The 4^th of July, as it has come to be known, is actually called Independence Day.  This is in remembrance of the day the American colonies declared Independence from the British Empire and the king of England by adopting the Declaration of Independence which was actually signed later by most of the delegates.

Independence can be a great thing.  Independence from oppression or worry is great.  Independence for from food would be very problematic, and likely lead to death.  But in general, we tend to this of independence as being a good thing.  But there is one independence that is more important than any other, including independence from governmental oppression, and that is independence from sin.

Sin

Sin is a cruel taskmaster.  Sin separates us from God.  And since God is the giver of all life, separating ourselves from God is the equivalent of choosing death.  Of course, we don’t see that in our physical lives.   Our spirit may be dying(as it is separated from God), but we don’t see it.  Since we cannot see it or feel it, it can be easy to ignore.  But it’s kind of like a cancer that is growing in your body . . . a silent killer.

One of the nefarious aspects of much of sin is that the person committing the sins is enjoying what they are doing.  And when you enjoy doing something, you tend to worry less about the negative consequences of that enjoyable activity are.  We enjoy a candy bar.  But is that good for us?  If we are being honest with ourselves, we know it is bad for our health, but we still eat it.  We might try to eat fewer of them, rationalizing that fewer is better for us than more of them.  And I’m not suggesting that eating one candy bar will kill you or you should never eat a single candy bar.  The good news about the candy bar is that your body will heal itself of the ill effects of eating that one candy bar.   Of course, if you continue to eat more and more candy bars, you will eventually start to feel and see the negative effects of eating those candy bars.  The negative effect of sin is far more difficult to see and feel.

Sin is spiritual and not all sins have physical consequences.  Lying, unless your name is Pinocchio, does not have an obvious physical effect on you.   Jesus states that Satan is a liar and the father of lies(John 8:44).  Paul told the church in Colossae that they should not lie to one another, as that was part of who they used to be(Col. 3:9).  He told the church in Ephesus to stop lying, and instead they should speak the truth to each other(Christians) and others(Eph. 4:25).  In addition, all liars will have their place in the lake of fire, which is the second death – a reference to Hell(Rev. 21:8).  The end result of lying – Hell – isn’t obvious when one lies.  And even if you are caught in that lie, the result, if any, is likely temporary.  But the eternal consequences of that lie are far from temporary.

Any Sin

Lying is just one of many sins a person can commit.  But any sin, just one sin, separates us from God.  In Isa. 59:2, we see that sin(usually translated as iniquities in this passage) separates us from God and causes God to hide His face from us(i.e. God is turning away from us because of our sin).  So what do we do after we sin?

Payment for Sin

Sin requires a payment.  This is illustrated by God for His People(Israel) in Lev. 4 under the Law of Moses.  However, that animal sacrifice, an animal without spot or blemish(i.e. perfect), did not actually pay for the person’s sin.  The blood of bulls and goats(i.e. part of the Law of Moses) did not take away anyone’s sins.  Instead, that sacrifice(all those sacrifices) was a reminder of sin and the need for payment.  Jesus offered a sacrifice once for sin when He sacrificed Himself on the cross(Heb. 10:10).  He was a perfect sacrifice who was able to pay for the sins of everyone who ever lived.  In doing so, Jesus made forgiveness of sin a possibility for anyone, regardless of what they had done.  Regardless of how many times or how bad it was.

True Independence

Jesus’ sacrifice allows us to have independence from sin and the terrible effects of sin.  We are no longer separated from God, the giver of all life.  We are reunited with our Creator, with our Father in heaven.  That is true independence!  Let’s remember than independence, not just today, once a year, but every day of every year that God blesses us with.