Christian Rights

The short version is Christians have no rights.

None at all. Period. No human rights, no political rights, no social rights, no religious rights, no family rights. Nothing. Not even the right to heaven, itself.

As Christians, what we have are promises and responsibilities. The same is true of those not Christians, actually. But the secular world isn't supposed to have a clue. As Christians, we should know better.

This idea that won't set well with some people. It takes a little thought and a little getting used to, but when you look at it, it's clearly the Biblical view. It's just been corrupted by a society with such a strong sense of entitlement that the idea has bled into the Church as well.

We are slaves, bought and paid for, with no material difference between us and those in the American south – or those in the Roman Empire, to whom the Biblical concept actually refers. Who ever heard of a slave having rights?

"Wait," you say, "didn't Paul exercise his political rights in the Book of Acts?" He did. And Jesus pointed out to the Sanhedrin that his own rights were being violated. So how can I say we have no rights?

Paul exercised his rights when he called for the Philippian city leaders to come personally and let him out of jail. Had Paul allowed the Philippians to release him privately, as they wished, it would have branded Christianity as immoral and unethical, a criminal conspiracy deserving the condemnation of the courts, making further evangelism in that city difficult to impossible. Paul acted not for himself, but to further the mission for which God called him.

Later he used his Roman citizenship to keep from being scourged and to appeal his case to Caesar. But it was also Paul who said to be wronged, rather than press your civil case in court. Neither Paul nor Jesus ever tried to force the government to act legally toward them, and both died by the hand of the government in a complete abrogation of their "rights."

What does all this mean? Of course you can exercise the opportunities you have to influence the world for Christ, including what we think of as "political rights." Just understand that while we can use our political and social rights for the furtherance of God's will, we really can't demand them, and never for our personal benefit.

And when it comes to God, we can't demand anything at all. He owns us. We are His to do with as He pleases. We don't even have the right to go to heaven. We have God's promise that we will, but He is not obligated to promise us any such thing. He does it from His generosity.

If I promise you a dollar you didn't earn, then don't give it to you, I am a liar, but I have not denied you anything you have a right to. So it is with God. He is not a liar, of course, and we can depend on His promises, but that doesn't give us the right to anything, it gives us the hope of things we have no right to.

Our duty – and it should be our pleasure – is to live as God commands, under the circumstances He provides. In this time many are likely to lose jobs and businesses. I hope that doesn't happen, especially to my friends, but it is possible. If our relationship with God is truly servant/master, as it should be, nothing we lose can take away our joy at life or in Christ.

Luke 12:42-44, 22:54-71, Acts 16:14-40, 22:24-28, Romans 1:1, 3:24, 6:16-17,23, I Corinthians 3:5, 7:21-22, II Corinthians 7:4, 12:10, Ephesians 2:8-9, 6:5-7, Philippians 4:11