A dispute has arisen in the presidential campaign. Some people are arguing that, in order to be fully committed to the future of the United States, a leader needs to have physical, biological descendants.

Apparently, someone making this assertion never heard of Queen Elizabeth I. She is sometimes called the Virgin Queen because she never married and died childless.

Why did she never marry?

As a political matter, in that era of male domination, any husband of Queen Elizabeth would have effectively ruled England. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth’s wisdom discerned that, to keep potential allies and enemies in line, she needed to be able to dangle the possibility of a marriage alliance in front of potential allies and enemies, foreign and domestic.

As a patriotic matter, Queen Elizabeth decided she would never marry because she was “already bound to a husband which is the Kingdom of England.” (Royal Museums).

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, I’ll point out that George Washington is known as the “Father of his Country.” Yet he had no legitimate, biological children.

George Washington was a step-father to two children of his wife, Martha. But those who criticize Kamala Harris for not having children ignore that she is a step-mother to two children of her husband, Doug Emhoff!

We should have the same attitude about the irrelevance of biological ties as John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul did.

John the Baptist told the unrepentant crowds coming to him to be baptized:

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father [meaning for our “ancestor”]. I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:7-8; Matthew 3:8-9).

Jesus refused to let his mother and his brothers interrupt him while he was teaching.

His enemies from the religious establishment were denouncing him.

[T]hey were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” (Mark 3:30).

Then Jesus’s mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

(Mark 3:30-35).

Another time, when teaching to crowds in Jerusalem, Jesus made a similar point, rejecting an assertion that biological ties are relevant.

. . . Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” . . .

“Abraham is our father,” they answered.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.”

(John 8:31-40).

Note that Jesus emphasized the “spiritual truth” that they were slaves to sin.

He didn’t resort to the “biological truth” that their ancestors had been slaves in Egypt! Nor did he point to the “physical truth” that at that very moment they were little more than slaves of the Roman Empire.

The Apostle Paul made a similar point in his letters to Jews and non-Jews in the churches in Galatia and Rome. (Galatians 1:1; Romans 1:7).

To the Galatians, Paul wrote:

. . . Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” [paraphrasing Genesis 15:6].

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the [non-Jews] by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

(Galatians 3:6-9).

And to the Romans, Paul wrote:

A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit . . .. (Romans 2:28-29).

One key tenet of racism and nationalism is categorizing people based on their biological ties.

As Martin Luther King proclaimed in his famous “I Have a Dream Speech”, we must strive to establish an America where all people “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Similarly, the Apostle Paul taught us that in the Way of Jesus:

in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. There is neither Jew nor [non-Jew], neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s [descendants] and heirs according to the promise.

You are Abraham’s descendants and heirs spiritually—not biologically!

We are Americans spiritually—not biologically, if we strive to establish the America that was first discovered in the hearts of Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

We are Americans spiritually if we strive to bless all people (Abraham), challenge all pharaohs to set all people free (Moses), and heal all hurting people (Jesus).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

What are your biological ties to people today and in the past who committed themselves to the Way of Abraham? To the Way of Moses? To the Way of the Prophets? To the Way of Jesus?

What are your spiritual ties to people today and in the past who committed themselves to the Way of Abraham? To the Way of Moses? To the Way of the Prophets? To the Way of Jesus?

What are your biological ties to people today and in the past who committed themselves to the America discovered in the hearts of Abraham (bless all people), of Moses (challenge all pharaohs to set all people free), and of Jesus (heal all hurting people)?

What are your spiritual ties to people today and in the past who committed themselves to the America discovered in the hearts of Abraham (bless all people), of Moses (challenge all pharaohs to set all people free), and of Jesus (heal all hurting people)?

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For related thoughts, please read my blogs, “Pandemic Wisdom: Visions of America” “We Need Inspiring Visions of a Bright Future. Why?”, “Civilizations and Governments: Overcoming Fear and Discouragement”, and “Overcoming Divisions”.