The Christian version of signing your John Hancock …

Imagine what it would take for the signing of your name on a piece of paper to become so famous that a couple hundred years later people all over the world would relate large signatures to yours on that piece of paper.

That’s the experience of John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, who is renowned even today for his large signature on America’s Declaration of Independence. Story has it that Hancock signed his signature largely and boldly so that King George III couldn’t miss it. Even to this day, we refer to such bold signatures as “signing your John Hancock.”

But Hancock writing his name in bold fashion to irk good ‘ol George is the thing of myth. Ray Grasshoff, writing for “The History Insider” blog, separates the myth from reality …

… At least that’s how the story goes. But much of it isn’t accurate. Take Hancock writing his name so large, for example. Analysis of his signature from other documents shows that he always signed his name in that kind of a super-sized style. So the size of it on the Declaration of Independence was typical for him. He wasn’t trying to send a personally defiant message to Britain’s King George, as legend has it. Quotes with that message attributed to him are simply myths.

What about Hancock placing his large signature so boldly at the top center of the space for the delegates to sign? Hancock, as president of the Continental Congress that approved the Declaration, signed it first. Most probably, as head of the body and without guidance from anyone or anything else, he simply put his name where he thought it most appropriate in that role. After all, there was only a huge blank space for signatures, not signature lines and other indicators so common in modern documents.

Okay, so Hancock really didn’t write out a big signature for some kind of bold statement, but there is something that is true about his signature, and that of all the other signatures on that document: every man who signed that historic declaration knew writing their name on that document was a public declaration that could cost them everything — literally!

Whether their signatures were bold or ordinary, they were unmistakable and undeniable declarations of independence. With their names in ink, there was no ambiguity about where their allegiance belonged.

We Christians have a version of signing our “John Hancocks.” It’s not a signature, but an act of obedience that is a bold and clear declaration of where our allegiance lies. The Christian version of a “John Hancock” is baptism!

“And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God …” 1 Peter 3:21a.

Christian baptism by immersion is an unambiguous public declaration of the shifting of our allegiance — the surrender of self-rule and a pledge of allegiance to a king, the King of kings, Jesus Christ!

“And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes,” Galatians 3:27 (NIV).

Have you made a public declaration through the waters of baptism of your allegiance to Jesus Christ?

“What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord,” Acts 22:16.

Scotty