyric from the fourth stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner. The song, written during the War of 1812, includes the line: “And this be our motto–In God is our trust.”
An 1837 law required Congressional authorization of all new mottoes and devices on the nation’s coins.  So, the addition of a motto acknowledging God would fall not in the hands of Pollock or Chase alone, but rather occur only through legislation.  In December, 1863, Mint Director Pollock proposed either Our Country; Our God or God, Our Trust to appear on the new 2-Cent piece and other coins.  Secretary Chase replied to Mint Director Pollock with this suggestion: “On [the 2-Cent coin] with the shield, it should be changed so as to read IN GOD WE TRUST.”  On April 22, 1864, Congress passed the law permitting the creation of the 2-Cent coin with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST.  Another law passed by Congress on March 3, 1865, allowed the Mint Director to inscribe IN GOD WE TRUST on all gold and silver coins that “shall admit the inscription thereon.”  (coinvalues.com July 20, 2021).
On July 30, 1956, two years after pushing to have the phrase “under God” inserted into the pledge of allegiance, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nations’ official motto.  The law P. L. 84-140, also mandated that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency.  The phrase had been placed on U. S. coins since the Civil War (1864).  Eisenhower’s treasury secretary, George Humphrey, had suggested adding the phrase to paper currency as well.  At a Flag Day speech in 1954, Eisenhower elaborated on his feelings about the place of religion in public life when he discussed why he had wanted to include “under God” in the pledge of allegiance: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”  (www.history.com 7/20/21).
The first paper money with the phrase “In God We Trust” was not printed until 1957.
Congress has reaffirmed the motto several times: in 2002, in 2006, and in 2011.
The motto, “In God We Trust” appeared on coins for the first time during an American crisis–the Civil War (1864).  It became the national motto in 1956 in reaction to the Communistic threat and the Cold War.
It is time to reaffirm this national motto to combat the forces of Cultural Marxism that are at work undermining Christian values and attacking and destroying marriage and the family.  In God We Trust is our national motto!  Let this motto be hearalded from every corner of this great nation.  Let every Christian reaffirm their faith in the true and living God who created us and redeems us.  Let us be willing to wear this motto in the public domain and publicize it in every legitimate way so that we can clearly let the nation know of our commitment to “reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future.” Preachers need to preach on biblical texts that affirm our trust in God.  “In thee O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion” (Psa. 71:1).  “For thou art my hope, O LORD GOD: thou art my trust from my youth” (Psa. 71:5).  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).  “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe” (I Tim. 4:10).  “But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the LORD, GOD, that I may declare all thy works” (Psa. 73:28).
July 30, 2021 is the 65th anniversary of the signing by Dwight D. Eisenhower, president of the United States, of the law making In God We Trust our national motto.  If freedom is to ring, it will be because God is our TRUST.  True freedom is found only in God our savior (John 8:32, Gal. 5:1).

A violation of God’s Law (the very essence of sin -I John 3:4) is not an exercise in true freedom, but injustice (a violation of the righteous standard given by God in His holy word).  And, where there is sin, there is bondage, not freedom.
Let us correlate three terms:  truth, freedom, and justice (John 8:30-36).  If there is no truth, there can be no freedom.  If there is no truth, there can be no justice.  Are we in bondage or free?  Are we the children of God or the children of the devil?  Can we know the truth, obtain true freedom and pursue justice?
Truth
The word truth is an English translation of the Greek word alētheia, which means, true to fact, conforming to reality.  Truth is that which conforms to reality as God defines that reality (John 14:6, Jesus is the truth; John 17:17, the Word of God is truth).  Truth comes from God because God is holy and cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18).  God is all-knowing and so He knows what is true as opposed to what is false.  God has revealed His will to humanity by means of the divine superintendence of the Holy Spirit who guided holy men of God to write the words of truth (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21).  God has also revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the truth (John 14:6).  The truth is powerful (Heb. 4:12).  It enlightens and so dispels darkness (the world of sin and wickedness, lies and false ideas) (John 1:5, 9). It guides and so is a lamp unto our feet (Psa. 119:105). It anchors and so creates a foundation that grounds us in God’s thoughts and ways (Isa. 55:8-11).  It transforms and so makes children of God out of children of the devil (I Pet. 1:20-25; Gal. 3:26-29).  It judges/ discerns and so discriminates between good and evil, right and wrong (Heb. 4:12).  The truth is knowable (John 8:32). To know means that we can perceive with the mind and so understand with the heart what God means by what God says in His Word (Eph. 5:16-17).
Freedom
True freedom is liberation from the servitude of sin (John 8:32, Rom. 6:6-7).  The first correlation:  truth and freedom.  Where there is no truth, there can be no freedom.  Freedom is not the ability to do anything you want to do anytime you want to do it, that is lasciviousness (Gal. 5:19).  Lasciviousness is shameless conduct where by we violate God’s Will and act without restraint.  God restricts our attitudes and behavior through His Word which demands self-denial and self-restraint.  Self-indulgence is not freedom.  True freedom involves the forgiveness of our sins and transformation of life (conversion and consecration) whereby we honor God’s truth by incorporating it into our lives.  True freedom means that we are set at liberty from the bondage of sin.  “Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…” (Gal. 5:1).  Paul’s use of the noun and verb together in one sentence emphasizes the completeness of the act of liberation through the power of God.  Once liberated from sin, we do not want to return to bondage.  The liberation from the bondage of sin is directed by truth and the power of truth affects it (Rom. 1:16).  The gospel is God’s power unto salvation!
Justice
The second correlation is truth and justice.  Where there is no truth, there can be no justice.  Justice is a communicable perfection of God, manifesting His holiness.  The word justice is closely associated with righteousness.  Used of man, justice refers to right rule, or right conduct, or to each getting his/her just do whether good or bad.  God’s absolute justice is the rectitude by which He upholds Himself against violations of His holiness.  God’s moral excellence made necessary either the punishment of sinners or the expiation (forgiveness) of their sins whereby the punishment would be removed and they would be rewarded.  Expiation or forgiveness is accomplished by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross.  Paul declares in Rom. 5:8-9, that we are saved from wrath through Him. And, we are justified by the blood of Christ.   If there is no truth, there can be no justice.  Truth is the objective standard for all righteous judgments.  Without truth, spiritual discernment and righteous judgments could not be made.
Anytime God’s Word is violated three things result:  bondage or servitude to sin which identifies us with Satan rather than God; condemnation by God (the justice of God); and prohibition of sonship with God (because we are the children of the devil).  Overcoming sin involves: utilizing the power of truth to overcome the lies and ignorance caused by Satan; the power of the blood of Christ to atone for sin; and our faith and love for God which causes us to honor Him by keeping His commandments.  When truth is internalized, faith is active in the human heart and commits us to God’s Word.  When love for the truth is authentic, then, the human heart is bound to God in devotion to His Will and purposes.  Truth will affect an all-encompassing transformation within us that binds us to God in true freedom and respect for His justice.

