Something’s Wrong With Rights
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -Declaration of Independence, 2nd paragraph.
These are stirring words. Words that cause a lump in the throats of freedom seeking men. But are they words of truth or just words designed to stir men's hearts? Let's analyze them and see. First, is it evident to you that all men are created equal?
Isn't it true that some men are tall, others short? Isn't it true that some men are physically powerful and others not? Isn't it true that some men are highly intelligent and others not? Isn't it true that some men have great talents in art, music, science, writing, architecture, etc., and others have little talent in these areas?
We could go on and on with the inequality among men. Men are very unequal in every respect. Who gave us these unequal abilities? Our Creator! He gave us the ability (not the Right) to practice our unequal abilities. To prove this go and talk with you're next door neighbor. You may not like his religion or philosophy, but you will be surprised at the knowledge and ability he has attained in certain areas; areas in which you haven't a clue. Such inequality is self-evident to all men throughout life.
The Declaration states that our Creator has given all men, the Right to Life, Liberty and Happiness. If this is true then the Bible should provide clear and abundant information about these guarantees.
Have you ever seen these guarantees in Scripture? Take a look, but you will not find it, because it's not true. It is true that our Creator gives us life, but the Right to Life is not in His word. According to His word, once He gives us Life, many things determine the quality and length of our life.
Life, Liberty and Happiness, according to His word, are contingent guarantees given by our Creator and are contingent upon our obedience to His law (Deut. 28). They are not automatic as the Declaration and the word Right imply.
The only so-called Right I can find in Scripture is the right to choose whether or not we are obedient to Him. "If (Conditional, Maybe you will, maybe you won't) thou shalt diligently harken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and do all his commandments" (Deut. 28:1) Jesus said, "If you love me, obey my commandments." (John 14:15) It is our choice.
Additionally, all men are not equal before God. Some are "great" and some are "least" in the "kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:19, 11:11; Luke 7:28, 9:48; Hebrews 8:11) He declares that He made wicked and evil persons. (Proverbs 16:4; Isa. 45:7; Jer. 12:1-2) He declares He made some persons unto honor, and some to dishonor fitted for destruction. (Romans 9:20-23)
We are inherently unequal with our Creator. Liberty and freedom are in the hands of each man. Our life, liberty and freedom are a direct result of obedience to God, not man. Obedience however, requires faith and faith is an action verb.
So if nothing else will convince you that action, even violent action is required to maintain life, liberty and property; then look at the lives of the very men who penned the Declaration.
Most of them lost their life, liberty and property in the aftermath of the Declaration. The Declaration was an act of violence against the ruling government over the 13 colonies. In the war which followed, acts of violence were common every day until the war ended. The Colonists contended with King George's central government monopoly.
Today we contend with a central government created by the Constitution. This government assumes to protect the life, liberty and happiness for all men. It even contains alleged checks and balances to protect these Rights. No government can protect the life, liberty and happiness for all men. Only men, by obedience to their Creator, can achieve this for themselves and their posterity. If the aftermath of the Constitution has not proven this to men, then we are indeed blind to reality. (By John Spencer)