A few days ago, as people all around the United States celebrated Independence Day, my wife and I celebrated In-dependence Day. “Why?” you may ask. It is because we refuse to give up on the rights proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence:
“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.”
We have just come to terms with a better understanding that while the Declaration of Independence proclaims our independence from Great Britain, it also proclaims our in-dependence to God. This is a sentiment exceptionally stated for all times in the sentence quoted above. Our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were accurately proclaimed to have been endowed upon us by our Creator.
From the day the Declaration of Independence was signed through to this very day, we have debated, argued, passed laws, fought battles and even rioted in an attempt to provide those things that were rightfully proclaimed gifts from our Creator through our human efforts. In the very same way, too many of us try to achieve the gift and promise of salvation through our own efforts, even though the Scriptures tell us that our salvation is also a gift from God.
Yet, we as a nation—or for that matter, the entire world—will never fully understand the truth of what Thomas Jefferson penned so long ago until we, as humanity, transform our minds and hearts. Until we begin to fully understand that while this document severed our ties as a nation to Great Britain, it also permanently established our ties to our Creator.
Those men so long ago didn’t simply sign the Declaration of Independence; they did something far greater: They signed our Declaration of Dependence. For too many years, we have reveled in our history of rebellion against Great Britain when we should have been rejoicing in our submission to God.
I believe it is long past the time that we, especially those within the body of Christ, begin to proclaim and celebrate our nation’s independence. Until we, as a nation, submit to the one who endowed us with our unalienable rights, we will never fully “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.” {eoa}
Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.
