As Christians
and Americans, we must learn to practice patriotism without succumbing to nationalism. That was what many Christians in Germany during the reign of the Nazis failed to learn. Let us not make the same mistake. I hope that what I've written below will serve to help remind us where our ultimate loyalties truly lie.
Honoring God Before Country
As we celebrate the
independence of our great nation, we acknowledge God's bountiful
blessings and providential care throughout our history.
We
acknowledge the courageous and sacrificial service of so many men and
women who fought, and are fighting, for the freedoms we enjoy and so
often take for granted. With deep gratitude, we recognize and remember
those who gave their lives defending those freedoms.
We acknowledge those who have gone before us to help shape and form these United States.
And we acknowledge the wonderful opportunities and benefits afforded to us simply by being American.
But
as Christians, while still being grateful and mindful of this
wonderful nation of ours, we celebrate a far greater freedom today -
freedom from sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus on this day it becomes especially important for us to remember and confess that we are Christians first, then Americans.
We
acknowledge God before country; the glory of God before Old Glory; and the Bible before the Declaration of Independence. Our
primary loyalty is to Jesus Christ and his kingdom, which is made up of
people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.
So we proclaim
today that "our citizenship is in heaven, and from there we await a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20).
