The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, because of the Christian reminders that come with it.
Table of Contents
- 1. The 4th of July reminds us that our nation was founded by men who recognized God was their Creator.
- 2. The 4th of July reminds us of our true freedom.
- 3. The 4th of July reminds us of our dual-citizenship.
- 4. The 4th of July reminds us of the freedoms we can yield.
- 5. The 4th of July reminds us of the sacrifices that were made for our freedom.
1. The 4th of July reminds us that our nation was founded by men who recognized God was their Creator.
The 4th of July celebrates the adopting of the Declaration of Independence by Congress on July 4, 1776. The document begins with Thomas Jefferson’s famous words:
“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.”
There’s quite a bit to notice from this one sentence:
- The words, “all men are CREATED equal” reveal Thomas Jefferson did not believe in evolution.
- Thomas Jefferson believed men have a “Creator.”
- With the words, “endowed by their Creator” Thomas Jefferson gave credit to God for the “Rights” we have. He called them “unalienable” because he knew they were given by God and couldn’t be taken away.
Thomas Jefferson saw the authority for our freedom and liberty coming from God Himself.
2. The 4th of July reminds us of our true freedom.
I’m thankful for independence from Great Britain. But I’m more thankful for the greater independence Jesus has given us from the Law:
- Romans 10:4—Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
- Galatians 3:24-25—Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Our independence from the Law motivated Martin Luther to take a stand for the Gospel. The freedom we have as Americans is great, but the infinitely greater freedom we have is from having to be saved by works.
3. The 4th of July reminds us of our dual-citizenship.
I’m thankful for my American citizenship, but I’m even more thankful for my citizenship in heaven:
- Ephesians 2:19—So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
- Philippians 3:19—But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ
- Hebrews 11:16—But as it is, [the heroes of the faith] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
4. The 4th of July reminds us of the freedoms we can yield.
Paul said Christians should see themselves as slaves:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20—Do you not know that you are not your own? You were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
In becoming Christians we’ve chosen to give up our freedom to live for Christ (see also Romans 6:6, 1 Corinthians 7:22, Ephesians 6:6). This entails giving up some of our freedoms for our brothers and sisters in Christ:
- Romans 14:21—It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
- 1 Corinthians 8:13—Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
As Christians we need not demand our freedoms. Instead, we can yield them at times for the benefit of others.
5. The 4th of July reminds us of the sacrifices that were made for our freedom.
We think about the sacrifices countless soldiers who have lost their lives, and I don’t want to minimize their sacrifices remotely. Without their bravery we wouldn’t have many of the blessings we enjoy today.
But we should think about the greatest sacrifice that was made for our freedom. There is a common saying: “Freedom isn’t free.” To enjoy the freedom we have in our country, people had to pay for it. Likewise, someone had to pay for the freedoms we enjoy from the Law and the punishment our sins deserve:
Philippians 2:6-8 [Jesus] being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
In John 10:18 [Jesus said], “No one takes [My life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” Jesus was saying, “I have the freedom to keep my life, but I’m willing to give it up for you.”
As Christians we enjoy many wonderful freedoms. Let’s be reminded of them each 4th of July, recognizing it’s only because of Jesus’ willingness to give up His freedom for us.
18 Responses
The use of the word “creator” in this context is meaningless. It doesn’t mean the magical man/men in the sky that you happen to believe in — The term “creationism” as we know it didn’t come into use until the mid 1800s. I’d expect your audience isn’t very educated and you bank on their gullibility.
Here’s truth, as opposed to your illogical 4th of July sentiment:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/godinamerica/people/thomas-jefferson.html
Keep creepy, magical men (church!) out of the state!
Nicole,
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I’m a little confused by the link you provided, because here’s the last paragraph:
Also, here’s a quote from Jefferson toward the end of his life showing his belief in a Creator:
“Founders Online: From Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 11 April 1823”
The FOOL says in his heart, “There is no God. They are CORRUPT, and have done ABOMINABLE deeds.” This is a paraphrase from the Bible.
There is only one God; therefore, calling you a fool would be accurate when you wrote that comment. But I don’t know your beliefs now (now is November 28, 2022), so I won’t assume, unlike most atheists do. For example, assuming that fossils were uninterrupted during the so-called millions of years.
Notice how Jefferson uppercases the C in Creator, emphasizing God.
Notice how you compare the infinite God to a finite, random dude in the sky. Heaven is beyond the sky.
Also, you name-call, with words like “gullibility,” “illogical,” and “creepy”. That and comparing God to pagan fairy tales says a lot about the modern-day antitheist (atheist).
Hello A Christian,
Thank you for replying to Nicole and trying to help her. I am not sure that reasonable arguments can help her. Look at my response to her. I quoted from the article she provided. It clearly shows the faith of the founding fathers. I think the only thing that will help her at this point is prayer that God will open her eyes to the truth.
Agree with you, that Thomas Jefferson did not believe in evolution. I don’t believe it, too.
However, to stay objective, need to note, that theory of evolution was formulated by Charles Darwin in ~1850s, while Jefferson wrote declaration in 1776.
Hi Slavik,
Thanks for reading and commenting. Good point.
We can at least say that there were atheists at that time, but Thomas Jefferson held to belief in a Creator!
Such a stellar list of reminders not only for Americans but for all Christians across the world. 🙂
Hi Nance,
Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes, well said!
I wasn’t exactly sure where you were going to go with this topic, but you nailed it! These are great reminders.
Thanks Tara. Glad you enjoyed the post.
I really love how the pursuit of happiness is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. We have the opportunity to create our own belief system, make our own decisions, and decide what our values will be.
Hi Kirby,
Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes, those freedoms are nice. The problem though is our belief system and values determine our actions, which affect others’ happiness.
Our country’s history is His-Story!
Hi Mendi,
Yes, that’s true. Hopefully we’ll see our nation turn back from some of the ways that oppose His Word.
This was a great post. Sometimes we need reminders like this. Keep up the good work Scott.
Thanks Matthew. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, we do need reminders!
In-HIM-dependence Day!
Yes!