A Day of Independence
A DAY OF INDEPENDENCE
Independence is the state of being free of the control of some other person, country, or thing. National revolutions are about obtaining independence from another country, and the most recognized in this country is the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), which led to America's freedom from Great Britain. We celebrate our independence on a specific day, July 4th, even though it took a much longer time than one day and cost a great deal to realize that independence!
Throughout the 8+ years of the war, an estimated 6,800 Americans were killed in action, 6,100 wounded, and upwards of 20,000 were taken prisoner. Historians believe that at least an additional 17,000 deaths were the result of disease, including about 8,000–12,000 who died while being prisoners of war.
The Continental Congress of the American colonies, voted for independence on July 2nd, 1776. Two days later, on July 4th, a declaration explaining the reasons for independence, largely written by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted. Commander in Chief George Washington received official notification when a letter dated July 6 arrived from John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, along with a copy of the declaration.
Hancock explained that Congress had struggled with American independence for some time, and even after making this momentous decision, many members were worried about its consequences. He concluded that Americans would have to rely on the "Being who controls both Causes and Events to bring about his own determination," a sentiment which Washington shared. For the commander-in-chief, who needed to lead his untrained army against Great Britain, the decision for independence came as welcome news, especially since his men would now fight not merely in defense of their colonies but for the birth of a new nation.
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
The Declaration goes on to list 18 grievances against the King of Great Britain that were considered worthy of a revolutionary war. The document was signed by 56 Representatives of the United States of America.
It would be a few years after the war that there was need of a centralized government and leader, which would lead to the writing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, and it would take 2 years before it would be adopted and put into place in 1789. George Washington was put in place as the first president under this new constitution and served for 8 years before retiring in 1797. A newly independent nation now had a document to ensure that freedoms would be protected, and tyranny not given the upper hand again!
Fast forward around 80 years from the end of the Revolutionary War and we get into the American Civil War, where there is another fight for independence!
As the civil war ended, but before the southern states were re-admitted to the United States, the northern states added the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The amendments are also known as the "Civil War Amendments." The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, the 14th Amendment guaranteed that citizens would receive “equal protection under the law,” and the 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote. Each of these was a move toward independence and freedoms for the affected individuals.
What was the cost of those freedoms? The number of soldiers who died between 1861 and 1865, generally estimated at 620,000, is approximately equal to the total of American fatalities in the following wars: the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, all combined.
Fast forward around 13 years after the Civil War ended and the women’s suffrage movement is presented as an amendment in 1878. It was denied and would take multiple attempts and 41 years before it would be realized in 1919 and women would have the independence to vote and make their voices heard.
Fast forward another 30+ years into the 1950’s and 60’s to the civil rights movement, which was a fight for equity, independence, and opportunity that was due to bigoted thinking and hatred that had been in place for a long time, partly because of evolutionary ungodly principles. To marginalize black people, keep them separate from white people and erase the progress they’d made during the Reconstruction (a period of time after the civil war ended and slavery was abolished), “Jim Crow” laws were established in the South beginning in the late 1800’s. Black people couldn’t use the same public facilities as white people, live in many of the same towns or go to the same schools. Interracial marriage was illegal, and most Black people couldn’t vote because they were unable to pass voter literacy tests.
We are in the midst of another civil rights movements so to speak even today. A small, but extremely loud, group of individuals are transforming our culture to bend to their will and give them all the acceptance and validity that they desire. It’s not enough that they already have the independence to do whatever they want for the most part, but they want to take your independence away by forcing you to accept their beliefs. They will not rest until you call them what they want to be called, you also must validate their feelings even if they run counter to reality or your understanding, and fully accept whatever it is that they shout as loud as they can until they get what they want (kind of like a 2-year-old having a tantrum). They are seeking control at the expense of the independence of others. To control what you can say, how you should think, and what you can do so long as it lines up with what they find acceptable. And anything to the contrary will be punished in some way!
