We Enjoy Our Rights, But with Those Come Responsibility

We hear a lot of discussion about rights these days. Not surprisingly, given the political and ideological divide in our country, there are greatly differing views on what those rights are, and how and when they can be used. 

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution – which are widely regarded as the Bill of Rights – a number of personal rights are specified, and others were later added. These include such things as the right to worship as one sees fit; the freedoms of speech and the press; the right to peaceable assembly; the right to bear arms; the right to a speedy and public trial with an impartial jury, and the right to vote.

 

We often focus on our rights, but not so often do we recognize the responsibilities that come with those rights. For example, it has long been acknowledged that free speech should not include shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater and inciting an unnecessary panic. There are slander and libel laws to prohibit people from wrongfully maligning others with their words.

 

Laws have been established that affect the right to bear arms. Those who possess guns have the responsibility to use them properly; those who don’t are subject of arrest and other legal actions. Even the right to vote comes with certain responsibility. I’ve always made a point of confirming when elections are being held. More recently, with the widespread use of early voting, I’ve determined when and where that option has been available to me. I won’t wade any deeper into the voting rights debate.

 

But the point is clear: When given rights, with them come responsibilities we’re expected to fulfill. Even in families, where children receive certain freedoms by birthright, parents also can assign to them increasing responsibilities as they get older. In those homes, failure to carry out their assignments may result in the curtailing of their rights and freedoms.

 

Have you ever considered that for those of us who follow Jesus Christ, we also have rights – and accompanying responsibilities?

 

We read about the most important “right” in John 1:12, which states, “Yet to all who have received [Jesus Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” By believing in Jesus, trusting in Him and His atoning sacrifice for our sins, we gain an exclusive right – that of becoming a member of God’s eternal family. What good news!

 

But are there responsibilities that come with this right? If we believe the Scriptures, most definitely so. Speaking to His followers not long before He would undergo a heinous mock trial, be unjustly convicted and then executed by crucifixion, Jesus explained one of their greatest responsibilities: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

 

In essence, their failure or refusal to carry out this responsibility – loving other members of the Lord’s family – could indicate they were not legitimate children of God. Because to love others unconditionally was – and is – a reflection of Christ living in us through His Spirit.

 

Elsewhere the apostle John expounded on this truth. He wrote, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in [God’s] presence…. And this is his command, to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:18-23).

 

Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus declared another important responsibility that comes with the right to be God’s children. He directed His followers to, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

Commonly referred to as Jesus’ Great Commission, He was stating that our faith is not something to be kept to ourselves, that it must be proclaimed so others can also experience His grace, forgiveness and redemption, and receive help for growing in their own faith.

 

We could enumerate many other responsibilities that come with the right to be children of God, but let’s close with one that in essence says we must be willing to give up our rights. In Philippians 2:3-4 we read, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

 

In a society that emphasizes mantras such as “You have to look out for No. 1” and “It’s all about me,” we’re called to selflessness and service, being willing to put the needs of others ahead of our own. 

As Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). There’s no greater blessing than to have received the right to become children of God. But are we showing ourselves worthy of such responsibility? 

American Dream – or Nightmare?

There’s been considerable rhetoric lately about the “American dream,” including the faltering economy’s effect on that quest. I’ve given this notion considerable thought, especially since this week commemorates the birth of Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s founding fathers and principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

The document opens with, “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.”

We embrace this affirmation of the equality of all people, along with rights to life, liberty – and the pursuit of happiness. This sounds wonderful, but I fear we’ve distorted what it means, crippling how we view the American dream.

“Equal” does not mean identical. We are each unique – abilities, interests, motivations, etc. Not everyone is suited for college, just as we don’t all have high mechanical or technical aptitudes. Not everyone has the capacity to own or run a company, just as we’re not all skilled at writing or painting. And not everyone has the drive – or desire – to use adversity as a springboard to success.

However, some people presume this “pursuit of happiness” should include guarantees of its attainment. A problem with happiness is, as with the dog that chases cars, we don’t always know what to do once we have it. What makes us happy one minute can make us miserable the next.

We tend to equate this “pursuit” in tangible terms. So the “American dream” translates into big houses, expensive cars and jewelry, and other trappings of material prosperity and status. But pursuing the “dream” on these terms can become a nightmare.

When James Truslow Adams coined this term in 1931, he didn’t define it as “stuff.” He wrote, “It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable…regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

This, I believe is the true American dream: striving toward what men and woman are innately capable – “endowed by their Creator,” as the Declaration of Independence affirms. Or to borrow the U.S. Army motto, “Be all you can be.”

To me this should include affording to everyone the opportunity and resources for understanding and maximizing their inherent capabilities. After that, no guarantees.

For people lacking the initiative or interest to become all they can be, so be it. That’s their problem, not society’s. With rewards come responsibilities. As 2 Thessalonians 3:10 states, “…’If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’”

Jesus told the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) in which a master gave his servants differing amounts of money. He later had them report on how they used what they had received – and they were rewarded according to their stewardship.

If the pursuit of happiness can be summed up as “the one who dies with the most toys wins,” we’ve sadly missed the mark. A much better measuring stick is, “What did you do with what God gave you?”