John Locke #1 (His History)

The information discusses the analysis of classical authors in relation to the law of God. It emphasizes the importance of the Ten Commandments and the civil ordinances in the Mosaic Covenant. The transcription also touches on the ideas of John Locke, who is considered the Father of the Enlightenment and the social contract. It mentions the influence of Locke's ideas in American and French history, as well as the implications for subsequent events such as the Russian Revolution. The U.S. Constitution is described as a Lockean social contract, drawing power from the people rather than God. The transcription concludes with a mention of the National Reform Association's efforts to amend the Constitution to reflect a submission to Christ. Welcome, everybody, to GreatBibleReset.com, where we analyze the classical authors in light of their conformity to the law of God, especially as it is summarized in Exodus 20-24, the Mosaic Covenant. This passage contains God's definition of Christian nationalism, as contrasted with man's definition as spelled out, for example, by Stephen Wolfe in his recent book, In Defense of Christian Nationalism. The presumptuous thesis of this book is spelled out in the introduction as to lay a foundation of natural law political theory on which to erect a social structure of political theology. This is nothing less than the original sin of Eve, in which she succumbed to the temptation to be like God, determining for herself what was good and evil. This natural law approach has been attempted over and over and over again in the history of the West, and has in fact brought us to our current state of cultural and political disaster. Most Christians will agree that the Ten Commandments are binding today, but they studiously ignore the three chapters of ordinances that follow, most of which contain penalties required to be enforced by civil governments. How do we know that these case laws are binding on governments today? Because chapter 24 ties them indissolubly to the Ten Commandments in a legal code which God calls the Book of the Covenant. You can't have the Ten Commandments without the civil ordinances. If you are going to reject the civil case laws of Exodus 21-23, you must also reject the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20, because God says they are all part of a single law code. Now, we are not talking about personal salvation here, which is based on faith alone in the saving blood of Christ, but we are talking about the salvation of nations, whose fate in history is tied to their commitment to the law of God in their criminal justice system or lack thereof. We are not talking about personal salvation, which is based on faith alone in the saving blood of Christ, but we are talking about the salvation of nations, whose fate in history is tied to their commitment to the law of God in their criminal justice system or lack thereof. John Locke denied or ignored the law of God, substituting the will of the majority, and this is why he is known as the Father of the Enlightenment. Locke lived from 1632 to 1704. He was reared by a Puritan attorney and small landowner. Whig Lord Shaftesbury exposed him to more liberal ideas. He has been called the Father of the Social Contract and of the Enlightenment. Locke suffered much from a weak constitution, but trained as a doctor, he was always ready to give free medical help. Locke was cheerful, sociable, fond of people and children. He held genial toleration of a wide array of religious opinion. Locke embodied the spirit of the age, which is known as Latitudinarianism. People will always differ from one another about religion and carry on constant strife and war until the right of everyone to perfect liberty in these matters is conceded and they can be united in one body by a bond of mutual charity, said Locke. Thus fine points of doctrine, like the Trinity, were not so vital as to stir up the peaceful waters of friendship, for, quote, there was much similarity between the apparent opinions of Locke and the doctrines of Faustus Socianus himself, end of quote. Socianus is the father of Unitarianism, which denies the deity of Christ. Locke's treatise of government appeared in 1690, after the English Revolution. Locke defends Parliament. The first stage ended in 1649, with Charles I's execution and start of the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. The death of Cromwell and the brief reign of his son was followed by the restoration of the Stuart Kings. Mr. Charles II, who reigned from 1640 to 1685, and James II, who reigned from 1685 to 1688. William and Mary of Holland were invited to oust James in the bloodless revolution, and Mary, ironically, was James' daughter. So what are the implications for subsequent history? Well, beyond Britain, Locke's ideas played out in American and indirectly in the French Revolution. Rousseau, the father of the French Revolution, read Locke. Locke may be detected in the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. The Russian Revolution of 1970 took its cues from the French. Ironically, Locke's Enlightenment thought made headway in America via two weighty reformed clergymen. Jonathan Edwards and John Witherspoon were both Orthodox Christians. In spite of this, they cut the legs out from under the Bible covenant in America. The covenant model was planted on American shores by the Massachusetts Puritans. Witherspoon was president of Princeton. He taught a generation of American leaders the basics of Locke's social contract. By contrast, Edwards appealed to the common man. He kindled the fires of the Great Awakening up and down the American seaboard. Sadly, Edwards tried to bolster his biblical message with John Locke. Thus, he promoted the Enlightenment in the colonies without knowing it. This is recorded by Greg Singer in a theological interpretation of American history. So how does Locke define the difference between a king and a tyrant? And what prevents a king from becoming a tyrant? To quote Locke, as usurpation is the exercise of power which another has a right to, Locke defines tyranny as the exercise of power beyond right which nobody can have a right to. The king is one who is himself under law, but wherever law ends, tyranny begins if the law be transgressed to another's harm. This point is reached when the governor makes not the law, but his will the rule, and this is directed not toward the well-being of his people, but for the satisfaction of his own ambition, revenge, and covetousness. The only antidote is a king who will mediate in the law of God with a mind set on obedience to God and humility to his subjects, who are called his brethren. So where in Locke did Jefferson find his theory of inalienable rights? The theory may be found in chapter 2 of the Second Treatise of Government, entitled Of the State of Nature, specifically in paragraph 6. Where Locke states, quote, The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges everyone, and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions, end of quote. Thus, according to Locke, no man has the right to invade these rights belonging to his neighbor. The Bible says hardly anything about rights, the only exception, to my knowledge, being conjugal rights, which husband and wife owe to each other. Habitual refusal to render these rights over time is a grounds for divorce, according to Exodus 21.10.11 and 1 Corinthians 7.1-11. The revolution in nature of the social contract must be rejected as rebellion from the rule of God. Unlike the earlier colonial covenants, the U.S. Constitution is a Lockean social contract. Many Christians interpreted the Civil War in America as God's judgment on a nation that had rejected Christ in its founding document. In the 1870s, the National Reform Association, the initial NRA, sought to amend the Constitution to confirm the nation's formal submission to Christ enforced by an oath of office for officeholders. Unfortunately, their bill stalled in committee and their vision was diluted by electoral politics, but we should build on the biblical foundation that they laid. The U.S. Constitution is clearly a Lockean social contract. It draws power from the people, not God. The same is true of the Declaration of Independence. John Locke is known as the father of the Enlightenment and the father of the social contract. Locke said, the mind at birth is a blank slate that is written upon by impressions from the environment. This is empiricism. Thus, man in a state of nature is innocent. Governments are formed when the majority decides to give up a few rights to protect the remainder. Again, this social contract is created with no reference to God. Thank you for your kind attention today. Please like, comment, and subscribe at GreatBibleReset.com