Seeing Prayer a New Way

John Witherspoon was a scholar, educator, and pastor. In everything he did, he was known as a man of integrity.

Born in Gifford, Scotland, in 1723, he received a Doctorate of Divinity degree from the University of St. Andrews. Because of his reputation, he was recruited to become the first president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). He and his family immigrated to the American colonies in 1768.

Witherspoon quickly gained respect throughout his new homeland with essays appearing in widely-read publications. Initially reluctant to become involved in the colonies’ dispute with the British, eventually he supported American independence, and he was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence.

In 1776, Witherspoon was elected to the Continental Congress. He remained in Congress after the war, serving on more than 100 committees.

A tireless advocate for religious freedoms, he influenced many people, including James Madison, America’s fourth President. Many ideas that Madison wrote into the U.S. Constitution were based on what he learned from Witherspoon about the concept of covenant in the Bible.

Witherspoon passionately believed in Biblical Christianity. He once wrote, “I shall now entreat…you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for ‘there is no salvation in any other.’” He warned of the consequences of life without Jesus: “[If] you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.”

In our time, many think it is foolish to believe in the Bible. But it was true for John Witherspoon and still is true today. As Witherspoon knew, there still is salvation in none other than Jesus.

Renew your faith in Jesus today. Stand on the truths in the Bible. And make your faith the foundation of your life.