Our Inalienable Rights in Jesus

06 Aug 2010 1 Comment

by estherskaffeklatsch in 2010, going deeper, sharing jesus

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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men…

These words were crafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 at the dawn of a new experiment: a society of people who had “rights”. They were not rights that the State granted; they were rights given by God that no man could take away. This was a different paradigm than most people had at that time–that maybe the “trickle down” effect would endow them with a crust from the table of those that possessed the ability to help them in their plights.

I was worshiping one Sunday thinking about a sentiment we hear all the time in the Church these days. It goes something like this: “We poor, unworthy worms; we have no rights; we have no right to ask anything from You, Lord. So, if you feel like maybe someday looking my way, but only if it would serve some bigger eternal purpose, just maybe you might grant X prayer.” I began to come to God in that posture, but all of a sudden I thought of the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee at the Temple.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14, ESV

I was stunned. I have thought of that parable so often as one meant to humble me from thinking too much of myself. And that’s what the Scripture says it’s about. But there’s a subtext there. What the Word says is that when the tax collector humbled himself, he went away justified. Now where do we usually see that word, “justified”? Here’s one example:

…yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:16

There is no one else who justifies a man but Christ. When the tax collector went away justified, he was justified in the eyes of God, just as we are justified once for all when we place our faith in Christ. “Justified” means made completely right in the eyes of God. There is nothing we can add or take away. It has nothing to do with what we’ve brought to the table except our “yes”. We don’t need to keep coming back to God in a grovelling way, because we’ve “gone down to our house justified.” What’s the next step after that? Can you guess?

We are adopted into His family, as sons and daughters. And who is He?

The King. The King of Kings. The Sovereign King of the Universe. And we are His children. What does that make us?

Royalty. Does being Royalty come with “rights?” Um, yes. The answer is yes.

What Christ did in purchasing us, what the Father did in adopting us, what the Holy Spirit did in indwelling us, was to bestow on us the rights of the Kingdom. You see, prior to belonging to Christ, you’d better believe we had no rights! None. We were destined for Hell, for real. But now that we are in Christ’s Kingdom, which “he has been pleased to give” us (Luke 12:32), hear me: WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT IN CHRIST.

That’s why Paul is so adamant that we not give ourselves back to being slaves (Galatians 5:1). Paul is emphatic that we understand that we are children of the King. Even more so, Jesus is emphatic about it in the way that he tells us to pray. He gives us a radical (meaning at the root, not “out there and crazy”) paradigm for approaching God: pray and don’t give up. Ask, seek and knock. And, as the writer of Hebrews says: “boldly approach the Throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).

I want to encourage you that it is not more holy to grovel before God in a posture of unworthiness. Jesus has already taken care of that. I’m not talking about taking ridiculous postures of “commanding” or demanding anything of God. I’m just talking about the open door that the King gives His own children. Friends, He has gone so far as to shed His own blood to purchase that right for us. Let’s not act like it doesn’t exist. Let’s come before the Lord like His kids–like princes and princesses; like those that rule and reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

That being said, consider how Christ, though He was the King, humbled Himself and made Himself nothing (Phil 2:5-7). But that’s for next time. Hopefully you have enough to chew on for a few days.

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