Come to think of it, humanity has always been enslaved and sought independence in one form or another. Human slavery has been around since the beginning of time and has affected every country and people group. It is not something that has just recently popped up in the last 200 years and has only affected African Americans and now we need to pay reparations for something none of us alive ever had any part in. Human trafficking of women and children has long been in place and is still done today, regardless of the color of your skin (race).
The Israelites have a long history of being enslaved, from the Pharaoh’s of Egypt to the Assyrian (northern kingdom – Israel) and the Babylonian (southern kingdom – Judah) captivities. These are not small-numbered or short-termed captivities. Even when Jesus was on earth Israel was under Roman occupation and not free, which is why the disciples and those around Jesus were looking for him to overthrow the Roman government and take over!
The very first notion of “I feel like I am under someone else’s control and need to be independent and free” is found in Genesis chapter 3!
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Or in another words, is God trying to control you? Does he really have your best interest at heart? Doesn’t he trust you to make decisions for yourself?)
Genesis 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
Genesis 3:3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Besides adding a command that was not given, she confirms the command God gave and the penalty for disobedience – affirming that God just might have their best interest in mind.)
Genesis 3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (Which was a flat out lie and the first one that they would have ever heard! Without knowing that anything could lie it would have been difficult to understand if it was true or not, and then how to deal with that.)
Genesis 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Adding more to the lie as this was what Satan wanted himself, which was to be like God – Isaiah 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ - he reinforces the false idea that God does not want us to be independent and free, but rather under His thumb and held back like God is some kind of dictator or tyrant.)
Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (She had to make a decision based on what God said, the serpent had just said, and what here senses were telling her. After all, the verse is saying that the fruit on the tree looked delicious, and if it tasted good then it must BE good, right? Also, it was so beautiful to look at that it must be good, because if it were bad for me, it should be ugly, right? Finally, wisdom is a good thing so no one can fault me for being proud for getting some more of that, right? In the end she decided that the serpent was right, and God was either lying or trying to control them, so she wanted to be independent and free! And apparently it didn’t take a whole lot to convince Adam who was with her.)
Notice that the 3 criteria she used to make her decision, and convince her husband who was with her sound awful familiar…
1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
- The desires of the flesh - the woman saw that the tree was good for food. (Lusting for fleshly desires, “their god is their belly” mentality, seeking pleasure rather than God.)
- The desires of the eyes - and that it was a delight to the eyes. (Only judging from an external perspective, not focusing internally – “You wash the outside of the cup, but the inside is full of dead men’s bones” – longing and lusting for what gives your eyes pleasure, and that is an ever-escalating problem!)
- The pride of life - the tree was to be desired to make one wise. (“The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God, the proud will be made low, and there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death!” – not thinking God’s wisdom was enough she elevated her own wisdom to the same level or above God’s - pride.)
The decision for independence from God’s will, brought a curse, pain, disease, suffering, and death! It brought the slavery of sin into existence, which is the opposite of freedom or independence…it divided the physical and spiritual realms – spiritual death and separation from God and created two kingdoms – a good kingdom ruled by God, and a bad kingdom ruled by the Devil, or the prince of the power of the air!
By the time of the flood, the sinful nature of man had become so bad that it records this in:
Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Hardly a convincing verse about the wonderful effects of having freedom and independence from God! On the contrary, they were only free or independent from God’s will or righteousness. You are a slave to one thing while being free from another, or vice-versa! The Apostle Paul made this clear in the book of Romans:
SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
Romans 6:15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Dead to sin now means we don’t have to obey the law, right? So, we can just keep on sinning if we want without worrying about any consequences because God’s grace covers it all anyway? – what a foolish thought! That ought never be so…)
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Only 2 options in this buffet where you are a slave – sin or obedience/righteousness.)
Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, (Obedience comes from God’s Word and God’s Spirit!)
