Thus begins the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution—the supreme law of the land. It is the oldest written national instrument of government in force anywhere in the world and has had a great influence on constitutions adopted by other countries. The 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution is being commemorated all this year with special events through the country.

Fifty-five delegates representing the newly independent American states met on May 25, 1787 in Philadelphia's Independence Hall charged by Congress with the task of amending the Articles of Confederation which had served as the law of the land since 1781 but had proven to be lacking in power. It was an extraordinary gathering of varied talents and personalities which included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton.

Perhaps the one person who was most critical to the Constitutional Convention's achievement was George Washington. He emerged out of formal retirement from public life to serve as a member of the Virginia delegation, persuaded to do so despite personal doubts about the changes for the Convention's success. His services as commander in chief of the Continental Army had convinced him of the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and had prompted his frequent appeals to give the Congress more power. Though he gave but one brief speech during the four months of the Convention, his presence alone was assurance that many Americans would find the Constitution palatable. On top of that, he was unanimously elected president of the Convention at the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin, his only likely rival. His acceptance of the office, his endorsement of the Constitution, and his signing of that document and the Convention's letter transmitting the Constitution to the Congress were essential contributions to the ultimate success of the ratification campaign. Furthermore, Washington's silent dignity and reserve in presiding over the Convention's deliberations helped to preserve the delegates' sense of the seriousness of their task and to hold the Convention together.

Boldly ignoring its limited charge of amending the Articles of Confederation, the Convention set to work at once to write the totally new Constitution. On September 17, after much hard work and at times bitter debate, the task of the Convention was completed with the signing of the Constitution by the delegates. All that remained was having it ratified by the states.

The Constitution established a whole new form of government—a federal republic in which certain powers were granted to the central government while others were reserved for the states and the ultimate wellspring of power lay with the peoples' vote.

Some of the Constitution's framers never thought it would last. Alexander Hamilton privately described it as a "weak and worthless fabric," and James Madison, who, because of his great part in the deliberations was to become known as "the Father of the Constitution," thought, or hoped that it would last a generation at the longest. But, it has endured, surviving foreign wars, a civil war, the Industrial Revolution, booms and busts and all the other unexpected occurrences of history, and continues to survive into the Nuclear Age. Still very much alive today, it touches every one of us in uncounted ways. It is flexible, withstanding terrible political pressures yet bending with the times.

The Constitution has been modified since the time of its adoption both by amendments and changing interpretations. Originally "we the people" referred to the ratifiers of the Constitution, but in the 200 years since its signing, numerous amendments have given the phrase new meaning so that now it signifies all Americans. The Bill of Rights,, the first 10 amendments, was adopted in 1791 guaranteeing such rights as freedom of speech, religion and the press. Since 1791 there have only been 16 amendments to the Constitution.

Even though the Constitution is straight-forward in its language, attempts have been made in recent years to challenge its meaning. One such case was the Supreme Court's decision in 1963 prohibiting prayer and Bible reading in public schools—an interpretation it's quite certain the drafters of the Constitution never intended. George Washington is quoted to have said: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

This contempt for the Bible is nothing new. Like the Constitution, the Bible has endured the ravages of time. It has tolerated hatred, criticism, infidelity and attempts to eradicate it as well as those who love it from the face of the earth.

In spite of all the hatred against it, the Bible continues to spread over the whole earth in millions of copies and hundreds of languages and is being read and preached from pole to pole! Records indicate that Bible distribution worldwide in 1986 was about 45 million in addition to over 60 million New Testaments. These figures show that the Bible continues to meet the need of men's souls as it has since it was written many years ago, each year being a best seller.

The Bible is God's message to man; hence, it can rightly be called the "Word of God." Despite attacks against it, we read, "the Word of God … liveth and abideth forever" (1 Peter 1:23). Inspired of God—"In the beginning God" (Gen. 1:1)—and ends with man—"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all" (Rev. 22:21). Its object is to bring man to God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

The central theme of the Bible is Christ, and it is with Him that we al have to do. We read that all are sinners (Rom. 3:23), and that Christ died for sinners (Rom. 5:8). It is through Christ's death on Calvary's cross that we can be "saved" from our sins (1 Timothy 1:15). All one needs to do is confess that he is a sinner and accept by faith that work done by Christ on his behalf. The Bible assures us that we will have everlasting life: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

The U.S. Constitution, referred to as the "supreme law of the land," is indeed a powerful instrument and one for which the citizens of the United States should be thankful. But, as wonderful and powerful as it is, the Constitution is a mere document of men, subject to revision or even abolishment, and cannot help one when faced with the vital eternal issues of life and death. What we do with God's infallible, inerrent Word which will never pass away (Matt. 24:35) will determine our eternal destiny, thus making it the "supreme" authority for our souls. What are "we the people" going to do with the Bible? Are we going to let its life-giving words penetrate our hearts and consciences to the conviction of our sins and the salvation of our souls? If so, this Word of God will become more precious to us as we read and study its pages daily, learning new truths and discovering its promises to help us in our Christian walk. Or, are we going to continue on in our sins rejecting Christ's love and sacrificial death? If so, this same Word will judge the Christ rejector: "The Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). On that day, Christ will be the Judge on the great white throne and will cast all who have rejected Him into the lake of fire for all eternity (Rev. 20:11-15).

The ultimate eternal end of "we the people" lies in the choice made by each individual now. To refuse the Bible is to refuse Christ as Saviour and thus be outside the realm of eternal blessing. To believe the Bible is to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:15).

—M.S.J.