Your Coins Will Tell You

Since 1873, a phrase has appeared on every issued coin of United States of America currency. Your immediate thought may be In God We Trust, but this phrase was already appearing on currency since the 1860's. In fact, it appears on the front of the Great Seal of the United States and was the de facto motto of the United Sates (meaning in practice but not by law) until 1956 when Congress passed H.J. Resolution 396 making In God We Trust the official motto of the United States. What is it? E pluribus unum.

I thought this was incredibly interesting, since most of the time I just shove the coins I find into some jar or my pocket and never bother to look at them. But to me, this phrase caught my attention so I took out my Sherlock Holmes magnifying glass (no not really, I used the internet) and started my research on what this phrase means in English and how it originated. First of all, I discovered that it was used or a variant version of it was used formally by persons like Heraclitus, Augustine, and Virgil. Secondly, the founding fathers, versed in Latin writings among other languages, would no doubt have been aware of it first and suggested it in 1776 and then officially adopted it in 1782, though as stated previously, it was never codified by law since the Constitution was not ratified until 1787. Thirdly, it was first used on currency in 1776 and eventually made it to the Seal of the United States.  Fourthly, translated from Latin it means, "out of many one."(Just as a side note, another interesting fact is that the phrase consists of thirteen letters to identify with the original thirteen colonies). But, I know, enough of the history lesson, right? Okay.

The founding fathers used this phrase to describe their providential opportunity to begin a new nation, but when I started thinking about this phrase, I couldn't help but think about Jesus Christ. He truly was the one Person out of many people. The Bible says in in Romans 5:15, "But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many..." and in vs. 18, "Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."  These verses clearly state that because of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden, every person who has ever lived has inherited a sinful nature; but these verses also clearly state that through one man's Person and work, Jesus Christ (who became a man and died on the cross for us), every man or woman has an opportunity to have eternal life. 

What made him different than any other man? First, He became a man. You may be thinking, well I became a man or a woman too.  What's the big deal? The big deal is that His Person was not originally a man, He was and still is God. The Bible tells us this in Philippians 2:5-7, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" Amazingly enough, before He ever became a man, He was God.

Second, he never sinned. The Bible tells us this in II Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin..." Sin in its general sense is whenever we do, think, or say something that is contrary to God's laws; sin in its specific sense is when we "miss the mark," when we fall short of who God wants us to be. Can you honestly name one person besides Jesus Christ who is not guilty of either? If we are being honest, of course we can't. The Bible affirms this in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 

Third, he died for us. Philippians 2:8 states, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." A man or a woman might die for a friend or family member, and unfortunately many across the world are put in those types of situations, and courageously do. However, what about your enemies? Or people you never knew? Christ did and that makes Him all the more special, "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8)."

Fourth, He raised Himself from the dead. I Corinthians 5:3-5 reads, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" The truth is that the Resurrection of Christ is the foundation for the Christian faith. If He did not raise Himself from the dead, then everything about Christianity is vain, because He is just like every other man and not who He said He was. However, He is alive today and over 500 people witnessed Him alive at one time. This is not true with "supposed" religious leaders. Where is Muhammad buried? Within a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Where is Buddha buried? Well, he was cremated and his "relics" are supposed to be in Sri Lanka. And what about Confucius? In Qufu, China. Also Mary Baker Eddy, Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell?....time would not allow us to go through every person but the point is that none of them are still alive today. Only Jesus Christ. It would be easier to find the rarest diamond or sunken treasure then to find the bones of Jesus Christ. He is alive today and is able to meet all of our needs.
Last, He alone can save. In John 14:6 Christ says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me." It is a lie from Satan to believe that all roads (religions) eventually go to the same place. There is only way; and that way is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 
Truly, Jesus Christ is the E Pluribus Unum. Out of everyone that has ever lived or ever will live - only one Person was God before He became a man, lived a sinless life, because of that sinless life was a substitute for your sin, could raise Himself from the dead, and can save others by His power. The next time you look at a coin, be reminded of Christ!


In Christ,


Pastor Jon
Philippians 2:15


Followup Question: In Romans Chapter 5, why is Christ viewed as the "Second Adam?"