Was the American Revolution Sinful?

What Were the Causes of the American Revolution?

As we begin to analyze whether or not the American Revolutionary War was sinful, we must first unpack its causes. This war was not motivated for overtly religious reasons, but rather political ones.

While it is impossible to know God’s exact will, the Revolutionaries believed Providence favored them and that was why they won.

What Is Providence?

Providence is an interesting word, commonly used to refer to God, but also to His divine will and the force through which God exerts that will on earth. When reading the writings of the Founding Fathers, they often would refer to Providence as acting during the course of the war.

Samuel Adams

“The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave."

Benjamin Franklin

"Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world."

“Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence.”

“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” 

Alexander Hamilton

"For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which, without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests."

Patrick Henry

“Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.”

James Madison

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions … upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves … according to the Ten Commandments of God.” 

George Washington

“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors.”

"Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."

What about Romans 13?

There are several times in the Bible when it speaks about the right of the authority and the requirement of Christians to submit to authority (as long as they were not asking people to sin) and that God ordains authority.

Did God Intervene for the Americans during the War?

There were events some during the American Revolutionary War which the people considered miraculous interventions from God. These moments included:

- The Intervention of the Marquis de Lafayette and the Baron von Steuben, whose political influence and military assistance strengthened the colonial army as well as their credibility abroad.

- The arrival of the French Fleet at the Battle of Yorktown, the decisive final battle of the war, was deemed miraculous by multiple people. The winds changed unexpectedly overnight which allowed the French to resupply the Americans with troops and supplies, outgunning the British General Cornwallis and leading to his surrender. “Who but God could have ordained the critical arrival of the Gallic fleet, so as to… assist… in the siege of Yorktown?” (Ezra Stiles)

Was the American Revolution Sinful?

The American Revolutionary War was not sinful. While the history of the United States has been complicated, and as a nation it has not always behaved in a manner that is pleasing to God, it was begun with the intention to be a nation that honored God. The United States has spent the centuries living up to its creed of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Related:

Is It Correct to Say That America is a Christian Nation?
Does the Bible Justify War?

Sources

Grudem, Wayne. Politics According to the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.

God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution. 

Miracles of the American Revolution: Divine Intervention and the Birth of the Republic. 

Conscience and Obedience The Politics of Romans 13 and Revelaiton 13 in Light of the Second Coming.