Our Declaration of Independence ~ blog

In the United States of America, we celebrate our nation’s independence from the British Empire on the 4th of July.  Here are the facts surrounding that day.

  • They actually declared independence on July 2nd.
  • It wasn’t the start of the American Revolution – that was in April 1775.
  • It wasn’t the day Jefferson wrote the first draft – that was June of 1776.
  • It wasn’t the date it was delivered to Great Britain – that November 1776.
  • It wasn’t the date they all signed it – that was August 2nd, 1776.

July 4th was the day the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the document following discussions about the exact wording.  So, now you know.

There is a more important declaration of independence that we all need to know about and that is the day each of us accepted Christ to be our Savior.  On that day there were no signed documents, long drawn out debates about certain words or statements, and fear in our hearts about the reaction of our enemy.

It was the day on which we were born again.  It was the day when God the Father drew us to Jesus, the Spirit convicted us that we were sinners in need of a Savior, and God gave us the grace and faith to believe.

That day, when it was for you, I have no idea, but for me was sometime in September 1972. I had no idea all the things that happened to me on that day because I was ignorant of what the Bible teaches us. However, what happened for each of us on the day of our justification was truly miraculous with eternal consequences.  Here are the highlights of what happened to each of us on our Day of Salvation.

First – we went from being dead in our sins and separated from God to be alive in Christ and a member of His family forever.  We entered into a relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit where we went from being an object of His wrath because of our sin, to become a son or daughter of God’s.

Second – we became a new creation in Christ.  The old person that existed apart from Christ was crucified with Christ and we became a new born-again creation.  It happened on the cross but became our reality when we accepted Christ as our Savior and accepted His death on the cross as the payment for all of our sins.

Third – God the Father did something so incredible it almost seems unreal.  He sealed us with the Holy Spirit.  Literally, the Spirit came into our physical body so that He could be in us at all times and help us become the people God wants us to become.  He is the 3rd member of the Trinity and equal to God the Father and God the Son.  He seals us and is our guarantee that when we die, we will go to heaven … forever.

Fourth – all of our sins have been paid for.  All of our past sins.  All of our present sins. All of our future sins.  We have been set free from the penalty of our sins.  In fact, not only our sins but the death of Jesus was sufficient to pay for all the sins of the world.  Only those who accept Jesus have His blood applied to their sins.  It is His death that has paid the penalty for our sins so that we can experience His life in us.

Fifth – We have become members of the body of Christ.  We are now and forever will be a member of the universal Church.  We used to be separated from God but have now become “saints” and members of God’s household.

“So, then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household…” Ephesians 2:19

Listen my friends, there five realities are only scratching the surface of what our relationship with God through Christ means.  Someday when we die and go to heaven, we will fully realize that we have been given by the Grace of God through the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

However, now in Christ, we have freedom from the penalty of our sins even though we do not as of yet have complete freedom from the presence of sin in our flesh and fallen world.

He has given us His Spirit inside of our bodies, His written word in which we have precious and great promises so as to overcome the temptations we face, and the community of the saints – our brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is in this community that we can find strength in numbers.  We can stop living in isolation where we are in danger of giving in to temptation and living a life of addictive sexual behavior.

Jesus has purchased for us forgiveness and paid for the penalty of our sins.  It remains up to us and the Spirit to find help us find in a community of other believers the power to overcome the sins of the flesh.

To this end, I am starting new Online Support Teams so that you can get the help you need.  Contact me if you would like to know more.

 

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