Life, Liberty, and …
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13
Folks demand their rights today. The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (cannot be taken away) rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. The Declaration goes on to say that to secure these rights, governments are formed with the consent of the people from whom government derives its powers. But does this line up with scripture? Does God give man the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
The only “right” that I can find in scripture that God gives to mankind is the “right” to become one of His children when they believe in and place their faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 22:14 clearly tells us that “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city”. These are the folks who have repented and surrendered their lives to live for Christ, obeying Him and following His commandments, namely, to love God with all the heart, soul, and mind and to love others as one loves oneself (Matthew 22:37-39). Abundant life, freedom from the pitfalls of sin, and joy can only be found in a life lived for Christ.
When the Declaration of Independence states that a person has the right to life, I think that means that no human has the right to take another’s life. Of course, there are exceptions, such as one convicted of a capital crime in a state where the death penalty is in force. Also, if one is an unborn baby, he or she is not entitled to the right to life according to the law of the land. As far as liberty goes, we are free to do as we please legally as long as we don’t encroach upon someone else’s rights. The pursuit of happiness is a worthwhile goal unless it violates another’s pursuit. Thus, these “rights” have limits. Many in the government would have us believe that any rights that we have come from the government, and thus, rights given can be taken away.
Any rights that come from God are also limited. He can decide when our time is up. We can’t argue with Him and declare that we have a right to life and He cannot take it away from us. The freedom that He gives doesn’t give us the right to disobey Him. God gives us the wherewithal to pursue our happiness, but it’s not a guarantee. He is much more desirous of our holiness than our happiness. The best right that God gives us is the right to be a part of His family and live for all eternity in His eternal home. If we have been born again, living for Christ, and doing the will of the Father, this right He will not take away.
Some folks refer to all mankind being children of God. It is true that man was created by God, but the relationship between God and man was broken in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to disobey the only commandment that God had given them. They had no right to the garden of Eden. They were allowed to live there as long as they obeyed God. Once they violated God’s commandment, they lost their perfect paradise. Because of their sin, everyone born since is born with a sin nature. As long as we are in a state of sin, unrepentant, and going our own way, we have no right to a relationship with God. However, because of God’s love and mercy, He made a way whereby folks could be reconciled with Him by repenting of sin and placing faith in Jesus Christ, giving each one who does that the right to the tree of life resulting in becoming one of God’s children inheriting all that the Father has as His rightful adopted children. And that’s pretty sweet.