So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
As you read this, many Americans will be celebrating their Independence from England 234 years ago. (No hard feelings, Brits, we still love ya!)
Within my reading audience are those of you who doubt the validity of the Word of God. You have scoffed at its teachings and laughed at its practitioners (us). But you still come back for more. So I have to ask why? Why bother? I’ll tell you why but you won’t like this answer: because you are looking for your own independence inside. You’ve done as others have done but you’re not satisfied; you’re empty.
This is your Day of Independence, and your Day of Dependence in one fell swoop. You can leave your life of sin today. You know you sin but you just can’t get rid of the guilt and shame. You may have even done horrible things. There is forgiveness. The Bible teaches that “if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.” Romans 10:9-10
So where does the Dependence come in? When you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart, you are no longer independent and cast away from God. You are dependent on God for your salvation.
That’s all there is to it. Period. Nothing to do except Believe.
One response to “Dependence Day”
In the Roman world of Paul, Caesar was Lord and was commonly proclaimed as such. – To profess with your lips that “Jesus is Lord” was in effect to publicly assert that Caesar was NOT Lord. – It would be a bit like standing up in Nazi Germany and asserting “Jesus is Führer” – ie a bold, provocative and probably dangerous statement to make! – So the question is who or what occupies the place of Caesar in our modern western world? – For this is what we must challenge if we are to effectively assert – in the terms implied by Paul – that Jesus is Lord.