FREEDOM FILES
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
By
Donald Chisholm
[email protected]
ISSUE #10
September 3, 2014
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God-Given Rights
Occasionally, social media steps beyond the trivial day-to-day minutia and digs a little deeper. An example of this would be the request presented by a friend of mine on Facebook on August 28th of this year. The request was real, but I have chosen to honor her privacy by using only her initials.
S.T.M.: Calling all Theologians: please define "God given right." Everyone else: Stop it already.
Without knowing the context of her request, I sense there is some frustration behind it. It is a common phrase to declare that we have certain rights, given to us by our creator, which no one can take from us. As our friend A.P. points out in his response to S.T.M.’s request, “The term “God Given Right” is a human construct not found on the Gospel”. So, that leads me to ask, since the phrase is not found in Scripture, is the principal found in Scripture? The Founding Fathers of our country believed it to be there. J.A.T., in response to S.T.M.’s request, posted this comment: “The framers of the US believed there were certain "unalienable rights" -- these are gifts given to us (we are "endowed") by our Creator. The Declaration of Independence lists three such rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Later, they would introduce a Bill of Rights which was meant to list more of these "God given rights", thus protecting individuals from undue governmental influence. Central to the rights listed was the freedom of conscience. I think one could make a biblical argument for what they wrote, but they chose to believe these truths were "self-evident" and could be arrived at by reason alone”.
I personally know both of the respondents and yes, they are both theologians. But again, I must ask, what does Scripture tell us about our rights? Are they God given, man given, or government given? Can our rights change? Can they be taken away?
As we look at the big picture we can see that the Gospel transcends all cultures. In the Old Testament God gave the Hebrew nation laws regarding how the Israelites were to treat their slaves. In first century Corinth there was slavery. Paul gave instructions to slaves who were followers of Christ to obey their masters. Would I conclude, therefore, that slavery is okay? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! The point is that whatever culture we find ourselves in, we can live as a follow of Christ and follow the principals that he lived by while he was here on this earth. Did Jesus teach that we have “God Given Rights”? I believe that he did. But what are these rights?
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) claims, “The Second Amendment is the one that really protects all of our liberties that we are given by our Lord, and our God-given rights, and are protected under the Constitution” (Paul Broun quoted by Shadee Ashtari, The Huffington Post, July 2, 2014).
Terence Jeffrey states, “The truth is all true rights come from God” (Terence P. Jeffrey, The American Left vs. God-Given Rights, August 6, 2014, cnsnews.com). Mr. Jeffrey’s point in his article is that if God did not give it to us it is not a “true” right.
So, what rights are “God-Given Rights”? Here are some from Scripture to consider:
John 1:12-13: “Yet to all who did receive him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Revelation 2:7: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
Revelation 3:21: “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
Revelation 22:14: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
I believe we also have some implied rights from the original Ten Commandments that are reiterated in the New Testament by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament books.
1. We have the right to worship God (Exodus 20:3-6).
2. We have the right to treat God’s name with respect (Exodus 20:7).
3. We have the right to set aside one day per week for rest and worship (Exodus 20:8-11).
4. We have the right, as parents, to control the education of our children, and as children, the right to be taught by our parents, live according to the standards we have been taught, and care for our parents in their old age (Exodus (20:12).
5. We have the right to live (Exodus 20:13).
6. We have the right to live in a relationship with our spouse that is free from adultery (Exodus 20:14).
7. We have the right to own property and not have it taken forcefully from us (Exodus 20:15).
8. We have the right to be free from slander and perjury (Exodus 20:16).
9. We have the right to be free from those who would conspire against us (Exodus 20:17).
(For more on these thoughts see: Gary Ray Branscome, Our God-Given Rights: The Foundation of Freedom, heartoftn.net/users/gary27/liberty.htm)
You may be asking why there are only nine, rather than ten rights listed here. The simple answer is that the first two of the Ten Commandments are included in the first right mentioned above.
Yes, we do have rights given to us by God. But we also have responsibilities. Jesus was asked the question, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law” (Matthew 22:36)? Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).
If we will obey these two commandments we will not have to worry about our “God-Given Rights” because these two commandments sum up the entire desire for God in our lives.
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Responses from Readers
From a Reader in Alaska on Facebook:
Thanks Don! Recently I came across something that has made me think of my thoughts and actions and it was that we as Christians should not compare differences among ourselves but focus on that we are all Christ followers/believers. I enjoyed your article very much. Miss you, hope you and the family are well.
