I made a statement on Sunday that I would like to elaborate on a little more.
In Romans 1:1 Paul introduces himself as a “bondservant” of Jesus Christ. The term literally means a slave, or one who works for a “master” without any right to a wage. Any rights or privileges given to a bondservant are determined by the Master and only the Master. The bondservant has no “rights” to claim anything from his master.
The statement that I made went something like this: I contend that we, the human race, have NO rights with God.
How can you say that, Chris? Are you sure about that? In my own mind and understanding I am absolutely sure this is true. Of course, there is room here for you to not be so sure, or even to flat out disagree with me.
For instance, you might say, “But what about the verse in John chapter one that says, ‘…to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’, doesn’t that say we have the right to something with God?”
To that I would say, yes. I agree.
But isn’t this double-speak? How can I agree that God has given us rights yet say that we have no rights before God?
Because what we are talking about are two different things. As we are, in our humanity, in our sinful nature, we have absolutely no rights outside of those which come directly from God himself. The only right I have to become a child of God is something that begins and ends with God. It is not something I am born with as a human being. It is something that is bestowed upon me from a Sovereign and loving God.
But I had NO claim to that right. That’s the point I want to emphasize. We have nothing with which we can approach God. Our good deeds, our selfless service, our lives, are all but “filthy rags” to Him. Sin has destroyed our standing before a Holy God. As human beings we stand before a righteous Judge to plead our case, and there is nothing that can make us innocent before Him. We are guilty. That is the condition that every one of us is in before His grace “captures” us. When the Righteous and Holy Judge calls you by His grace to belong to Him, He then gives you the right (that you did not have on your own) to become a child of God.
But nowhere in Scripture do I find that God must treat us a certain way, or that we have the right to a certain kind of life even after we are called His children. If so, you would think that Paul would have had an argument. I mean, if anyone had the right to a better life it should have been Paul. Or what about the eleven original disciples who continued on in doing the work of Jesus? I mean, all but one of them died a martyr’s death. We read about how their lives were ridden with hardship, suffering, pain; it was a constant struggle to maintain the preaching of Jesus in a hostile culture. Shouldn’t they have had a right to call upon Jesus for some relief?
Speaking of that, how about John the Baptist? He was the one who announced the coming of the Messiah. He prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus. Jesus even considered John to be one of the most humble men to ever live on earth. Later in John's life he sent his disciples to go and ask Jesus if he really was the one who is to come, or if they should expect someone else. It is an interesting question for John to be asking. I mean, John seemed to know the answer undoubtedly even before his birth (as he leapt in his mother's womb at the very presence of Jesus inside of Mary's womb), and years later he recognized Jesus when the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove, and John even proclaimed that this is the "Lamb of God". But now, later in life, in prison, in the face of death, he has questions.
Jesus' response to John's disciples did not exactly answer his question directly. He tells them that the blind receive sight, the lame are walking, the deaf are hearing, those with leprosy are cured, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. BUT—and here is the kicker—blessed are those who do not fall away on account of me. Fall away "on account of me"??? Jesus is doing all kinds of good things! You mean that someone could have doubts BECAUSE of all the good that Jesus is doing? Apparently so. Because Jesus felt the need to exhort John in this matter. Don't lose faith on account of me and all of this good that is being reported. Kind of a strange thing to consider.
But, perhaps Jesus was saying something like this. "John, I'm not coming through for you on this one. I'm not getting you out of prison. I'm not sparing your life. Yes, I have done all of this and more for others, but the path I choose for you is different from theirs. You'll be blessed, John, if this does not cause you to fall away."
Wow! Where were John’s rights? Oh, it’s in there. You have to look closely. In fact Jesus reminds him. He is a child of God. That is the one claim that he had been given. And it is enough.
There is another instance in scripture where someone felt that they might have the right to something besides what God had given him. One day after Jesus had resurrected from death and was reunited with his disciples, he and Peter were having a conversation. Jesus asks Peter three separate times if he loves him, and Peter answers “Yes, of course”. The Bible even indicates that the third time Jesus asked Peter was hurt by the question. He answered him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Then Jesus explained to him that because of the love that Peter so adamantly states he has for him, he will one day be killed against his will. And then reminds him, “Follow me.”
Peter thought about what Jesus had said, then he looked at the disciple that was considered one of Jesus’ best friends on earth, John. And Peter contends, “But what about him?” Jesus tells him, “What is it to you if I want John to live and you die?”