Romans 6:18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (We were free for a second and then BAM! – slaves again…)
Romans 6:19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. (This kind of slavery has a reward! – sanctification…setting apart and a transformation process until we die)
Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. (Dead from our trespasses in sin…)
Romans 6:21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Not a great reward for supposedly being free and independent…)
Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Adding another reward to the list, eternal life after the sanctification process/death!)
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Free, as in I don’t have to earn it? – That’s right, it’s a gift for the taking with rewards on both sides of eternity!)
So, according to God’s Word, you will always be free and a slave at the same time! If you submit to God, then you are a slave of His will and free from the effects of your sin nature. If you give in to your sin nature, then you are a slave of your own will and free from the righteousness that comes from God. There is no neutral ground here as God’s Word makes it plain:
Matthew 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Your house is either built on sinking sand or on the solid rock.
You choose either life or death, heaven or hell, good or evil, light or darkness.
Obedience or disobedience, truth or lies, and of course sin or righteousness.
Absolute truth will always cause division among human minds as it draws a straight line in the sand that is black and white on either side. While we might like to think of ourselves as good people, deserving rewards and heaven, and even sometimes on the fence as if we were on neutral ground, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that without God we are not good and definitely part of the wrong kingdom!
While all of those choices are polar opposites, the ideas of slavery and freedom, or independence, will always exist at the same time in regard to any human being and their beliefs. You cannot escape that reality! It can be especially frustrating for a believer who is still stuck in a body with a sin nature that is trying to be free from sin, but still messes up from time to time – perhaps you and I can relate to that struggle juuuuuuuust a little bit…it is something that Paul continues to write about in Romans in the next chapter:
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. (Using a term associated with slavery, we are “sold” as slaves to sin in our fleshly state – much like Joseph’s brother sold him into slavery to get rid of him and his fancy pants coat!)
Romans 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Godly knowledge alone is not enough. Godly knowledge and discernment are necessary to the equation, but without the Holy Spirit empowering us all that knowledge will be of no use against the power of our flesh and we will give in and do what we don’t want to.)
Romans 7:16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. (The very purpose of the law is to show us our sin and point us in the right direction to godly righteousness, which is good!)
Romans 7:17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Paul is not passing the buck or shifting the blame so we can be free from guilt when we do bad things. Rather, he is pointing to an inner nature that is against God that we all possess that cannot be defeated by our own efforts – it is alive inside of us and a force to be reckoned with!)
Romans 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak! Being born of the flesh means not being born with any good or godly character, and no ability to transform ourselves no matter how many 10-step books we buy! – compared to God’s goodness all our so called good deeds are like filthy rags!)
Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Further cementing the 2 natures that live side by side in a born-again believer, waging war over our intentions and affections – again, showing the weakness of our flesh without the Holy Spirit’s aide.)
Romans 7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (The sin nature we are born with is extremely powerful and cannot be overcome by sheer willpower or determination, but rather by God alone! Paul makes this point over and over as if somehow, we might miss the point, or not think that it is important!)
Romans 7:21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. (Evil is never more present when intentions are pure and godly – evil will not fight against itself, only against good. Satan’s kingdom is not divided but unified against anything good or godly.)
Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, (being a slave of righteousness and reaping the benefits of the fruits of the spirit along with a future hope. It is a joy to obey and understand God’s will, not a burden.)
Romans 7:23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. (Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places – it is a war that is going on around us and inside us as well!)
Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Paul leaves his readers with a cliffhanger for 1 verse before He delivers an answer! And the answer reveals why our sin nature can’t be beat on our own as it takes God to defeat it! While we might be looking around for someone to save us or tell us how to save ourselves, the Bible makes it clear that God will do the saving!)
Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (In this life we can never completely conquer the flesh, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, and with what Christ accomplished on the cross, and with the Father’s eternal plan, we can surrender our minds to the law of God. We can be transformed and pick up our crosses daily and die to our self and our fleshly desires. Bit by bit, day by day!)
