Skip to main content

Rights

             Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— (John 1:12)

          Rights “represent essential claims that individuals possess simply by virtue of being human, enabling them to develop their full potential and live with dignity. Unlike privileges, which are special advantages enjoyed by a select few, rights are universal entitlements that belong to all members of society regardless of their background, status, or circumstances.” (What Are Rights? A Comprehensive Explanation • PolSci Institute)

          We tend to assume that we have certain rights as people or as Americans, and we sometimes mistakenly believe that those rights are granted to us in the Constitution. What the Bill of Rights actually does is acknowledge rights that humans already have and makes the infringement of those rights a violation of federal law, but the federal law does not claim to give the rights. It only claims to recognize and respect be respected. Of course, if we evolved, and if the government gives us our rights, it has the right to take them away, too. But that’s not what the Declaration of Independence and Constitution say.

          Scripture also claims that we have rights. At least part of the Mosaic Law addresses rights that people have or limits the abuse of those rights. Even animals are granted some rights. As of Genesis 3, humanity has not had the right to enter Heaven. That right was lost because of Adam and Eve’s sin.

          But in today’s verse, John informs us that those who have believed on Jesus Christ have a new right, the right to enter Heaven. We don’t earn that right. Like all rights, it must be given and recognized. Specifically, God gives us the right to become one of His children. He recognizes us as His children. He sees us as his children with the rights that children of a household have.

          I am not suggesting that the United Nations is an authority on the subject of children’s rights, but here are the rights they claim children have within families. They list more rights than these, and God may have His own ideas about what it means when He gives us the right to become His children, but it’s a starting place for your contemplation of your relationship with the Father:

A safe and nurturing environment,

Family guidance,

Basic needs,

Non-discrimination,

Participation,

and protection.

( Convention on the Rights of the Child | OHCHR)

        I should note that as our Father, God gives us these rights. While siblings should treat us as having these rights, they don’t always, just as our fellow citizens may ignore our rights That’s when we need to talk to God about the situation. Also, there is the question of the difference of opinion on what “safe” and “nurturing” mean. I tend to think parents tossing their children into the air and catching them isn’t “Safe.” But neither is protecting them from every possible furniture corner or difficulty. There are several of these that I need to talk to God about, not because He doesn’t give them, but because (in one sense or another) I don’t get them. There’s a big difference.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more