Introduction

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not forsake you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.  [Deuteronomy 4:31]

Brethren, I speak in human terms: Even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.  [Galatians 3:15]

The constitutional heritage of America is based upon a covenantal understanding of the way God relates to men, and consequently, the way men relate to each other. This covenantal understanding is no less applicable in the affairs of civil government than in any other area of life. In the United States, we have a unique heritage in which this understanding has been beautifully expressed in the foundational documents of our nation: the Declaration of Independence, the various state constitutions, and the U. S. Constitution. These documents did not arise by mere chance or in an historical vacuum – they were preceded by several civil covenants in the history of England, whose legal heritage we share.

The problem today is that the people in America have largely forgotten the covenants made by their ancestors, and have failed to be faithful to them. It is appropriate in the season of the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, that we remember the civil covenants of our nation, and restore the faithfulness of our nation to them. Only in this way will we as a nation and a people continue to receive the blessings of Almighty God.

It is the purpose of this book to examine the true roots of American constitutional law as found in the Bible and our nation’s civil covenants. We will discover a remarkable unity between these documents when viewed from a biblical perspective. Without an understanding of the biblical view of law and covenant, this unity is often overlooked. However, the Constitution is not equivalent to Scripture, neither is it a theological document. The Constitution is neither to be ignored, nor made an idol. Yet, the text of the Constitution, understood in the light of a biblical covenant framework rather than judicial or scholarly opinions, will yield upon examination a rich legacy for us to reclaim, restore, and make available to our children.