It’s Not About Your Rights (but right living)

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

“Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”

Romans 6:14 (NLT)

 

I’ve never been one who has been at ease when anyone tells me what to do and when it’s done in a condescending way, the first emotion that rises up is…resentment. Don’t misunderstand me in this either, I do not mind being given direction, sometimes (well, more often) I actually need someone else to guide me along in something anyway so in that I am totally cool. But there has always been this “trigger” inside of me that sets off my explosive side and always gets me in trouble. C’est la vie…

 

On a bigger scale, I think there are a few here in America that feels the way I do. I mean, just listen to all the racket going right now. We can’t even agree to disagree without disagreeing with each other to some degree or another and I can’t help to notice that there’s a saying bubblin’ outta the mess…it’s our right. Better still, IT’S OUR GOD GIVEN RIGHT!! So, since we’re at that degree, I gotta say…OH, REALLY!? Let’s look at that, shall we?

 

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”

(Romans 13:1)

 

If I claim to be a Bible-believing Christian then I gotta take heed to the aforementioned verse. My problem in this is that I’m no fan of some of those who God has allowed to sit in these positions. I mean…I didn’t vote for them, why should I even listen to them, right? The problem in this is my bold display of rebellion, period. If I am capable of rebelling against, let’s say, the current President, then it makes it easier for me to rebel against God. Even though I say I love God and His Word, to publicly disagree with what is being considered as His will, kinda sends a bad message to the residents of Secularland that I’m the exception and not the rule. In short, I’m a terrible witness for the Kingdom of God. Yep, what a wretched man I can be.

 

So, the question still remains, what about my God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Well, if we take the Founding Fathers’ position, this quote from Samuel Adams might provide insight. “These rights may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutes of the Great Law Giver and the Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.” Now let’s take a breath here…alrighty, who is the central figure in the New Testament? That’s right, you guessed it, Jesus Christ. The guy that said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17)

Maybe this is starting to sound a little too pro-government to you and not as “Christian” as you would like it to. That’s cool, but I need you to remember that we are under grace and not under law and that’s just as vexing. And check this out, in the same vein that grace isn’t giving you permission to sin is the same thing as being Christian doesn’t entitle you to not obey the laws of the land. This is being tested in the Court of COVID, isn’t it? No matter what they decide is the right thing or the wrong thing for us it’s this simple, “to him who knows good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

 

So, when you weigh up your ability to maintain the precepts of God, just remember, it’s the Pharisee of Pharisees that wrote, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That right there should do its work to keep all of us in check. But I got a funny felling that may not be enough to sway the those of us who also identify as either red or blue. I get it, there are millions of Christians out there who are convinced they’re living a righteous life. I won’t argue that, unless those guidelines to that righteous life are the kind that only fit to their church, their clubs, and their social gatherings.

 

However, if you were to take the full counsel of God, which comes from His Word, you might see that as we sojourn through this, we’re supposed to leave behind a testimony that says JESUS SAVES and not one that would add “the red” or “the blue”. Well, I’m running into my word limit for today, but there’s a part two coming. Until then, please keep in mind that we’re Christians first, then we’re American’s. In that, we should find gratitude. Amen?

 

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a husband, a father, has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can e-mail at cphughes515@verizon.net.

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. -1 John 4:10-11