Tuesday, November 03, 2009
NO RIGHT!
Adrian Warnock recently reacted to a "tweet" from his pastor:
One wonders how that reconciles with the near holy concept of "inalienable rights" in the Declaration of Independence, or even those rights discussed in the Magna Carte? In both cases and in so many others, these rights are not truly ours. As it says in the Declaration of Independence - they are granted by our Creator - they are not our rights, they are His. We can properly exercise those rights only in the context of the humility we obtain when we realize they are not ours. Says Warnock:
The truth is we have no rights. We deserve nothing except the wrath and punishment of God. The only reason we were even born is that God was gracious to our forefathers and did not strike them down with a great and holy and fully justified fury. And its not as if you and I have done anything to improve our situation. No, we have added to the weight of sin and condemnation we were born already carrying.What a fascinating concept. In an age when we seem to be all about rights, we are reminded that we, in actuality, have none - certainly not when we approach the Almighty.
One wonders how that reconciles with the near holy concept of "inalienable rights" in the Declaration of Independence, or even those rights discussed in the Magna Carte? In both cases and in so many others, these rights are not truly ours. As it says in the Declaration of Independence - they are granted by our Creator - they are not our rights, they are His. We can properly exercise those rights only in the context of the humility we obtain when we realize they are not ours. Says Warnock:
Where there was no hope, Jesus gave us hope. Where we had no right to expect any gift, Jesus came and freely gave us himself. Where there was wrath, Jesus showed us mercy and turned aside God's wrath, absorbing it to himself! Where we deserved to die, Jesus died and rose again that we might have life! What glorious news! What a humbling thing! What a difference this needs to make to the pride that we so often call "self esteem" How strange it is that recognizing how lowly and undeserving we are is actually the path for us to be truly lifted.Next time you feel the urge to exercise your right to free speech, just remember the right is not yours - use it, and all others accordingly.
Technorati Tags:rights, freedom, humility
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator
