Today being the celebration of our nation’s independence, we must remind ourselves of the privileges of freedom. According to verse 16 of our text, we are free because of Jesus. In the same way that our Revolutionary War made us politically free, we are spiritually free when we have invited Christ into our lives to be our Savior.
It is our obligation to discover the ideals of yesterday that took community men and made them patriots, made them heroes. These were men whose conscience would not allow them to stand aside while their neighbors suffered. There was a unique and special call to such men that echoes down the chambers of time to us. To be free is to let ourselves be bound by rules and technicalities that we support by free votes. As men unbound by government dominance, each of us have a responsibility to make choices for ourselves. It is also our responsibility to bear up under the consequences of our choices. As we look into the world community, our determination to be free also must extend to make others free also.
In our relationship with Christ as Savior, we cannot help but be grateful that he has freed us from the worst of all bondage that would drag us into eternity.(John 8:36) The reason we needed Jesus in the first place was for him to make us free from the consequences and effects of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) In turning away from the slavery of this natural world, as believers in the Almighty we voluntarily make ourselves slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:18) Let us take care not to abuse our spiritual condition gifted to us by Jesus so that the liberty he provides is not misused. (1 Peter 2:16) As followers of Christ, we are privileged to give forth the fruits of holiness while in the process of gaining eternal life. (Romans 6:22)
Celebrating our independence from a dominant cruel king is also a time to celebrate the blessedness we gain from the cross. The celebration of this Fourth of July is a holiday while the celebration we have through salvation is a holy day.
Christian Writer 