Declaration of Dependence

On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress of our emerging nation, made up of representatives from the then 13 colonies, established a committee of five men to write a Declaration of Independence from British rule.  It listed 27 grievances and our previous attempts to peacefully redress them with Britain.

Their grievances were based not on Britain’s failure to recognized and uphold their civil rights as endowed upon them by Britain’s King or Parliament, but their unalienable rights that had been endowed on them and all mankind by the Creator.

The committee presented the document to the Congress and on July 4, 1776, what we know as the Declaration of Independence was ratified and adopted and our nation was officially born.  Unfortunately, it took seven more years of fighting and the giving of many lives to secure our independence and the rights inherent in it.

Much could be said at this time regarding the erosion of those rights over the 244 years since adopted, particularly over the last 50-60 years. However, there was a previous declaration of independence made thousands of years prior in the courts of Heaven; a declaration that continues to impact all of mankind today.  It was made by an angel named Lucifer, who declared His independence from the Sovereign rule of God over his life, the God who created Him for good. That declaration is found in Isaiah 14:12-17.

Lucifer is believed to have been chief or head of all of the angels (Ezekiel 28:14-15) who were created by God to serve Him and to ultimately serve and benefit mankind under God’s sovereign rule.

The Bible reveals that angels were created by God with great beauty, knowledge and power. Like man, angels were created to live in God’s immediate presence; to find their greatest joy, satisfaction and fulfillment in fulfilling the glorious purpose for which they were created. Apparently, this was not good enough for Lucifer, who comes to be known as Satan or the devil, as he leads a rebellion of likely one third of the angels against the Kingdom of God, a rebellion that is quickly put down by God, with  Satan and his angels being cast out of Heaven (Luke 10:17-18).

We have this cosmic rebel showing up in Genesis 3, wherein God will use him to test mankind’s willing allegiance to Him and His Kingdom; mankind being represented by Adam and Eve. Unfortunately, they fail the test as this rebel angel is able to convince them, and subsequently all of mankind, to join him in his rebellion, to commit what writer and theologian R.C. Sproul refers to as “cosmic treason” against God the King –  the supreme ruler of the universe (Psalm 97:1-2).

The Bible makes it clear that all of mankind has joined in that rebellion (Romans 3:23) and have or will experience the penalty for our individual acts of treason which is death, eternal banishment from the Kingdom of God, and confinement to the King’s eternal prison, Hell.

The good news, what is called the Gospel of the Kingdom, (Mark 1:14-15) is that the King, God the Son, Jesus Christ  (John 18:33-37), came into this world to free men from the lies of the devil and consequences of our rebellion against God by taking the penalty of our rebellion upon Himself and turning our hearts back to God as the supreme ruler of our hearts and lives (1 Peter 3:18).

During Jesus’ ministry he gave those who would submit their lives to the rule of the eternal God who created them a prayer outline, what is essentially redeemed mankind’s Declaration of Dependence, found in Matthew 6:9-12.

In these verses we find seven specific petitions or requests Jesus calls us to make to God the Father, who rules over all of the nations of the world from His throne in Heaven (Psalm 103:19).  Each of these petitions is in recognition of our absolute dependence upon Him to be able to live our lives in this world in a manner that pleases and honors and glorifies Him.

The priority petition is that His name, which represents the totality of His glorious being, be hallowed, meaning that we and all of creation reverence, esteem, love, value, desire and delight in Him above all else in His creation (Ezekiel 36:23).

In the petitions, thy Kingdom come and thy will be done, we acknowledge, trust in, rejoice and rest in God’s right to sovereignly rule over our lives and over all of His creation for His glory and our good.  We cry out to our eternal King to put an end to the rebellion, the chaos and madness of this present evil world and bring men and women who presently live in rebellion against Him to submit their hearts and lives to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:16).

The next five petitions denote our dependence upon Him for all we need each day, both materially and spiritually (Matthew 4:4), to sustain our lives while in this world; for forgiveness of sins we continue to commit even after being saved (1 John 1:8-9) and for God’s nature and character to be formed in us to where we, like Jesus, are gracious, merciful and forgiving to those who wrong us (Matthew 5:43-48).

In the final two petitions we declare our dependence upon God to deliver us from the innumerable temptations and trials we face in the world that are designed to dilute or destroy our faith in Him, and, to deliver us – free us – from the evil inclinations that remain in our hearts so that we can become Holy as He commands us to be Holy (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Although not in the modern versions of the Bible, the prayer concludes with a declaration of the glorious reasons for our dependence upon God in all things, which I will paraphrase below:

For it is your Kingdom we live in; it is your power and authority we live by; and it is your glory we live for – Amen.

Grace and Truth ×