The sermon Peter delivered on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 is recorded by Luke. A significant statement made by Peter in the sermon brings together two important concepts in Scripture. Peter said, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknoweldge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” In one sentence, the foreknowledge of God and the free-will of man are brought together. How do we harmonize these important concepts?
First, the foreknowledge of God is clearly taught in the Scriptures. The prophecies recorded in Scripture prove the foreknoweldge of God. God foreknew that Abraham would become the father of many nations (Gen. 12:1-2; 22:17-18; Rom. 4:17). God foreknew that a new covenant would be made with Israel (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13). God foreknew that Jesus would be crucified, buried and raised again the third day (Isa. 53; Psa. 2; Psa. 16; I Cor. 15:1-3). To these prophecies, we could add hundreds more. The foreknowledge of God is a fact.
Second, the free-will of man is taught in the Scriptures. Freedom is implied in our view of ourselves. We know intuitively that we have the power of rational thought and volition (power of choice). When faced with two choices, a man knows that he can think about each choice, evaluate the arguments pro and con, and then decide which he thinks is best to pursue. Here is a good question for determinists, “how do determinists know that they do not possess rational thought?” Freedom is also implied in our treatment of others. People hold other people accountable for their actions. The usual way that we deal with each other is that we praise others for their achievements and blame them for their failures. We treat other people as individuals possessing will, aspirations, personality, etc., and not as mundane objects (a toaster or a book). We hold others accountable for their choices and we emphasize personal responsibility for their conduct. Freedom is also implied in the words of Peter who indicts those who crucified Jesus saying they did so with wicked hands. Later, he will command them to repent of this sin (Acts 2:38). Clearly, the apostle is holding them responsible for their conduct.
Third, how do we harmonize God’s foreknoweldge and man’s free-will? To know is not necessarily to cause to happen. God is infinite in knowledge. He sees everything (past, present and future) in one present moment. We are finite in knowledge. We see the past (limitedly) and present (also limitedly), but we do not see the future. God can foresee the choices of free individuals before they make those choices. We simply do not understand this type of knowledge because we are finite beings. God has such power and wisdom, that foreknowing the actions of free men, He can so interweave, or enmesh, His plans with the plans of free men that he can bring to pass, through their free choices and the sending of His prophets and His Son and through His providences, results which were not intended or foreseen by men, but which did not take away their freedom of choice (The Hub of the Bible, James Bales, 119). Man is a limited, finite, being. God is infinite in all of His perfections, including knowledge. God’s foreknowledge is absolute. Man’s free-will is real, but limited. Man is not God! This reasoning helps us avoid the charge of a contradiction between God’s foreknowledge and man’s free-will. If we affirmed that both were absolute, we would be affirming a contradiction. It is wrong to assume that man has unlimited freedom, or that he has no freedom. Freedom is not unlimited, but it is still real freedom. A contradiction is a statement or propositon that affirms that something is both A and not A at the same time and in the same circumstance. If we said that God had absolute sovereignty and man had absolute free-will, we would be affirming a contradiction. However, we affirm that God is sovereign and man’s free-will is limited. A man has freedom to choose, but he does not have the power to accomplish anything that he chooses. Also, he is limited by God. God tells man what to do. Men do not tell God what to do. God holds man accountable for his conduct. This ultimate accountability will be manifest in the Judgment Day. You might want to recall that Satan has freedom, but his freedom to act is also limited (Job 1-2; I John 3:8). Satan is not co-equal nor co-eternal with God. Jesus could cast out demons. But, demons never cast Jesus out of anybody. Demons do not have the power to do anything that they want to do. No one tells God what to do. No one holds God accountable for His actions. Clearly, there is a difference between God and man; God and Satan, God and demons. God alone has absolute power to accomplish what He purposes!

St. John's Church

Side view of the church

Plauque indicating the date of the church

     I have posted some more pictures of St. John’s Church.  Remember, this is the place where Patrick Henry gave his famous “give me liberty or give me death” speech.