At the Breitbart Fight Club Founders’ Roundtable, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) said 2 Timothy 4:7 reflects not only his personal faith but the fighting spirit of the American people, the importance of constitutional freedoms like free speech and religious liberty, and the shared Judeo-Christian values that bind the United States and Israel.
“Paul’s the old guy talking to the young guy, Timothy, and he says, ‘Fight the good fight. Finish the course. Keep the faith,’” Jordan told Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow. “I love that verse because it’s a verse of action. It’s not wimpy, sissy language.”
Jordan said that same perseverance has defined the American people from the very beginning.
“I think it’s a verse that historically has been Americans. Americans are not wimpy people. Americans set goals. They work hard to accomplish things,” he explained. “It is just an attitude that comes right from Scripture.”
He also warned that the First Amendment is under constant threat, particularly the right to speak freely and share one’s faith.
When asked by Marlow about the greatest constitutional challenge facing Congress, Jordan pointed to ongoing threats to the First Amendment, especially the right to speak freely and share one’s faith.
“I am always nervous about the First Amendment, probably more than anything else,” Jordan stated. “Because if you cannot speak, you are afraid of the government. If the government is going to potentially come after you, you cannot practice your faith, cannot share your faith, cannot petition your government, and you do not have a free press.”
Jordan credited America’s founding to religious courage, pointing to those who left Europe to worship freely.
“Think about the people who started this country, in Europe. They said, ‘You’ve got to practice your faith a certain way.’ They said, ‘No, we don’t. We will get on the ship. We will risk it all. We’ll come to a place called America. We can work hard, chase our goals and our dreams. We can make it happen.’”
That legacy, Jordan said, explains why the bond between the United States and Israel remains so strong.
“It is strategic, it is moral, it is Judeo-Christian, it is based on all that,” he said. “And that is special as well.”
“We should be the most thankful people in the world. We understand that Jesus came, bled, died, rose again for us. Grace is amazing. We all need it, and that we also get to live in the greatest country ever,” he affirmed.
