Independence day
By Doug Long
Today is Independence Day, but I don’t want to write about independence, but rather dependence.
The word independence is particularly appealing to us here in America; after all we fought hard
and won our independence from the British 228 years ago. In America we admire the independent spirit,
and sometimes that is good. Sometimes, though, being dependent is better.
The Bible speaks clearly about our dependence on Christ for salvation. John 14:6 says:
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
John 15:5 speaks to this too.
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing.
Paul writes in Romans 5:10 about Jesus saving us.
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son,
much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
It should be obvious that without Jesus and the sacrifice he made we would be hopelessly lost.
We aren’t dependent on Jesus Christ alone. Jesus created the church because he knew that we would
need each other to succeed and build His Church. Hebrews 10:24-25 says:
24And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
He told us in 1 Corinthians 12:12 that we are all one body made up of many parts.
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body, so also is Christ.
The Bible also tells us in Ephesians 4:2 that we should bear with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2
“with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,”
We are dependent on each other. God wanted it that way and it is beautiful.
Independence can be good, but dependence on Christ and each other is better.
