Independence is something that most Americans desire. We want to be our own boss. We do not like being told what to do. We want to be the ones in charge of our life and our decisions. When we go to 7-11, we want the 44 ounce Mountain Dew, and we do not want someone telling us we cannot have it.
In the time of Jesus there were a good many Jews who also longed for their independence. They did not like it that Rome was in charge and they had no say over their political affairs. A faction of the Jews known as the Zealots tried to make things difficult on the Romans. They assassinated leaders and revolted against Rome, which led to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the Zealot’s last stand at Masada (Josephus, Wars of the Jews).
While political independence is something to be desired, we need to realize that we will never be totally independent. We cannot create our own food out of nothing. We cannot create the air we breathe in by speaking it into existence. We cannot make our hearts stop and start beating. We need to recognize our dependence upon God.
God, through the pen of Paul, lets us know that we are all slaves to someone. We are either slaves/servants of God, or we are slaves of the evil one. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16 NKJV). We may think that we are being independent when we choose to walk away from God, but we are only making ourselves slaves to someone/something else.
If we want true freedom from sin, if we want a reward in heaven when this life is over, then we need to realize our total dependence upon God. We need to learn of His will, and we need to obey Him (Matthew 7:21ff; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Jesus said that we could know the truth, and that the truth would make us free from sin (John 8:32). Thus, we can have independence from the evil one, but only by being dependent upon God! God will not force us to choose Him. That is our independent choice. Who will you choose to depend upon?