Red, White, and Blue

WHY IS SHE CALLED OLD GLORY? Why are the colors red, white, and blue? Why only thirteen stripes? Read on for an education!

According to tradition, in 1776, Gen. George Washington, Col. George Ross and Robert Morris brought a rough sketch to a Philadelphia upholstery shop, located on 239 Arch Street in Philadelphia. Betsy Ross went to work and produced the first American flag, created by Congress in 1777. The thirteen white and red stripes and the circle of thirteen stars were to represent the thirteen colonies which at that time formed the nation.

Old Glory is one of the world's oldest national flags, preceded only by Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. She flies on top of Mount Everest and even on the moon! Designed by Francis Hopkinson, the Congress of the Confederation chose red, white, and blue as the colors. Red symbolizes valor and hardness, white symbolizes purity and innocence, blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance, and justice. George Washington interpreted the elements of the flag this way: Red -- the British colors; White -- secession from the home country; Blue -- the sky of stars. In 1831, Captain William Driver, a shipmaster from Salem, Massachusetts, unfurled the stars and stripes on his ship and, as it opened to the ocean breeze, he exclaimed, "Old Glory!" The name stuck and later that very same flag flew over the Tennessee capitol.

God's Colors

It is very interesting that God uses the colors red, white, and blue in speaking to us. Come with me and take a look in the Holy Bible.

Considering the fact that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), God pleads with us, saying, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). Isn't it interesting that God actually wants to reason with us about our sins? Why? Well, the answer is simple. God warns us that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) and to die in one's sins separates the individual from God forever. This involves far more than mere physical death. It involves the second death. Notice the sobering words, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14,15). The stain of sin must be removed if one is ever to enter heaven. Many seek to remove that stain by good works or clean living. Such efforts are useless as a cleansing agent. There is only one remedy for the removal of one's stains. God tells us that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). That is essentially why Christ died. He died on behalf of our sins. God mentions a throng of people that placed their trust in God's Son for the remission of their sins by saying they "have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14). There's an old hymn that used to be sung quite frequently which goes like this:

Have you trusted Jesus and His saving power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Even though we are defiled by sin, God loves us. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Heaven is above the blue sky. In order to die on our behalf, Christ had to leave heaven and become a Man. "The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14). The Lord Himself said, "For even the Son of man (Jesus) came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). This He did on the Cross at Calvary.

Down from the glory the Saviour came,
Down to the Cross and the death of shame;
Gazing in wonder I there exclaim --
Jesus died for me.

Yes, my dear friend, "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ... He was buried, and ... He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). To benefit from His work on the Cross for the cleansing of your sins, there is absolutely no work involved on your part. Christ has done it all! The good news is, "as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). The question was asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:30, 31). The opportunity is yours. You can be cleansed from all your sins today, apart from good works, simply by trusting Him as your Saviour. Why not now?

ROBERT E. SURGENOR, Evangelist