In the opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote the most overpowering words, which became the foundation of American lives. The following words became the inspiration for all the men in the country, saying:
“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, and that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
These universal rights are God-given and serve as the primary force for independence from Great Britain and the proclamation of American independence. So, what are our God-given rights? Are God-given rights natural rights that God bestows? And what is the risk of exercising God-given rights?
Contents
What Are God-Given Rights?
Humanity’s sacred rights are not to be found rifling through old book pages or musty documents. These are composed by the fingers of the divinity itself, like a sunbeam, in the entire volume of human nature. They will never be deleted or overshadowed by mere humans’ power.
God provides us with moral guidance throughout the Bible, clearly defining our privileges and rights as living creatures. The point is that these rights are bestowed upon us by God.
The American Founders advocated for the radical notion that everyone has rights given to them by the Lord and that the purpose of the government is to guard these rights. The treatment we deserve from others, including our government, is made clear by these rights given by God.
What Are Your God-Given Rights?
We are called to freedom and liberty; however, we must not use our freedom for self-indulgence but rather become slaves to one another through love. The entire law is articulated as Jesus Christ explained it in a single golden rule: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:13–14).
All people are endowed with equality, freedom, and dignity simply because humans were created in the image of God. In Galatians, the disciple Paul assures us that rights given by God are not earned but divinely ordained. At last, we are deemed to care about human rights because of the love of God for all people and our duty and responsibility to love others, for we are created equal by God.
Human rights[1] are the nearest thing we have to rights given by God. Human rights, by definition, pertain to the rights of every individual human being on earth. These are requirements that all humans around the world need, regardless of their social situations, place of work, political viewpoint, or government.
Human laws do not legislate or dictate our human rights. They are not brought up for a vote with each new Congress. They can never be abandoned by man-made laws or torn up by individuals who would prefer that some people do not have such rights, despite numerous attempts to do so.
If you’re searching for God-given rights, leaders and officials from all over the world concurred that these are every human being’s birthright, as shown by the solid list of human rights from a 1948 United Nations document, “A Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” The following is the condensed list of the aforementioned human rights:
- Everyone is born free and equal. We all have our own goals, ideas, thoughts, and values. People should all be treated equally.
- The right to life. People own the right to life and to live in safety and independence. We must try our best to keep others from being deserted or overlooked in today’s time. Furthermore, all adults must shield and protect all children.
- Don’t discriminate. This applies to everybody, whatever their social status, job, or educational attainment. People have the right not to be discriminated against by others.
Are God-Given Rights Natural Rights Ordained By God?
The Founders of the Constitution drafted both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution within the framework of natural law. The Constitution was created to function as the method for guarding the rights given by God and mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.
As a result, understanding and correctly interpreting the US Constitution requires understanding the Declaration of Independence, which states that American governance and independence are founded on the goal of safeguarding these rights.
As a result, exact judicial inference generally necessitates and involves faith in God, absolute truth, or what is self-evident, as well as the right of every man and woman to interact openly in religious exercise. The people who founded the Constitution used this as a guide. The natural law and the system of beliefs are established by the great nation’s founders.
The forefathers were firm believers in the core of man’s rights in a civilized society being equality of humanity. They did, however, presume that if people’s natural rights were not practiced in harmony with reality, they would indeed be mistreated far beyond unnatural limits.
What Is The Biblical And Historical Perspective On The Concept Of Rights?
Our Rights Originated From God
Let us examine how the Founding Members perceived these human rights. The Founding Fathers first and foremost believed that our rights are derived from God. In monarchies, the king or queen held ultimate authority. They essentially thought that God had given them sovereign authority to rule. As a result, based on those countries’ governments, the government determined the people’s rights.
The United States of America was the first nation “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It was the first country whose founding documents declared that every person has inherent worth and has the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” which are granted by God.
The Country’s Moral Foundation Was Based On Christianity
The Founders considered that Christianity was the core belief of the nation and the principle of government. As a result, we should learn our rights (with regard to proper human treatment) from the Bible.
“These [rights] may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutes of the great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament,” says The Rights of the Colonists.
Our current societal moral standards should be based on the “word of God,” and they should reflect an “orderly and decent government” according to God’s standards. Indeed, the rights outlined by the Founding Members were not granted by a hazy concept of God. The Founders were unmistakably referring to rights founded on Biblical principles and the morals of Christianity.
The Protection Of Our Rights Is The Duty Of The Government
The Founding Fathers strongly believed that it was the government’s obligation to guard these unalienable rights given by God. Accordingly, if the current government was not enacting laws to that end, it was the people’s duty to seek a new body of government to safeguard them. Therefore, we should thank those who sacrifice and fight for the free exercise of our rights.
“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…” is definitely mentioned in the Declaration of Independence’s preamble.
What Is The Danger Of God-Given Rights?
Historical background has demonstrated that whatever God gives can be ripped away by people who communicate with or for God. Until it wasn’t, enslavement was God’s will. Separation and anti-miscegenation legislation were intended to keep races apart, just as God intended.
The religious basis for opposition to same-sex relationships was largely religious: “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Improvement in many essential aspects of man’s rights has also long been objected to by those who claim to understand God’s mind and carry out God’s will. Yes, the church assisted with a few of these reasons, but the opposing arguments were almost always based on divine law.
Our human rights are definite and universal; they are not subjected to religious preferences but are rather inspired by them. We have specific, inherent individual rights simply by virtue of our birth. Also, there’s a problem with people’s God-given rights regarding geographical locations. Certain countries rely on and are influenced by those who proclaim to understand the will of God or the religious leader of the country.
God-given rights are difficult to define because they are based solely on an individual’s interpretation of his god’s word. Maybe the interpreter follows a higher authority, for instance, a pope or a Bible author. However, at the end of the path of divine authority, a mere human claims to understand “God’s will,” and one human’s assumption is instantly elevated to the status of divine law. A flawed and imperfect person is claiming divine recognition.
Conclusion
When we say a right is God-given, we mean that, regardless of human affairs, human history, what you or I want, or the circumstances of our society today, certain qualities of life and existence are the natural rights of every human being on earth.
The government will be more prone to corruption and abuse when it elevates itself above God or removes its accountability to Him. The Founding Members recognized this potential threat, which is why they established a constitutional republic “under God” to safeguard the citizens from a government in the future that denied God-given rights to its people.
