We Have No Rights
Let's be clear. God's Word shows us that you and I have no "rights."
The notion of "rights" is helpful in the civil realm. But Christians must acknowledge that the very notion is a fiction. The Bible doesn't support the notion that we have certain "inalienable rights." The Bible only recognizes that, as human beings made in the image of God, we have certain responsibilities to one another and that the simple privilege of living is a gift from God we don't deserve, that the amazing privilege of eternal life with God is a gift we cannot earn granted by grace to all who believe in Jesus Christ.
The Bible says this: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
One of my frequent prayers is, "Thank You, God, for not killing me." Death is what my sin warrants, but God is gracious, charitable. God has given me the miracle of life!
Even more amazing, God has given me a life with Him forever through Christ!
When I consider what I deserve, I am stunned by God's gifts to me.
Adrian Warnock, riffing off a tweeted message from his pastor, talks about all of this eloquently here. John Schroeder has additional thoughts here. David Wayne also shares a pertinent quote from Oswald Chambers.
[UPDATE: A blogging lawyer completely misunderstands the point of this post, thinking that I live each day in quaking fear that God is going to zap me when, in fact, I'm amazed by the graciousness of God, Who has every right to zap me, and doesn't. Then, a commenter says that I'm "insane" and for good measure, accuses me of being anti-Catholic. I have no idea what's up with that. Go here.]
[ANOTHER UPDATE: For an intriguing secular take on the notion of "rights," see here. The prologue and footnote to this post demonstrate that it is possible for believers and secularists to dialog respectfully and even agree on ways in which we can all live together, irrespective of what fringe folks say in either the religious or secular communities.]