As I sit on my porch, enjoying a somewhat unfresh cup of coffee from my local Cumberland Farms, I watch the bustling traffic of our quaint New England town and reflect on today's significance.
What would this great land have looked like in 1776? By then, a generation of colonists had settled in this valley, with Sheffield established around 1733. Farms would have dotted the landscape, rivers powering mills to grind grain and produce other staples of the colonial economy. Some of the oldest church buildings in our area, including those of the Congregationalists and Quakers, would have been under construction. Unlike today's multicultural melting pot, the population would have been predominantly of English descent.
For decades, these people had endured oppression by the English Crown. Following the fierce fighting of the French and Indian War, the Proclamation of 1763 prohibited settlement past the Appalachian Mountains. Fresh in their memories would have been the events of 1765, when the infamous Stamp Act was passed, requiring that every piece of paper in the colonies bear a stamp purchased from the Crown. This is where the slogan “No taxation without representation!” originated. More recently, in 1774, they faced the Quartering Act, which allowed English soldiers to force themselves upon settlers for room and board at no cost to the soldiers.
For years, the colonists had been unjustly taxed and oppressed by a much greater power, compelled to comply with laws that violated their rights. Who would dare argue against the might of the East India Company and the Crown? To do so would mean death, dishonour, and defeat.
Yet, on this day 248 years ago, a group of brave men gathered in Independence Hall in Philadelphia and inscribed their thoughts onto parchment. While Britain had recognized the conflict as a rebellion since August 1775, the Declaration of Independence formalized the goal of the struggle: freedom from the Crown's oppression.
This document's signing marked the end of one phase of the conflict and the beginning of the Revolutionary War. For seven years, the people of the colonies, including those early settlers I imagined earlier, contributed to the war effort. Through blood, sweat, and sacrifice, the newly minted American people prevailed, culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783.
This sequence of events is an inspirational tale that every American should take pride in. Brave individuals fought for their beliefs, often sacrificing their lives so that others might realise their dreams. Looking across the ocean at the remnants of the once-great British Empire, I see how our struggle inspired 65 other nations to seek freedom, often through bloody rebellions against the tyranny of the empire. With a current combined population of about 3.6 billion, these nations represent nearly 45% of the world once held under British rule. Cultures as varied as India and Ireland, as distant as Morocco and New Zealand, all owe a debt of gratitude to the courage and deeds of men and women in 1776 America.
While I feel immense gratitude for those sacrifices, my thoughts turn to an even greater Declaration of Independence made 2000 years ago. Unlike the one we celebrate today, this declaration proclaimed freedom not just for 45% of the world but for all of humanity. This declaration was made against the ultimate oppressor and tyrant: sin. The man who made this sacrifice was not a mortal like you or me, but God incarnate, Jesus Christ.
Two thousand years ago, the Creator of the Universe sent Himself to walk among us, to lead disciples who would carry His message forward for generations, and ultimately, to act as atonement for our sins and represent us before God. Unlike the repressive taxation policies of the British Empire, God does not hold us to account for things we don’t deserve. No, even worse for some of us, God only holds us accountable for our own actions. Throughout our lives, through the general revelation of God in the universe and the special revelation received through hearing the Word, we learn that our actions have consequences. We know of a spiritual realm that mirrors this one in many ways. As Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
So, what would be the harvest for those who murder? Who defiles others? Who is greedy? The consequences of our good and bad actions are inevitable and just. God declares the righteous justified and the unworthy cast away from Him. But how can I stand and justify my deeds before a just and holy God? How can I claim ignorance when I have heard His Word? Will I be like the man who looks in the mirror and forgets his face once he turns away?
Am I damned while others are saved? Am I the only one yoked by my iniquity, the only one who will be held apart from God? As Romans 3:10 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one." All of mankind, through our lives, sins, and transgressions against God, deserve to be separated from Him. At the great accounting, we should all, justified by our own actions, be directed to the door that leads away from His presence.
But I draw our attention back to that single man 2000 years ago. That man who was God, Jesus Christ. He came and gave us healing not only for this world but a promise of representation before God in the next. Christ laid down a perfect blueprint for how to live our lives; His life. We understand how to live a righteous and godly life through His deeds and words. What way could be more godly than God’s own way? What words could we pray that would please God more than His Son’s? What act of worship could be more appropriate for the Divine than how the Son worshipped the Father?
Most importantly of all, Christ came and gave us freedom from the Law and the Wages of Sin which are death and the grave and bestowed His grace upon us. Unlike the tyranny of the British King, the King of Kings provided representation before any payment was required. Christ Himself represents us and accounts for our sins. His ultimate act, His sacrifice, served not only as the ultimate sign of obedience to God’s will but was the transactional act by which our sins were credited to Christ’s account for payment. As 1 Peter 2:24 reminds us, "He himself bore our sins" in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by His wounds you have been healed."
Our God is an awesome God indeed! Unlike the men who stood on this land in 1776, beholden unjustly to the Crown, we are fully responsible for what we will one day have to pay. How wonderful it is that just as the American militia fought for independence from the Crown, Christ came and won the battle against the grave for all! John 3:16 reminds us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Christ won mankind’s independence from the grave 2000 years ago with His sacrifice on the cross, an act that impacted every soul for eternity. This single act of ultimate obedience to God and self-sacrifice is the blueprint for our lives as Christians.
Today, we should not forget that our identities should not be ordered as “American Christians” or “Christian Americans” but simply “Christians,” for that is what our lives, newly born of the Spirit and the Truth, should be rooted in—Christ. We are Christians first and Christians only, for that is the identity and part of us that is outside of this world. Just as happiness is a mere shadow of joy, so too is our independence as Americans from Britain compared to our independence as Christians from sin.
It is wonderful that we cannot be forced to house and feed soldiers against our will and at our expense, but how much more wonderful is it to know that our Creator walked among us and His very words can be read today? I am grateful for the ability to be represented, albeit in a very flawed manner, in a now broken and corrupt system. However, my gratitude for a perfect and holy representative before the throne of God is immensely more!
My joy today comes from knowing how to live a life that pleases God, as I’ve seen the testament of God’s own life. I have independence and freedom from my former way of life and have found a new living in Christ. Today, I celebrate my freedom from the grave and my independence from sin.
May God bless our nation, the Kingdom of God. May we remember our true citizenship lies in Heaven, where our Savior reigns. Let us live in the freedom He has given us, serving Him with all our hearts. Amen.
Comentários