Human Rights - Part 2
To reiterate what I concluded in part 1 (several months ago), saying “I have rights” is another way of saying “I have the authority to expect things.” Rights/authority can be inherent (for example, Paul founded a church, so he will have authority inherent to his relationship to the church - see 1 Cor. 9:18) or delegated (for example, the government - see Rom. 13:1-7). Lately, I’ve been exploring in one direction in particular. I've been trying to figure out whether this statement is true: When God gives a command or prohibition, He conveys rights on people. I think it is true. For example, He says, “You shall not murder,” and as a result, I have a right not to be murdered. This is delegated authority from God. In the right (but not desirable) situation, I could say authoritatively, “Stop murdering me! I have a right not to be killed.” I don’t have inherent authority to say that, but God has delegated it to me through His law. Another example. God says through Paul, “Fathers, ...