It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

On July 4, 1776, 250 years ago this Saturday, during the 2nd Continental Congress, the 56 delegates from the 13 original American Colonies voted to approve and adopt the Declaration of Independence, thereby declaring themselves free from the tyrannical rule of King George of Great Britain. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by John Adams and others, the Preamble famously proclaims:

“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.”

In what is considered to be one of the most significant lines in historical literature, Jefferson declares the undeniable truth that deep within the human soul is the yearning for freedom. The Declaration of Independence formalized the American Revolutionary War, in which our founding fathers fought and died to secure our independence as a nation so as to provide the liberties and benefits we are now afforded as citizens of this great nation. Our freedom was purchased with their blood! We honor them by remembering their sacrifice and living in the freedom they purchased for us.

The yearning for freedom was built into us when God created man. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they were free—they were free to know God. True freedom is found only in a relationship with God because God created us to freely know and glorify Him. Adam and Eve were free to approach God and spend time with God. There were no barriers. The doors to God’s throne room were always open to them. They were free—until they weren’t!

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)

God gave Adam permission to eat from any tree in the Garden with one exception, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gave Adam a choice. “Don’t eat from that tree and live to enjoy your relationship with Me. Eat from the tree and die, i.e., lose the freedom to know Me.” It was a simple choice. Life or death. Freedom or bondage. Unfortunately, Adam chose the good-looking fruit over knowing God. When God promised Adam that he would “surely die,” He didn’t mean he would cease to exist, but that he would be eternally separated from his relationship with God. In essence, Adam lost God and there was no hope for him to return. Since man was not designed to be his own master, someone or something would take over. Bob Dylan sang, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna serve somebody.” Now that God was out of the equation with that first bite, Sin began its tyrannical reign, and Adam and all his descendants, including each of us, hopelessly fell into its bondage. We no longer had the freedom to choose God. But God…

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?(Hebrews 9:11-14)

Sin and Death separated us from God, leaving us without hope or the ability to fulfill our created purpose. Since we had no ability to satisfy our sin debt, we needed forgiveness and forgiveness requires blood.

“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)

The big problem was that our blood wasn’t good enough because it isn't pure. Neither is the blood of any animal we may sacrifice. But Jesus’ blood is. He shed His precious, pure, and perfect blood to pay our debt and set us free from the bondage of sin and death. He took our death so that we could return to Life with the Father. Jesus purchased our freedom with His blood. We honor Him by remembering His sacrifice and living in the freedom He purchased for us.

As we celebrate our nation's 250th Birthday, be sure to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to provide and protect our liberty by being responsible citizens of our great nation. More importantly, let’s honor our Savior for His Ultimate Sacrifice by extending the forgiveness we have received to those who have wounded us.

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

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