Think about that statement for a minute. And then ask yourself this question. Does God treat us all the same? Outside of His grace, I mean, which has the same saving effect for all who are called to be His children. Do we all have the same gifts? Do we all get the same calling? Do we all get the same blessings? The same trials? The same tests? Unless you have your head in the sand, the answer is an obvious “No”.
Erwin McManus, in his book The Barbarian Way says, "Christianity as a civilized religion claims to have a group plan negotiated with God. Everybody gets the same package. And of course, the package is always the premium plan--get rich, get comfortable, get secure, get safe, get well when you get God. Everybody gets the John plan; nobody gets the Peter package."
Do you feel undeserving before God? If so, you know what it means to have no rights before God.
In many ways I believe this is the real test of humility before God. Many people may mouth the confession of sin like the one thief on the cross next to Jesus: “God be merciful to us miserable sinners,” but when some trouble comes, they get angry at Him. And this anger reveals that they do not really feel undeserving before God. They still feel, deep down, that they have some rights before God.
There are not many people like Job, who, when he lost everything, said: “Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
I think we get this honestly because of where we live. In the West, we think of nearly everything in terms of rights. It wasn’t always that way. And some people still get this even today. There are people who believe in things we should or should not do. For instance, we should love others selflessly. We should not steal, cheat, or murder. But somewhere we had this bizarre shift to people thinking in terms of, “I have an entitlement to this. This is something the universe owes me.” Now we live in a time and culture where everyone has this long list of things that we are entitled to, and if someone violates those rights we become very angry and upset. We live in a “rights based” society.
But the fact is God owes us none of the things we take for granted. Not even our lives. I read a story this week about a woman with breast cancer who responded to what her women’s breast cancer support group was named—“Why Me?”—and suggested there should be a Christian support group for women with breast cancer called “Why Not Me?”
That woman recognizes something about the human condition. We have no right to even exist at all. God could have created us as something else (like a rock or a fish), and that would have been generous of Him. We have no right to be free of suffering and pain. If you are miraculously healed and delivered from disease, pain, and suffering (which I fully believe in); then what you experienced is God’s generosity at work. He doesn’t owe it to us.
And I’m not just talking about the luxuries that we have in our very wealthy and blessed culture in which we live. We have no right to live in a world where a sapphire sky is hung with a million constellations of diamonds. If you walk outside and see a breathtaking night sky, God chose to create it in His goodness and His generosity. God chose to put you on the earth not because you deserved it, or because your family earned the right to have a child. But because His generosity is a means for His glory to be revealed even further. You were created to reveal the glory of God. Period.
Isn’t it an awful thing for me to claim that we don’t have any rights? Actually, it’s not awful at all. It means that instead of having a long list of things we take for granted as “Here’s what God, or the universe, or somebody owes me,” we are free not to take it for granted and to rejoice at God’s generosity. When we have that attitude, then everything is an opportunity to turn back in praise and worship to God. It is an opportunity for joy, as we were created for worship, and we find our fullest joy in worshiping God and thanking Him. But you will not thank God for that which you feel you are entitled to.
In conclusion I do want to say this. There is actually one thing that we have a right to, and it’s a strange thing to have a right to. But we do. It’s hell. We have the right to go to hell. It’s the one thing we’ve earned. Our sin has earned us a ticket to go to hell. In fact, we’ve earned that right so completely that it cost God the death of His Son to purchase that ticket from us. When people think of hell, they think of it being someplace that “God casts people into”. But the fact is everyone’s life is bound for hell, and God spends countless lifetimes telling people, “Let go of hell. Let go of what you think you have a right to, and let me give you something better.” But hell is the place where God reluctantly leaves people when they tell Him, “You can’t take my rights away from me.” God is so gracious, and He wants to give us something infinitely better than our rights.
The woman I spoke of earlier—who survived breast cancer and suggested there should be a Christian support group called “Why Not Me?”—she was not suggesting that cancer is a good thing, and would probably never tell a friend, “I wish you could have the sufferings of cancer.” When the apostles were beaten and tortured for their faith in Christ, having a God-centered mindset about rights did not mean that they didn’t feel pain. I believe the beatings hurt severely. Sin is not good. Disease is not good. Death is not good. Having a God-centered mindset does not mean that we ignore these things or pretend that they are blessings of God. That would be just as ludicrous. Instead, God transforms these things and makes them part of something larger. That is the essence of Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (ESV)
It’s not my right to demand that all things work together for good. It’s just God. It’s His faithfulness. His goodness. His love. His sovereignty.
He makes everything glorious. It’s His right to do so.
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