Questions About Rights
What are rights? Are they something we receive just because we want them, regardless of if they’re right or wrong? Or are they something given to us by God because they’re morally correct? Are rights something we should protect or something others should protect?
Some Answers
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines rights as, “Being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper…conforming to facts or truth.” God is all these things, so a different way we can write this is, “Being in accordance with God, and conforming to His absolute truth.” Simply studying this definition a little closer shows that true rights come from God.
What Does the Bible Have to Say? The book of Genesis says this, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” As a result of being made in God’s image, we have the certain inalienable rights our nation’s founders wrote about in the Declaration of Independence. We inherited these rights from God.
The book of Galatians says this, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” We are heirs of Christ and as a result, are blessed with God-given, inalienable rights.
God-Given Rights
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood that rights are given to us by God and that the responsibility of protecting them lies with each of us. When the rights of his fellow black brothers were taken away in the most terrible ways, he didn’t leave protecting them up to others. Since Dr. King was a Christian, he went about this in a different way than many of the people around him.
Standing for Truth
Martin Luther King knew that standing up for rights needs to be done with God’s truth in mind. Being peaceful is also really important. Why would people want to listen to us if what we have to say isn’t peaceful? We need to be a light for Christ in all we do. To do this, we need a strong moral background and the understanding that true rights are inalienable and God-given. Once we understand what rights are, we can properly protect them.
The Unborn
When talking about rights we can’t just be concerned about protecting ours, we also need to fight to protect the right to life for the unborn. Just because a baby hasn’t been born yet doesn’t mean they’re not made in God’s image or blessed with the same inalienable rights as adults.
This is what the book of Jerimiah says, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” Well before birth, God had a plan for us and a job for us to do. He gave each of us, regardless of maturity the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
God calls us to protect the defenseless. This is what the book of Psalms says, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” This verse applies perfectly to the lives of the unborn, it is our God-given job to protect their lives. This verse and many more like it are not suggestions but commands.
What Martin Luther King Had to Say
Martin Luther King said, “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”
The Church’s Responsibilities
The church shouldn’t stand idle when God calls us to protect the rights He gave us. Unfortunately, in Dr. King’s case, the church did not carry out its job and stayed mostly out of the fight. When the founders of the United States of America wrote the Bill of Rights, they intended for all people, especially Christians, to protect the rights they took time to write out. Today, the church still stands idle on many fronts. Instead of silence, God expects the church to stand up and protect the inalienable rights He gave us.
Martin Luther King said this too, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
What Can We Do?
Each of us has a part in standing up for our God-given rights that are under attack every day. Our nation’s founders started the fight it’s our job to keep fighting. Are we going to protect our God-given rights, or are we going to stand idle and hope others protect them for us? It’s up to each of us to decide.
I’m going to leave us with this verse from Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”