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If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list, contact me and I will immediately comply with your request. If you are challenged by these newsletters, then feel free to send them on to others and encourage them to write for a free subscription. I would also welcome any questions or comments from the readers.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
By
Donald Chisholm
[email protected]
ISSUE #10
September 3, 2014
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
God-Given Rights
Occasionally, social media steps beyond the trivial day-to-day minutia and digs a little deeper. An example of this would be the request presented by a friend of mine on Facebook on August 28th of this year. The request was real, but I have chosen to honor her privacy by using only her initials.
S.T.M.: Calling all Theologians: please define "God given right." Everyone else: Stop it already.
Without knowing the context of her request, I sense there is some frustration behind it. It is a common phrase to declare that we have certain rights, given to us by our creator, which no one can take from us. As our friend A.P. points out in his response to S.T.M.’s request, “The term “God Given Right” is a human construct not found on the Gospel”. So, that leads me to ask, since the phrase is not found in Scripture, is the principal found in Scripture? The Founding Fathers of our country believed it to be there. J.A.T., in response to S.T.M.’s request, posted this comment: “The framers of the US believed there were certain "unalienable rights" -- these are gifts given to us (we are "endowed") by our Creator. The Declaration of Independence lists three such rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Later, they would introduce a Bill of Rights which was meant to list more of these "God given rights", thus protecting individuals from undue governmental influence. Central to the rights listed was the freedom of conscience. I think one could make a biblical argument for what they wrote, but they chose to believe these truths were "self-evident" and could be arrived at by reason alone”.
I personally know both of the respondents and yes, they are both theologians. But again, I must ask, what does Scripture tell us about our rights? Are they God given, man given, or government given? Can our rights change? Can they be taken away?
As we look at the big picture we can see that the Gospel transcends all cultures. In the Old Testament God gave the Hebrew nation laws regarding how the Israelites were to treat their slaves. In first century Corinth there was slavery. Paul gave instructions to slaves who were followers of Christ to obey their masters. Would I conclude, therefore, that slavery is okay? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! The point is that whatever culture we find ourselves in, we can live as a follow of Christ and follow the principals that he lived by while he was here on this earth. Did Jesus teach that we have “God Given Rights”? I believe that he did. But what are these rights?
Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) claims, “The Second Amendment is the one that really protects all of our liberties that we are given by our Lord, and our God-given rights, and are protected under the Constitution” (Paul Broun quoted by Shadee Ashtari, The Huffington Post, July 2, 2014).
Terence Jeffrey states, “The truth is all true rights come from God” (Terence P. Jeffrey, The American Left vs. God-Given Rights, August 6, 2014, cnsnews.com). Mr. Jeffrey’s point in his article is that if God did not give it to us it is not a “true” right.
So, what rights are “God-Given Rights”? Here are some from Scripture to consider:
John 1:12-13: “Yet to all who did receive him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Revelation 2:7: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
Revelation 3:21: “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
Revelation 22:14: “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
I believe we also have some implied rights from the original Ten Commandments that are reiterated in the New Testament by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament books.
1. We have the right to worship God (Exodus 20:3-6).
2. We have the right to treat God’s name with respect (Exodus 20:7).
3. We have the right to set aside one day per week for rest and worship (Exodus 20:8-11).
4. We have the right, as parents, to control the education of our children, and as children, the right to be taught by our parents, live according to the standards we have been taught, and care for our parents in their old age (Exodus (20:12).
5. We have the right to live (Exodus 20:13).
6. We have the right to live in a relationship with our spouse that is free from adultery (Exodus 20:14).
7. We have the right to own property and not have it taken forcefully from us (Exodus 20:15).
8. We have the right to be free from slander and perjury (Exodus 20:16).
9. We have the right to be free from those who would conspire against us (Exodus 20:17).
(For more on these thoughts see: Gary Ray Branscome, Our God-Given Rights: The Foundation of Freedom, heartoftn.net/users/gary27/liberty.htm)
You may be asking why there are only nine, rather than ten rights listed here. The simple answer is that the first two of the Ten Commandments are included in the first right mentioned above.
Yes, we do have rights given to us by God. But we also have responsibilities. Jesus was asked the question, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law” (Matthew 22:36)? Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).
If we will obey these two commandments we will not have to worry about our “God-Given Rights” because these two commandments sum up the entire desire for God in our lives.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Responses from Readers
From a Reader in Alaska on Facebook:
Thanks Don! Recently I came across something that has made me think of my thoughts and actions and it was that we as Christians should not compare differences among ourselves but focus on that we are all Christ followers/believers. I enjoyed your article very much. Miss you, hope you and the family are well.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list, contact me and I will immediately comply with your request. If you are challenged by these newsletters, then feel free to send them on to others and encourage them to write for a free subscription. I would also welcome any questions or comments from the readers.