Independence. Men seek after it. Businesses pursue it . Nations yearn for it.
Satan wanted independence. And he wanted more. John Milton writes this about Satan in his "Paradise Lost": "I would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven".
The Bible says in Psalm 2:1 : "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed, saying, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us"".
Even the first man Adam fell to the deception of Satan that he can become God himself. Becoming God, he could make his own decisions whether to pursue what is good or what is evil,once he possesses knowledge of good and evil. It is a sad fact that once man had the grasp of this knowledge, he could not but pursue evil, however much he tried otherwise. Paul, once a severely religious man testifies of this wretchedness in every man. "If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do". -Rom 7:16-19.
Man was created to be God-dependent. He was to trust God for his life and for guidance on how to choose good and how to shun evil. However, he also was honored with a freewill to choose whether to rely on God for everything or to break free from Him to pursue his own will. God offered him this because He wanted man to lovingly submit to His will rather than obey Him like a programmed robot. The absence of a free will would have made man a choice-less puppet dancing to the tune of his Creator. Man chose to be independent. Man chose to 'break the bands' and 'cast away the cords' that he thought, kept him tied tight in 'servant-hood'.
What followed was a rude shock to 'the father of all mankind'. By paying heed to the bidding of the adversary of God, man eventually became a victim to Satan, slave to sin and prey to death.
God had foreknown the fall of man and so, had planned his salvation from these eternal enemies - Satan, death and hell. God had foreordained His Word, the Son of God, to bear the punishment that resulted on all mankind because of the unbelief in His word and the disobedience that followed. The Lord Jesus Christ would be the 'Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world'.
And when it was the right 'appointed' time in His-story, the Son of God took on sinful flesh to be born the second man and the last Adam. He suffered agony and pain on the cross and died, a punishment that every man should have borne. The blood He shed was the ransom that was paid to God for the redemption of the soul of every man. All who come to God believing in, agreeing with and accepting this plan of salvation purposed by Him, are forgiven of their sins. They are set free from the bondage of sin and death. Back to square one.
It is now the onus of the undeserving sinner now set free to choose dependence on God for everything or to choose the alternative as before. As one who owes his life to God, it is only lawful that man should submit to God at least from then on. He has to choose Jesus as his Lord and King, not just his Savior. But God leaves the choice to man, again. One who chooses to live a life independently, not relying on God Who graciously saved him, forfeits his privilege to enjoy the 'freedom' in Christ that helps him live a 'purpose driven life'. A God-dependent life is also one that Christ defined as 'abundant life', one that is blessed and one that makes the individual a blessing to others.
Atmanirbhar or Dev-nirbhar, which would you choose?
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