OUR GOD-GIVEN RIGHTS
True freedom,
the kind of freedom that comes from God, is not the freedom to sin, but freedom
from sin (John
Now it is true that laws can be
used to commit crimes as well as punish them. (Matthew 23:14). Many of the
problems in our own nation stem from the fact that the law is being twisted to
protect criminals, while legitimizing such crimes as abortion. The enemies of
Daniel tried to use the law to destroy him, and would have succeeded if God had
not intervened (Daniel
Since Christ has been given a name
that is “above every name,” all rulers are to acknowledge Him as
Lord, and recognize the fact that any authority they have is a trust from Him
that needs to be administered according to His will (Philippians 2:10, Romans
13:1, Daniel 4:25). Furthermore, because sin has obscured our natural sense of
right and wrong, rulers need to recognize the fact that the Ten Commandments
were given to provide us with a reasonable basis for civil law. At the same
time it must be understood that the purpose of government is not to make us
righteous, but to punish those who commit crimes (Romans 13:1-4, 1Peter
One thing that sets the American
system of government apart from all others, is its
acknowledgement that our rights come from God, and that government exists to
protect those rights. Yet there are forces at work today that would like
nothing more than to give government the authority to decide what rights we
should have, or not have. To that end, they have reinterpreted the First
Amendment to take away the very freedom it was written to protect. And, they
would like to take away our right to spread the gospel, by calling it
“religious harassment”. Therefore, I want to make it clear that the
Ten commandments not only are not an infringement on
our freedom, but are the basis of our freedom and the source of our God given
rights.
By requiring us to worship Him, to
the exclusion of all others, God has given us the right to worship him to the
exclusion of all others. Furthermore, because that right comes from God, rulers
have no God-given authority to deny it. Therefore, the First Commandment is the
foundation of religious freedom, and we have every right to secure that freedom
by enacting legislation that would require rulers to respect both our right to
worship, and the Author of that right.
Because we have lost sight that fact, we no longer enjoy freedom of conscience
in the United States, but are instead forced (through taxation) to support
things that we could never otherwise support in good conscience, including a
system of education that is hostile to our religious beliefs.
By forbidding us to take His name in
vain, God has given us the right to treat His name with respect. Furthermore,
because that right comes from God, no ruler has any legitimate authority to
deny it (Acts
Because we have lost sight of that
fact, we have been forced through tax support for the “National Endowment
for The Arts,” to finance (in the name of art) a
crucifix dunked in urine and an actor who urinates on stage into a toilet bowl
containing a picture of Jesus.
By commanding us to remember the
Sabbath Day, God has given us the right to set apart one day each week as a day
of rest and worship. Furthermore, because that right comes from God, government
should not interfere with it, and we have every right to secure our freedom by
enacting legislation that would require both rulers and employers to respect
that right. Or to put it another way, the purpose of Sunday closing laws is to
guarantee our freedom to worship, not to force worship. At the same time, Jesus
made it clear that certain functions necessary for the protection of life, such
as police or hospitals, could be exempted (Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:7-11).
By commanding children to honor
their father and mother, God has given parents the right to control the
education of their children, and children the right to be taught by their
parents, live according to the standards they have been taught, and care for
their parents in their old age. Furthermore, rulers have no God-given authority
to deny that right, and we have every right to seek legislation that would
protect that right (including the right to discipline).
Because we have neglected our
responsibility in that area, we are forced (through taxation) to support
schools that teach evolution, sex education courses that encourage immorality,
death education courses that deny the afterlife, and values education courses
that teach children to view themselves, rather than God's Word, as the final
authority.
By forbidding murder God has
granted us the right to life. Furthermore, because that right comes from God,
governments exist to protect it, and we are authorized by God to seek and enact
legislation that would require rulers to respect it (Romans 13:1-4). Moreover,
that right automatically takes precedence over any made-made
“right,” such as the “right to choose (murder)” that is
often used to justify the cold blooded butchering of unborn infants.
Although the Bible allows rulers to
provide for national defense and execute criminals, they are not allowed to
abuse their authority as David did when he ordered the death of Uriah. On the contrary, every precaution is to be taken to
insure that only the guilty are put to death (1 Kings 2:23-24 and 31,
Ecclesiastes 3:8, Romans 13:4, 1 Peter 2:14, Genesis 9:6, Exodus 23:7, Genesis
14:14, Deuteronomy 19:10, Proverbs 28:16, Psalm 72:14, Ecclesiastes 8:11).
Because we have neglected our
responsibility in this area, over forty million babies have now been butchered
in the
By condemning adultery God has
given us the right to lead moral lives, be faithful to our spouse, and have a
spouse that is faithful to us. Furthermore, rulers have no legitimate authority
to deny that right or to pass laws that encourage its denial, while we have
every right to seek legislation that would protect that right (Romans 13:1,
Exodus 20:14). In fact, because God instituted government to protect that
right, laws that make the marriage commitment a legally binding contract are in
full accord with His will.
Because we have neglected this
right, adultery, rape, illegitimate births, and divorce are reaching epidemic
proportions, while educators and pornographers are subverting morality.
[Matthew 19:7,8, 1 Timothy 2:2, Exodus 22:16-19,
Leviticus 20:10-16, Matthew
I might also add,
that by condemning adultery God has given every child the right to be conceived
and born in the normal way to parents who are man and wife. That right, stands in unbending opposition to those who would
“clone” people just to harvest their organs, or deliberately deform
them via “genetic engineering.”
By condemning theft God has given
every one of us the right to property. Furthermore, because that right comes
from God (not from government) government not only does not have any God-given
authority to deny it, but government exists to protect it (Romans 13:1, 1Peter
2:14). Therefore, no ruler is ever justified in using his authority to
confiscate or steal our property, or to allow others to steal it, either
outright or by allowing them to steal someone’s labor [slavery] (Exodus
21:16).
While rulers deserve a salary and
have legitimate expenses that must be met, God never intended for them to use
the power to tax either to make themselves rich or to appear as benefactors at
our expense. Therefore, while we should never refuse to pay our taxes we should
work through the system to see that the power to tax is not abused (Romans
13:6, Luke
[Note: While God (out of compassion for the lost)
allowed the children of
Because the law of God condemns
false witness, no ruler is ever justified in falsifying evidence in order to
get a conviction in a court of law. That being the case, we are authorized by
God to enact any legislation necessary to insure that our government does not
allow the falsification or withholding of evidence (Romans 13:1). At the same time,
because government exists to protect our God-given rights, the law of the land
should condemn those who are guilty of slander, perjury, or fraud.
The requirement that we be regarded
as innocent until proven guilty is actually a safeguard against slander as well
as false imprisonment, and the Magna Carta, which is
basic to our free system of government, was adopted to end such crimes on the
part of King John. [See 1Kings 21:9,10.]
[Note: Those who prophesy falsely in God’s name
are guilty, not only of taking His name in vain, but also of fraud (Deuteronomy
By condemning covetousness, the law of God condemns criminal conspiracy. For
that reason, those who have been involved in planning a crime are just as guilty
as those who actually do the dirty work. In fact, even if criminals are caught
before they able to carry out a crime, they can still
be prosecuted. And, that holds true for those inside of government as well.
Because king Alfred incorporated
the Ten Commandments into the English system of law, they are fundamental to
our entire system of government, and most of our other laws simply apply those
commandments to specific situations. Moreover, those commandments are basic to
freedom, and history has taught us that freedom can only prevail when rulers
are subject to the moral law of God, and a division of power makes it possible
to hold them accountable for their crimes.