From Where Do Our Rights Come?

As we reflect on the opportunities to select leaders in the months to come, we can remember what Jesus had to say in Mark 10 about the posture of a true leader, which is that of a servant. He stated:
(42)..."You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

We live in an incredible country, and even though there have been some difficult times as of late, we can cherish the principles upon which our nation was built.

On the morning of July 4th, My wife, Beth and I, had an extraordinary experience. We were in Boston, which is so incredibly steeped in history. We gathered with thousands on the City Hall plaza for a ceremony featuring current members of the U.S. Military, as well as some individuals who were clothed in uniforms for the era of our founding.  After the opening ceremony, the annual city parade wove through the streets of the historic city, to the famous Granary Burial Ground, where wreaths were laid on certain graves.  

Finally, the parade concluded at the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was read from its balcony. The site of the state house was also where the Boston Massacre had occurred hundreds of years ago, where five individuals lost their lives standing for the cause of freedom.

I thought as I stood on the streets of Boston - how many people in this crowd have ever heard this reading or have read the Declaration for themselves?  Can they appreciate the sacrifices of our forefathers, who believed in a cause greater than themselves, inspired by Almighty God, courageously defying the actions of a tyrannical King.  When we think about the significance of those words and the dedication of its authors and signers, I think we can gain a greater appreciation of the wonderful gift our God has given to us in this country.

Jerry Newcombe of Providence Forum and Coral Ridge Ministries, wrote this recently in a column for Newsmax:

On July 4, 1776, Congress voted to accept by voice vote the final wording of the now-modified Declaration of Independence.

John Adams said about our national birth certificate, "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.

"It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

"Illuminations" is another way of saying fireworks.

What makes the Declaration so revolutionary?

Above all, it says that our rights come from God.

In his article, Jerry Newcombe quoted from noted British theologian G.K. Chesterton, who wrote: "It enunciates that all men are equal in their claim to justice, that governments exist to give them that justice, and that their authority is for that reason just," adding, "It certainly does condemn anarchism, and it does also by inference condemn atheism, since it clearly names the Creator as the ultimate authority from whom these equal rights are derived."

Newcombe writes, "In that sense, America is and always will be one nation under God."

On the day before the Fourth of July, I had shared from a 2022 article from The Washington Stand, in which Kenyn Cureton wrote this:

Indeed, there is one key phrase from the Declaration that Lincoln referenced as the basis for his crusade to liberate people from slavery: “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.” According to the text of the Declaration, these enumerated liberties are not granted by government but are the gift of Almighty God. In fact, the Founders referenced God four times in the document as the Creator who 1) governs the universe according to law; 2) creates all human beings equal with inherent and self-evident rights; 3) functions as the Supreme Judge of the world; and 4) rules over His creation and creatures with a benevolent Providence.

Our devotion to God and the acknowledgement of His hand can be a source of strength for us when we encounter authoritarian leaders who want to strip those God-given rights. As the Declaration of Independence itself says, "The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

Within the next few months, we will go to the polls and select leaders.  We can be prayerful, we can be informed, as we make our selection.  We can examine those who aspire to lead us by applying Biblical tests: are they committed to life and liberty?  As best as you can tell, do they believe that rights come from God and not from government?  Does their experience show a respect for God and His principles?  We must guard against allowing tyrants to rule us and impede our freedoms: we must select those who will serve us and demonstrate their leadership by exhibiting the heart of a servant, just as our Savior did.