First Principles

"For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." — Romans 13:1b (ESV)

This verse cuts right to the heart of something we often miss: human rights don't come from government. If rights are merely granted by people, they can be taken away by people. But if rights come from God, they must be protected—not bestowed.

The founders understood this. They believed God established government to uphold justice and restrain evil (1 Peter 2:13–14). These first principles form the foundation of our freedom.

Government isn't a creator of rights but a guardian of what God has already given. When government stays in its lane—punishing evil and praising good—it serves its true purpose. When it confuses itself for the source of liberty, it inevitably begins to smother what it was meant to shield.

How the Founders Applied This

Look at the Declaration of Independence. The founders didn't write, "We grant ourselves these rights." They wrote that all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."

This wasn't just poetic language—it was a theological claim with political consequences. By anchoring rights in God rather than government, they established a standard that stood above any king, parliament, or majority vote. 

When King George violated these God-given rights, the colonists had grounds to resist. Their appeal wasn't to their own preferences but to a higher law that even kings must respect.

This is why they could claim both submission to legitimate authority and resistance to tyranny. Government derives its "just powers from the consent of the governed," but only insofar as it protects what God has already established. The moment it becomes destructive of those ends, it betrays its divine mandate.

But Culture is Shifting

As our culture drifts from reverence for God, many have tried to redefine freedom apart from Him. But liberty detached from its Source soon collapses. Claiming rights while denying the One who gives them is like building on clouds—beautiful for a moment, but unable to stand.

First principles ground and sustain liberty. Transcendent truth must be the foundation. Otherwise, we drift into relativism.

We're already seeing this in America. Truth is now defined by the autonomous self. But culture is built on shared values. If everyone defines their own truth, we dissolve the culture that built America—one microfracture at a time.

Think about how quickly public definitions shift—of life, of marriage, of justice, of what constitutes "the good." If these definitions rest only on polls or raw power, the weakest inevitably suffer.

Biblical first principles—God as Creator, man made in His image, moral law that stands above us—anchor freedom for the weak as well as the strong. Without them, rights become negotiable trophies traded by those with the loudest voices or the largest platforms.

Do We Have Hope?

We are not without hope. For those who belong to Christ, our calling remains: speak truth in love, bless those who curse us, and work for the good of our neighbors.

Our task isn't to "take back" a nation, but to walk faithfully in it—reflecting God's goodness in every sphere. God sovereignly orders all things, civil officials existing under Him for the public good. We can honor leaders without making them lords, and we can practice courageous citizenship without bowing to the spirit of the age.

Whether or not culture shifts back is in God's hands. We who claim Christ must trust His sovereignty even while we seek to live faithfully in a quickly changing world. We hope and pray and act, but ultimately trust the Lord for the outcome.

Faithfulness looks ordinary: showing up for church and family, stewarding our vocations with integrity, protecting the vulnerable, learning our history honestly, voting with conviction and charity, and teaching our children that freedom is a stewardship, not a toy.

Learning America's Story Through First Principles

If you want to explore how these God-given rights shaped America's founding and what they mean for conservative families today, the American Principles Series walks through this story across 25 episodes. Each episode averages 22.5 minutes, giving you 9.5 hours of content that connects faith and founding principles in a way your whole family can understand.

The AP Series offers a Christian view of liberty rooted in transcendent truth—the same biblical worldview that anchored the founders. It's a video-only series with lifetime access for a one-time fee of $99 at apseries.com.

As we seek the welfare of our cities (Jeremiah 29:7), remember that all true freedom begins and ends with God. Whether culture changes for the better or for the worse, we who are in Christ are free indeed (John 8:36). Let this spur us on to faithful living—patient, gospel-driven, and full of hope.

Pause and ponder this 

What changes when we remember that our rights are gifts from God, not permissions from men?