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.