Do Not Be Silent            

“It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest.” Abraham Lincoln

“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17 NLT

Today marks the 216^th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday here in the United States. Born in a backwoods cabin in rural Kentucky, Lincoln became the 16^th President of the United States during this country’s most turbulent times. Two months before Lincoln’s inauguration the first state to withdraw from the union took place paving the way for the start of the Civil War. Although Lincoln never joined a church or proclaimed association with any religion, he relied heavily on the truths of Scripture especially during his presidential years. Many of his quotes recorded for us in history stem from these truths.

Abraham Lincoln was not one to remain silent on the ills that plagued America during the mid-19^th century. He is noted for saying, ‘It is a sin to be silent when it is your duty to protest.’ James wrote something similar, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (Ja.4:17 nlt) President Lincoln’s greatest accomplishment was the Emancipation Proclamation that eventually ended the horror of slavery in the United States and put an end to the Civil War.

The United States still has horrors today that are afflicting the nation. Sadly, many Christians are standing on the sidelines and not engaging in the protest over evil by remaining silent. Our silence could be considered by some as agreeing with the current anti-God secular worldview. We could be considered as agreeing with the majority. Remember the majority accepted slavery in Lincoln’s time. Today, the majority accepts all kinds of evil as spelled out in God’s Word. Let us not be silent but confront the evils in our society knowing it is a sin not to do what we ought to do.