Faith | Like the freedom our forefathers gave us, Jesus Christ offers freedom too
Growing up, the Fourth of July meant fireworks. Some were public displays, but the best ones were the fireworks my family set off ourselves.
I remember taping firecrackers to rocks, lighting them, and shooting them out of my slingshot. I’d also attach them to tin cans and watch them fly into the air.
Sometimes, I’d even take a tomato, or something else from the garden, and stick a firecracker into it to watch them explode. One year, my uncle got me a special box of shotgun shells that sent fireworks up into the sky.
The Fourth always meant good food, too, and I looked forward to the special meal my mom would cook for all holidays and special occasions.
I don’t really remember being taught much about July 4th except that it was our nation’s birthday. Now I know that America declared its independence from England in 1776 after years of abuses and taxation without representation, despite what was written in the charters when the colonies were set up.
Independence was declared saying, in part, that “all men were created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. “
Our forefathers who signed the Declaration of Independence risked their lives and the well-being of their families. Countless others sacrificed—and or died—in the Revolutionary War to gain our independence from England.
In 1787, the Constitution was written starting out with “We the people of the United States in Order to form a more perfect Union ... .” and then the Bill of Rights followed in 1791.
Today, we have the oldest written constitution still in existence in the world today. It protects our liberty and freedoms along with the continued sacrifices of those in our military.
Our nation was founded on the belief in an almighty, sovereign, just, loving creator God.
Governments are meant to protect one’s liberty and freedoms from evil in the world. Thankfully, our nation was established by Christians—not any particular religious sect—and on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What was the goal? Giving limited power to the government, and the people retain the rest.
As John Adams said, “Our constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
James Madison stated, “Religion is the basis and Foundation of Government.”
George Washington wrote about what he felt made America great: It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
Similar to the freedom our forefathers gave us from the British, Jesus Christ gave us freedom from the bondage of sin.
He sacrificed himself by being brutally crucified, and rose from the grave three days later. This act was on our behalf, taking the punishment we deserve for all our sins; because we are all imperfect beings before an almighty, perfect God.
We now have a choice to believe who Christ is, and trust in his perfect righteousness which he offers to us by believing in what he did for us. Rather than living in bondage to sin for eternity, we can choose to one day live in happiness forever in Heaven.
