Lessons of 2026
Lesson No. Twenty-Eight

The United States Constitution was Necessary for the Gospel to be Restored

Celebrating the Declaration of Independence. We recently had a wonderful nationwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and it should be celebrated. John Adams writing to his wife Abigail foresaw our celebration:

“The fourth day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forevermore.”

The Declaration of Independence was a forerunner for the Constitution. As important and wonderful as the Declaration of Independence is, it is, like John the Baptist was to Jesus, a forerunner preparing the way for something far greater. Unfortunately, many Americans are unaware of the importance of the Constitution of the United States.

Constitution Day is celebrated each year on September 17. On this date at Independence Hall in 1787 at Philadelphia, 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention endorsed the Constitution of the United States of America. As a nation we should do more to celebrate the Constitution.

Abraham Lincoln spoke about the importance of the Constitution in his First and Second Inaugural addresses and in the Gettysburg Address. His first known public address on the Constitution was given in Springfield Illinois on January 27, 1838 (Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address.) Lincoln was 28 years old, and this address marked the beginning of his inspired contribution and great legacy to our country.

“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?-- Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!--All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reaches us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

Lincoln believed the United States could never be conquer by force, but “as a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” This means that if the people and leaders of the United States ignore the divinely inspired Constitution our country will die of suicide.

Lincoln continued with inspired council that applies to our day: “Let reverence for the Constitution be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap--let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs;--let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.”

The Lord has raised up President Dallin H. Oaks to defend the Constitution. President Oaks said as much as he began his landmark sermon Defending our Divinely Inspired Constitution: “In this troubled time, I have felt to speak about the inspired Constitution of the United States. This Constitution is of special importance to our members in the United States, but it is also a common heritage of constitutions around the world” (General Conference, April 2021).

“In these remarks I do not speak for any political party or other group. I speak for the United States Constitution, which I have studied for more than 60 years. I speak from my experience as a law clerk to the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. I speak from my 15 years as a professor of law and my 3½ years as a justice on the Utah Supreme Court. Most important, I speak from 37 years as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, responsible to study the meaning of the divinely inspired United States Constitution to the work of His restored Church” (Ibid, emphasis mine). This is especially significant because, since this sermon was given, the Lord has made President Oaks the Prophet leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The United States Constitution is unique because God revealed that He “established” it “for the rights and protection of all flesh” (D&C 101:77; see also vs 80). That is why this constitution is of special concern for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world” (Ibid).

“What was God’s purpose in establishing the United States Constitution? We see it in the doctrine of moral agency…. God has given His children moral agency—the power to decide and to act. The most desirable condition for the exercise of that agency is maximum freedom for men and women to act according to their individual choices. Then, the revelation explains, “every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment” (D&C 101:78). “Therefore,” the Lord revealed, “it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another” (D&C 101:79). This obviously means that human slavery is wrong. And according to the same principle, it is wrong for citizens to have no voice in the selection of their rulers or the making of their laws” (Ibid).

President Oaks identified five inspired Constitutional provisions, one being a bill of rights. “Without a Bill of Rights, America could not have served as the host nation for the Restoration of the gospel, which began just three decades later. There was divine inspiration in the original provision that there should be no religious test for public office, but the addition of the religious freedom and antiestablishment guarantees in the First Amendment was vital. We also see divine inspiration in the First Amendment’s freedoms of speech and press…”

“Our belief in divine inspiration gives Latter-day Saints a unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and principles of constitutionalism wherever we live… There are other duties that are part of upholding the inspired Constitution. We should learn and advocate the inspired principles of the Constitution. We should seek out and support wise and good persons who will support those principles in their public actions. We should be knowledgeable citizens who are active in making our influence felt in civic affairs…” (Ibid; see also my Lesson 24, By the Wisdom and Power of the Father).

Testimony. President Oaks said: “We should trust in the Lord and be positive about this nation’s future” (Ibid). I whole heartedly agree, and am going to do what President Oaks requested by occasionally writing about and testifying of our divinely inspired Constitution.

Released on August 2nd. 2026.