Ever since the Covid shutdowns began, I have had time to ponder and to think about what all we have lost. And one thing that keeps popping up is “rights.” I started to think about that in terms of the many freedoms many of us may have taken for granted. For instance, how many times have we thought that it is our right to travel? And we would do it at any cost because it is our right. Or we thought it is our right to have a good job, money, a nice car, and all that money can buy (since we worked for it). Here is one of my favorite ones: We think it is our right to have a driver’s license. I am reminded of what they often said at Driver Licensing, where I once worked, “Driving is a privilege, not a right.” And so are many of these “extra” things we think we deserve and have a right to enjoy.
Well, the Lord has been showing me something about rights. He has reminded me that everything could be stripped away, and then how much of my “rights” will come into play when I try to replace what I’ve lost? It won’t—rights will be completely thrown out the window, kind of like many of them are right now in this lockdown. For now, safety is more important than rights.
Have you ever wondered where this idea of human “rights” originated in the first place? Well, first of all, if you believe in God and that He created everything, you need to ask if human rights is something that God created, or is it something man-made? I believe it began with Satan and Eve. He made her think God was withholding something from her, since she did not know about evil. She only knew about good. God wanted to protect her from having knowledge of evil. But Eve believed Satan’s lie instead. But God has always wanted us to relate to Him by faith, to trust Him, that He never lies, and He’ll always make good on His Word. There is no need to fight for human rights when you have a loving God always on your side and watching your back. So upon entering a relationship with God, we can wholly trust Him that He will hold nothing back from us. We can trust Him no matter how difficult the circumstances in life.
This is not so in the world. Legislating human rights has, no doubt, saved many human lives when you see the atrocities that some tyrants have unleashed on their subjects, as in Hitler and Stalin. These were murderous men that had to be stopped. Such men, to this very day, still exist in the world, and are a threat to all. So in this case, yes, human rights matter, because we need to live without the threat of someone cutting our life short. Thank goodness for the RCMP, the police, and the army, who serve to keep us safe! We must always protect children and vulnerable people from tyrants and people who wish others harm. Canadians have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I believe that the United States Constitution talks about “inalienable rights,” as well, offering a democratic freedom, and the right to worship, work, speak, and so on without persecution. This is the whole idea of the “free” Western world, also prevalent in the United Kingdom. Let’s pray that these freedoms, so hard fought for, remain with us for some time to come, but without being abused and used for selfish or evil purposes.
As a Bible-believing Christian, I have often questioned the idea of rights to begin with. I’m not talking about human rights to protect and save us from tyrants and murderers. I’m talking about the mindset that something is “mine,” and I don’t really care how it affects you. In other words, a self-centered kind of right. And I think this is something that I’ve seen abused in our free western world. In some cases, the mindset behind women’s rights and the right to abort their unborn baby applies here. It is taken out of context because the baby is also a separate human being but has no “right” to keep its own life. I am so sorry for the babies, and the mothers that made that decision, many of them unaware of the devastating after-effects that would never go away. Forgiveness and healing are readily available, but the message to women has been based on false information, and a lack of valuable information, so that they can make informed and ethically sound decisions.
As a Christian, are our rights something we should embrace and fight for, or even die for? Or does it fly in the face of everything the Gospel message stands for? After all, Jesus gave up His heavenly paradise to come to this earth in the most humble fashion, lose all the rights He had, and was more than entitled to. He denied Himself even to the end when He gave up His life, never mind his rights, to save a sick and dying world that He loves so much.
The following passage is talking about how we are to conduct ourselves. In this passage, Jesus is our supreme example of giving up His rights. Would we not follow His example?
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
I can’t help but think that we are being tested during this exacerbating time of fighting off the Covid, and enduring the severe lockdowns. But I think it helps a great deal to read the above passage of Scripture and remember what Jesus gave up for our sakes! You’ll notice a stark difference to Jesus life compared to ours, in fact, there is NO comparison! Basically, Jesus WILLINGLY gave up EVERYTHING! In Matthew 8:20, Jesus says that He had no place to lay His head. He had no earthly possessions of any kind. He had no kingly status, He belonged to no special clubs. He had every “right” to anything He wanted because He is the great Creator of all things, the GREAT I AM, The Prince of Peace, Mighty Counsellor, El Shadai, etc. He owns everything! But He firmly refused it all!
Just read the temptations He went through and at his weakest moments, like when the devil offered him the kingdoms of this world, or bread to stop His hunger, Jesus refused it all and rebuked the devil instead! And on the cross, when He suffered immeasurably with no skin left on most of His body, He was alone, rejected, abused, scorned, spat on, shamed, mocked, lied to and about, and the Father had turned His back on Him, He could have called on tens of thousands of angels to save Him, but He didn’t! He thought you and I were worth the excruciating pain, the immeasurable agony, and the shedding of His own blood! His love drove Him to such lengths, and He carried out every single prophecy ever declared about Him, and it cost Him everything, and cost Him His life.
And He asks so little of us. Jesus has a cross for us to bear. It is really a test we will experience for our entire life, once we decide to follow Jesus. In fact, if we refuse to pick up our cross, we are not worthy of Him.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
This is such a hard passage because we all know what it means to carry a cross. It means that you have to let everything else go, including yourself, like Jesus did. What kind of baggage are you and I carrying? You can’t carry the cross, yourself, and all your beloved things at the same time. Something will give, something will fall. The load will be too heavy. Will it be you and your things that you let go of, or will it be the cross?
Such sobering thoughts for sobering times we are in. Rights or no rights, I choose to follow Jesus. Why? Because even though it seems like a hard and unpredictable way to go, it is the only way to go, and the Lord will never ever lead us astray. He will even help us carry our own cross when it becomes too heavy. Sometimes He will just take it from us for awhile until we can resume carrying it! The point is, to trust Him with all that comes our way, for He knows what He’s doing, and He is the ONLY way to everlasting life.
Mat 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Mat 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. ESV
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