Today is Independence Day. It is a celebration of freedom. It commemorates the anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.
There will be parades and speeches, picnics, and barbeques. There will be fireworks, large displays and small.
But as history has oft proven, national freedom can be overpowered at any time by a more powerful outside opponent. (It can also decay and collapse from within.)
But there is a freedom which cannot be overpowered. It is the freedom we have in Christ Jesus our LORD. He purchased that freedom for us … forgiving our sins … and transferring us from the realm of darkness into the Kingdom of Light. Paul reminds us of that in Colossians, Chapter 1.
“He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” [1:12b-14 NLT]
We were slaves to the darkness of our own sin. We stood convicted and doomed for punishment before our Creator. But with the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the Cross, all that changed. Sin was forgiven. Guilt was relieved. Punishment was removed. And in place of that, by faith and trust in His sacrifice, we are made Children of God, living in the Light of Christ.
We celebrate our national freedom today, but we should always remember to celebrate our eternal freedom every day!
