Declaration of Independence

I have been thinking about the declaration of independence and especially this section:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Then I thought about what scripture says in relation to these and what a Christian declaration of Independence might look like.

I find this truth to be self evident in the word of God that all men are created to be subject to Christ and each other, (Eph 5:21-24),
21(AT)and be subject to one another in the (AU)fear of Christ.
22(AV)Wives, (AW)be subject to your own husbands, (AX)as to the Lord.
23For (AY)the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the (AZ)head of the church, He Himself (BA)being the Savior of the body.
24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
That through The Lord Jesus Christ we have been given certain rights, the right to suffer for His name's sake (Acts 5:41-42) (Rom 8:16-18)


Acts 5: 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, mrejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for 1His name. 42 And daily nin the temple, and in every house, othey did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

The right to consider all things loss for the sake of Christ (Phillipians 3:7-8)
7But (Q)whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of (R)knowing (S)Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

And the right to be subject to the government and King even if that government raises the taxes on the tea!

1 Samuel 8:5-22 and 1 Peter 2:17-24

Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you,(F) for they have not rejected you,(G) but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them(H) and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
10So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said,(I) "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you:(J) he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some(K) to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14(L) He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves,(M) but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, 20(N) that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22And the LORD said to Samuel,(O) "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear sGod. Honor the king 18 tServants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is ucommendable, if because conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For vwhat credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For wto this you were called, because Christ also suffered for 5us, xleaving 6us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who ycommitted no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 zwho, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but acommitted Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 bwho Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, cthat we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— dby whose 7stripes you were healed.