Is There Anything for God and Christians to Celebrate on July 4, 2026?

The United States of America is approaching the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. As that date approaches, I think that it is appropriate to reflect on whether or not U.S. Christians and their God have anything to celebrate on that holiday. For most Christians, such questions will seem almost blasphemous and disloyal. After all, they will point out that the Declaration of Independence gives a nod to the Almighty, and that the United States Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Indeed, many of them proudly declare their devotion to "God and country." Even so, I seem to recall Jesus Christ once saying that it was impossible to serve two masters - to divide one's loyalty.

In 1775, many of the citizens of the various British colonies rebelled against the king and his parliament. Over 1,700 years before those events, the Apostle Paul wrote: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." (Romans 13:1-2, ESV) In particular, these people were protesting "taxation without representation." Yet, Jesus once said: "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)

Now, in Christ's day, the government was centered in Rome and was carried out in the name of the emperor. We should also note that the emperor did NOT recognize the God of the Hebrews and even regarded himself as an object of worship! Moreover, the emperor's decrees and actions were often cruel, unjust, and self-serving. Nevertheless, the Apostle Peter wrote: "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." (I Peter 2:13-17) Was the emperor worthy of honor? Was the emperor righteous? Was the emperor the servant of the people's interests? NO! Yet, according to the apostle, the Christian citizens of the Roman Empire were obligated to accept and respect his authority.

When Jesus stood before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, he remained silent before the spurious charges made against him. The governor asked him: "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus replied: "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above." (John 19:10-11) Even though everything that was happening was unjust and evil, Christ recognized and submitted to the authority over him.

Some questions for Christians to ask themselves about the United States before the upcoming Independence Day celebrations:

Does the United States government truly trust in God?

Do the people who run that government (president, governors, legislators, judges) serve the interests of the citizens of that country or their own interests?

Does the leadership of the United States exhibit high personal moral standards? (love, mercy, kindness, patience, fidelity, faithfulness, courage, truthfulness, fairness)

Does the United States have a history of righteousness and good works? (If you answered yes, what about how Native Americans have been treated, slavery, wars, poverty, exploitation of natural resources, crime, violence, addiction, etc.)

Is the United States a part of this world or God's Kingdom?

I am old enough to remember celebrating the Bicentennial of the United States in 1976! We had just finished with the Vietnam War and Watergate, but the celebration was a happy one. We were trained to exhibit a high degree of patriotism to our country. Later, I had the opportunity to serve in the United States Army. Looking back on all of that now, as a Christian and a student of history, I recognize that the United States of America has exhibited all of the many failures inherent to HUMAN governance. While I am thankful to have had the physical blessings that I and my family have enjoyed and to be able to practice my faith without government interference, I am still very mindful of the many sins of this nation, and my own status as a pilgrim and stranger on the earth. Moreover, I am reminded of the Lord's Prayer - where we were instructed to pray: "Thy Kingdom come - Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!" (Matthew 6:10) Now, THAT will be something to celebrate!