What Does the Bible Say About the Declaration of Independence?

What does the Bible The Declaration of Say About… Independence? Rights • God does not give his people ______________—he gives them ____________________. (Exodus 20:1-17) • Our mission is not to defend _____________ divine image, but to honor the divine image ________________. (Matthew 5:38-47) July 4, 2021 The Question Behind the Question: • American Christians have always struggled with the line between ______________ and __________. • Faithful patriotism celebrates the ways our nation serves the values of the ______________________. • Faithful patriotism requires us to know the difference between _____________ values and ____________ values. Life, Liberty and Happiness • As bearers of God’s image, we are called to pursue ______________ above all. (Matthew 6:31-33, Colossians 3:9-11) • Pursuing ______________ may require that we give up our life, liberty or happiness for the __________________. (Luke 9:57-62) Self-Evident • • Equality is not ________________—we are _____________ in every measurable way. Equality seems ________________because our culture is deeply shaped by the _______________. Conclusions: Equal • • Human beings are equal because they are all made in ___________________________. (Genesis 1:26-27) Your value is not ____________—it is ________________. (James 3:8-10) • We can rejoice that the Declaration reflects the ______________ witness to the _______________ of every human being. • We can be grateful for the freedom we have to pursue the ____________________. • We must use that freedom to serve the __________________, not ________________. (Galatians 5:13-14) Discussion Questions • What does Peter mean by “live as free people?” How can we do that while also living “as God’s slaves?” • How do the four instructions of verse 17 fit together? Why does Peter choose those four instructions? 1. Getting Started: • What did you find most interesting about the sermon this week? The most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling? • What did you do for the Fourth of July? • Imagine attending a church service in another country where they celebrated their own nation. How would you feel? (In Canada? Great Britain? Russia? China?) 2. Into the Bible (Read 1 Peter 2:11-17) • • 3. Going Deeper • As American Christians, what can we celebrate about our country? What do we need to repent of? • How can we live like foreigners and exiles in the world? What needs to change? • What does it look like to honor the image of God in (all) other people? Why does Peter call his Christian audience “foreigners and exiles” in verse 11? What are the two reasons Peter gives us for submitting to “every human authority?” Why is submission important?