DEPENDENCE DAY

Ezekiel 7:1-9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28

“Terror and trembling will overcome my people. They will look for peace but not find it. Calamity will follow calamity; rumor will follow rumor. They will look in vain for a vision from the prophets. They will receive no teaching from the priests and no counsel from the leaders. The king and the prince will stand helpless, weeping in despair, and the people’s hands will tremble with fear. I will bring on them the evil they have done to others, and they will receive the punishment they so richly deserve. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

“There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.”

“A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.”

We have been lied to. Independence is really not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, taken to extremes, independence can kill. America’s own obsession with independence is proving quite counterproductive, as Britain’s already has proven itself to be. Independence decries any attempt to enforce accountability or community. It discourages consideration for the rights of others. The “independent” (read: thoughtless) drunk driver can decide the law does not apply to him. He can then run a red light, and kill a family of four in the process. The adulterous husband justifies his affair by claiming his wife is too possessive, and that he needs some space. No, independence is too often just an excuse we cite for doing the wrong thing, for doing the selfish thing, and the sooner we admit this to ourselves, the better off we will be.

To be clear, freedom is something entirely distinct from independence. In fact, the critical distinction between freedom and independence may be one of the most misunderstood concepts facing this generation. My personal premise, supported by Scripture, is that complete independence (if there is such a thing) is actually just a unique form of imprisonment… called isolation. Freedom is not found in independence nearly so often as in the right kind of dependence. We have allies; we are stronger. We affiliate with others smarter or more learned than us to gain the benefits of their wisdom and perspective, without which we would be lost. Get the point? We simply were not made to be independent, and when we insist on our individual independence to an excessive extent, we actually wind up hurting others and separating ourselves from that which would best strengthen us. Israel had a very hard time figuring this out. The more they proclaimed themselves independent – especially, independent from God – the closer the Babylonians came. We are not so different. The more we insist on our independence, our individuality, the more vulnerable we become.

I admit to harping on this theme, but it’s worth harping on. Our American servicemen and women certainly have to understand they fight for freedom, not independence. There is nothing like a firefight to make one appreciate their wingman. We all need others we can count on to get our backs when the chips are down. America was not freed from Britain’s tyranny by independent rebels. It was freed by a bunch of dependent freedom fighters, and there is a world of difference between the two.

Most of us in the church and elsewhere never stop to consider the difference between independence and freedom. In many ways, the two really are mutually exclusive. When my “independent” thoughts and beliefs begin to run afoul of biblical teachings, I become vulnerable once more to becoming a slave to sin. I need brothers and sisters to guide me home. When I face a crisis, it is always easier to do so in unity, rather than individually.

So today, as we pause to celebrate our American independence, let’s do so for the right reasons. Be clear about what we are really celebrating: our freedom to choose to be dependent on each other, and on Christ. Because we are free, we can make a declaration of dependence this July 4^th. Let us not live in isolation. Instead, let us claim the freedom to be better than we are by being part of something greater than we are: the unified Body of Christ.