I am 54 years old. I grew up in a conservative, Republican family which shaped my values and thoughts during my early years. When I became old enough to think for myself, I started to shed many of those and adopt my own. I don’t think like I used to and, even today, find myself questioning some things which I used to hold dear.
I have always been a fervent supporter of the right of free speech, the right to own a gun, the right to assemble, the right to not associate with others I don’t want to, the right to live wherever I do want to, etc. Probably the vast, vast majority of people, especially conservative Republicans, would agree with that stance. In fact, I became actively involved with the Libertarian Party during the 1980 presidential election and actually ran for State Representative two years later. This was directly related to my view that no one, including God, should be able to tell me what I could or could not do and I was more than willing to put my money (and time) where my mouth was. I was my own man, my own master, and I lived that way for years….
…I have come to a realization that I have no rights at all. I only have what God gives me and when He takes it away, it does no good to fight about it. What has developed in its place, in my philosophical worldview, is the understanding that, while I don’t have any rights, I do have responsibilities which I am supposed to perform.
Rights, as we know them today in America, are really only limited freedoms which someone has decided to grant us. Freedom of press, freedom to own guns, freedom to marry, et al., are simply concepts which we may enjoy, but which can be taken away just as easily as they were granted. Don’t believe me? Think about anything, anything at all, which you hold close to your heart. Is it truly yours? Can it be taken out of your grasp? If it can, it is not yours at all, but belongs to someone else more powerful than you. Even your life is not your own, you will give it up in the end. Instead, everything that we view as “ours” is entrusted to us to use in a spirit of stewardship. This is not to be confused with ownership. We have no rights, we do have responsibilities. Ultimately, everything we have been given, every responsibility we have belongs to God and we have to answer to Him for the way we use them….. (For the remainder of the article, go here.)
Be sure to check out Roger Mitchell’s new blog site The Gideon Project.
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Rights, Rights, Everyone Wants Their Rights
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Amendment 9: Rights vs. Righteousness
Ted, thanks for publishing this. It is always stimulating to see my work picked up by someone else.
I have to amend my stance slightly. I have recently found one right which I (and everyone else) have which is truly a right. It is given by Almighty God Himself and can never be changed, altered, or rescinded. It is found in John 1:12, 13.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
I have the right to become a child of God. It is not dependent on circumstances, situations, privilege, financial status, or law. It is mine if I choose to exercise the option. Because I have chosen to avail myself of that right, I now have the responsibility to live my life according to the Word of God.
It does not matter anymore what man and man’s laws do to me. They can never take away this right. They can take away everything else which is mine to enjoy, but they cannot stop me from becoming one of God’s children and living in such a way that He is pleased.
I am blessed. I am free. I am a child of the King. It, and it alone, is my right.
Roger, you’re very welcome. Thank you for allowing me to post you.
I have a different view of John 1:12-13 based upon the Greek word translated “right” in the NASB and “power” in the KJV. Neither one is a very accurate translation. The Greek word is “exousia” and, instead, means authority. By way of Christ’s blood atoning gift, we have not been given the right but instead, by His sacrifice and resurrection from the grave, the authority to be the children of God.
Authority provides us much more than a right ever could. We have the authority as His children (as princes and princesses and His ambassadors) to go forth (among other things) establishing dominion in His name.
P.S. You didn’t reply to my email. If you will provide me the URL to your new blog, I’ll be pleased to edit it into this article.
I have a good knowledge of English and a pretty fair smattering of Spanish, but the only Greek I know is what I have picked up here and there from preachers. The rest is Greek to me. You may be right, as in correct.
(BTW, this shows a flaw in English. There are at least four (perhaps more) different interpretations of the word “right”. Right (correct), right (opposed to left, direction), and right (privilege, guarantee). Unfortunately, the Right (political) thinks that it is right whenever the issue of rights comes up. Of course, everyone else does as well.)
I use the New King James version (NKJV), which says “right” in the verse, but offers “authority” in the commentary. It seems to me that we could use any of these–right, power, or authority, and still be guaranteed that it would never be revoked or withdrawn as far as God is concerned. This makes the concept completely different from “right, power, and authority” which is granted by man-made government of any sort, which can be removed at any time for any reason.
Personally, without getting into the free will/predestinated argument, I like the idea that I have the right to become a son of God, which gives me all the authority and power of His divine nature to overcome the sinful side of my life. Whether it is scripturally correct or not, it makes me feel important and lets me know that I have value in God’s opinion.
Are we splitting hairs? Not that it bothers me, I rather enjoy the exercise.
My other blog can be seen at http://christianusa.us/gideonproject/. Thanks again.
To me, “It’s my right” implies something due me; whereas, authority implies a responsibility imputed to me. The former puts the emphasis on me, the latter on Yahweh’s grace and mercy.
Nothing is due me, particularly being considered a son of God.
This
makes me think about the concept of natural law. God has created laws to govern
the universe. An example is the law of gravity. If I choose to defy the law of
gravity I could jump off the top of a tall building. I could shout my defiance
to God’s law of gravity all the way to the sidewalk. My defiance would end at
the sidewalk.
Charles R. Fuqua
CharlesRFuqua@gmail.com
GodsLawForAmerica.com
Charlie, thanks for joining the discussion. I’m pleased Yahweh has seen fit to help us find each other after so many years.