Can world events change a revelation about God’s character? In this series of articles you’ll have an opportunity to examine history and how the American Revolution restored the gospel of grace to the world.
Introduction
When John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman handed the Declaration of Independence to the members of the Continental Congress in 1776, the revolution which followed not only changed the colonies into a nation, it also impacted how scripture would be revealed to the populace. Freedom from a tyrant King now became a means to worship an eternal King in spirit and in truth. But what truth am I talking about? The truth about the grace of God and not the grace from a king or lord.
Would History Prevail
From the beginnings of human civilization all people groups have been ruled over by kings, queens, pharaohs, sultans, emperors, tsars, lords, nobleman, aristocrats, viceroys and regents. These titles were given or claimed by the few who, with great might and resources, conquered enemies, pillaged lands, plundered livestock, subjugated the inhabitants, and instituted laws which favored the ruler.
Every group of oppressed people has sought freedom from those who have held their foot on their throats. A savior, a messiah, a deliverer, a redeemer was the cry of their heart. These people beseeched their gods for the one who would break off the chains and shackles which bound them.
Across the span of history, a liberator would rise up and lead a few to their promised land only to have it conquered in future generations. The hope of those who traveled to the New World was how they would be able to free themselves from the bonds which controlled their lives in the land of their birth. The hope for freedom to worship God in the manner they believed ordained drove many across the stormy waters to the adversity of an untamed land. Those who prevailed the passage and the native conditions created communities dedicated to the freedom of worship unlike the land of their ancestors.
However, the long arm of the monarch could not be outrun forever. Royal houses clamored to grab all they could in the New World and then subjugate all who resided therein. Those who would have no part in their royal conquest moved deeper into the hinterlands to retain their freedom. Those who remained nurtured the ember of freedom they had experienced hoping for the day when passion would ignited the fiery flames of liberation.
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