July 4th is “Independence Day,” the day in which our nation celebrates its independence from England. This day is associated with freedom, as the establishment of independence from the British empire was designed to offer the colonies that formed the United States of America the opportunity to construct a government and system that they thought protected life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Therefore, independence was not declared to escape from all forms of laws and rules but to move out from under laws and forces that were oppressive and hindered life to ones that would help people flourish. The people of the United States were independent of England but now under the law of a new land that they believe leads to freedom.
While the United States is not without fault and flaw, I am thankful for the land that was established to promote liberty and that included as a core principle from its inception, the right for people to worship according to their convictions and beliefs. I am thankful for the freedom I have to worship each week and write about my faith without fear, and I also thankful for the analogy that the nation and its birth can provide for the faith that we are allowed to practice and proclaim.
I believe that the image of freedom and independency found in the history of the United States can actually help us in understanding the gospel message and what it means to be truly free. The gospel message is not that we are now freed in Christ to do whatever it is that we want to do — that there is now no law — but that we have been made “independent” of the law of sin and death that rules over us and terrorizes us, oppressing us rather than helping us to flourish, and brought into a new kingdom, with a new master and a better master (read through Romans 6:15-19; 7:6). As Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
We are in a new regime when we are in Christ, under a new law — one that is perfect. The law of God is where we find true freedom, which is why the apostle James calls it “the perfect law, the law of liberty” (James 1:25), and David declares “the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul … the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes … the rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold “(Psalm 19:7-11). This is because, as Jesus said, they reflect truth and the truth sets us free (John 8:31-38) — free to live as God intended for us as ones made in the image of God. While people often think that freedom is the ability to do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, true freedom is found in Christ, which allows us now to choose to live his way (which is best for us) and to serve others; freedom is meant to be used to help others, not just indulge ourselves (see Galatians 5:13-15; 1 Peter 2:16), which actually is enslaving (see 2 Peter 2:19). The American Revolution was for freedom — a certain type of freedom — but the gospel message brings real freedom — eternal life, true liberty, and ultimate happiness — found in the new law and the ability to keep it.
The differences between the gospel and the American Revolution, of course, are many. While the colonists would have to fight and spill their own blood, our freedom in Christ came at his expense, not at ours. My studies as an amateur historian (I did have a history minor!) point out the mixed motives that the Founding Fathers had; while some leaders certainly were seeking to live out their Christian faith, others were not Christians and others misinterpreted and misused the faith to achieve self-serving motives. The system of checks and balances in the American system reflects the fact we need safeguards because all are sinners, but this system has always had flaws, shown in the failure of the initial Articles of Confederation and need for amendments to the Constitution; the law of Christ never needs updating or correction. These flaws and issues in America need not undercut any respect or allegiance towards it but to remind us of our ultimate citizenship, which is no nation on this earth (Philippians 3:20), and the fact that we await the perfect kingdom in terms of the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 21).
Therefore, the gospel message is our own Declaration of Independence that we must continually remember, proclaim, and protect. May we reflect and live into this freedom not just one day a year, not just with fireworks and loud displays, but each day in every action and choice that we make. We are freed in Christ to be the people that God designed us to be.
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