Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “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.” That Declaration is now 247 years old. The word “unalienable” means absolute, incapable of being surrendered or alienated. William Blackstone said these rights were “absolute because they came from Him (God) because He is absolute.” These rights were “endowed”, not able to be separated from humanity. What are these rights that came from God? We have the right to our own life. No one is allowed, even the government, to take our life unjustly. If they do, they will answer to the God that gave the life. We have the right to liberty. We are a free person. We can move about without harassment and if harassment does happen the harasser will answer to God that gave us liberty. We have the right to pursue happiness. When the phrase was originally penned it didn’t mean unfettered freedom to live immoral lives, it meant we had the right to buy property and enter into contracts with those we wish to make our partners. In the Bill of Rights, several items are listed. Some of these are the right to free speech, right to religious freedom, right to bear arms, right to own and control our property, right to a jury of our peers, and the right to not violate our conscience. Our rights are God given. Each of these Declaration of Independence endowments can be traced back to a biblical foundation.
Life. The Bible declares that in the beginning God breathed into Adam the breath of life and he became a living soul. The word “life” is used at least 450 times in the Bible. The Bible speaks about the sanctity of life and the penalty for those that murder a person. It speaks about the unborn and already looks upon the baby as a person. It goes on to speak about eternal life in verse after verse in the New Testament. Life is a big deal with God. Life can be a beautiful thing when lived according to the Creator and His blueprint.
Liberty. We have liberty or freedom in Christ. The great Spurgeon was in a conversation with a man who told Spurgeon he was missing out on the finer things of life such as alcohol and tobacco. Charles Spurgeon responded, “I drink all the alcohol I wish, and I smoke all the tobacco I wish.” The man was taken back with the statement. “Really!” “Yes, I just don’t wish to partake of the alcohol or the tobacco.” Often, Christians make the mistake of thinking the Christian life is a life of bondage when in reality it is just the opposite. We are free in Christ and no longer slaves to sin. The concept of liberty and freedom is a Bible concept.
Pursuit of Happiness. Psalm 1 begins the Hebrew hymn book with the word “Blessed.” It is the same word in which we get our word happy. If we wish to be happy, we get to that destination by following the instructions. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” You wish to be happy? It doesn’t happen by accident. You walk with those that are godly. “…nor standeth in the way of sinners.” Our lives are not marked by hanging with those who delight in sin. “…nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” We don’t count as friends those that mock and scorn the ways of God. 1:1 tells us not to embrace certain people. 1:2 instructs us to “…delight in the law of the Lord (the Bible) and in his law meditate day and night.” We are always thinking, “What does the Bible say?” It is our standard of faith and practice. 1:3 gives the result of obedience in the first two verses. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth will prosper.” Now that is what I would call pursuing happiness and catching it.
This July, let’s celebrate the great freedoms we have in America even though many are being incrementally eroded. It is still the greatest of nations when all others are considered. Our founding was biblically based. It is distinctively Judeo/Christian. The most often quoted source by our founders and their writings was the book of Deuteronomy. Never give an inch when history is trying to be rewritten.