All of this lays the groundwork for the most often quoted verse about independence as “the truth will set us free” – and perhaps is underrated or misunderstood.
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Notice the contrasts in this entire section – starting off with light vs. darkness.)
John 8:13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” (Just like Satan called God a liar in the garden to Eve, the religious leaders now call Jesus a liar.)
John 8:14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. (Revealing the fact that they had no idea who He was or where He came from or what His purpose was in being there!)
John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. (Just like Eve, looking on the shallow, external, selfish side of things.)
John 8:16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. (Essentially call them out for telling Him He is a liar and using the authority of the Father as well to back Him up.)
John 8:17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15)
John 8:18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” (At this point they are starting to wonder who this guy’s Father is as He keeps referencing Him all the time!)
John 8:19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” (What a slap in the face! The chosen nation’s most religious and learned people have no idea who Jesus is or the God they supposedly worship!)
John 8:20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. (Jesus was speaking to them in the house of God no less…)
John 8:21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” (Pretty bold statement…no forgiveness for them, no heaven for them, just death!)
John 8:22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” (Again, showing they have no idea who Jesus is or what He is talking about!)
John 8:23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. (More distinct contrasts made here, below and above – and the two kingdoms, an earthly one and a heavenly one.)
John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (Cementing the fact that He is the way, truth, and life, and the only way, truth, and life and that no other name under heaven will be given by which man might be saved.)
John 8:25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. (The Messiah that they have been waiting and longing for is standing a few feet away from them…they are too blind and enslaved in their sin to recognize or understand who Jesus is!)
John 8:26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
John 8:27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father.
John 8:28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
John 8:29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
John 8:30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. (The most die-hard fanatical religious leaders never understood, but many others who were listening did and believed! – and this is what the next section is for as it contrasts these 2 groups of people!)
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (This was not directed at the religious leaders but that didn’t stop them from responding!)
John 8:33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (Apparently, they need a history lesson as the descendants of Abraham were enslaved numerous times from one generation to the next! Even then they were not free and under Roman occupation!)
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. (Moving from their question of physical enslavement Jesus paints the picture from a moral and practical realm – our actions.)
John 8:35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. (Alluding to judgment and death and removal from God’s house as it is prepared only for believers.)
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (Interesting that it is something they cannot do themselves as that was what their entire religious system was set up on – works of self-righteousness to earn freedom/heaven.)
John 8:37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. (Speaking of the literal line, but not a spiritual one as they refused Jesus and sought to kill Him instead.)
John 8:38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (Contrasting the 2 fathers – God and the Devil.)
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Jesus brings the conversation full circle and tells them they are the liars, not Him, and that their actual father is the Devil and not Abraham and His God.)
John 8:45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. (He even goes so far as to say that they would only believe lies! – and not the truth that is literally right in front of their noses!
When Jesus sets you free, He makes you a slave at the same time! The religious leaders were slaves to sin as was the crowd around Him. The ones who believed and followed Jesus were set free from the bonds of that sin only to be replaced with the shackles of righteousness! Not that it is some kind of prison or death sentence as the opposite of that is the truth. Being a slave to righteousness means the best life you could ever have now, and an eternity that is beyond description! It’s what a loving Father wants for His children and as He created us, He does know what is best!
This Independence Day think about what you are free from and what you are a slave to. Both of those are true at the same time – what you value and believe will affect everyone around you in this life, and yourself in this life and the life to come! Choose wisely! On July 4th we celebrate a day of independence as a nation free to govern itself and impart on its citizens the type of rule they demand. There is also a day of salvation where we can celebrate our independence from sin and have God govern our lives and rule over us. There is also coming a day of judgment where we will be judged according to our faith in the Son of God who paid the price for our sin. That will lead to the total independence from sin and usher in a heavenly eternity for those who believe.
What kind of day is today for you? What do you want to be free from? What are you a slave of?
Let’s pray…