That’s a line from a movie; a Western to be specific. And the remark was made by an older man in response to his younger partner. They’d both been involved in the killing of a man who had disfigured a prostitute. The man had cut her up because she’d laughed at his manhood which apparently was not pronounced. I’m not trying to be funny here; it’s just the circumstance that the film presented. The other women in the brothel had paid the men to exact justice on the perpetrator because when he was tried for the offense and found guilty, the penalty bestowed on him was minimal, suggesting that the prostitute wasn’t significant enough to warrant a stiffer sentence. In the aftermath of the “execution” the young man, who had never killed anybody before, attempted to appease his conscience by insisting that the man they killed deserved to die: “he had it comin’.”

What’s my point? We Christians living in 21^st century America have been immersed in a culture that focuses on the “rights” of man, meaning everyone, men and women alike. Women have argued for, and gained to a certain extent, their rights as citizens of this country. They’ve campaigned against abuse, sought equality in the workplace, and have fought for an expansion of opportunities to serve in positions of authority, including all levels of government. Why not? Traditional sexism has been exposed as inconsistent with the basic premise that all “people” are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—I hope that language sounds familiar to you. The rights and freedoms to do, and think, as each one of us sees fit are foundational to our understanding of ourselves as Americans, and fundamental to our assessment of the world at large. From an American perspective people everywhere should be allowed to live their lives as they see fit.

However, the basis for establishing a community such as ours—or any community for that matter—is derived from the fact that we need each other in order to insure our wellbeing. Self-defense, securing ample food and shelter, along with our social nature has prompted people to establish relationships with others. That means that people have to be able to live with others who are willing to contribute to their mutual wellbeing. And as expectations for living a version of a good life expands, the complexity of the relationships with others expands as well. From this basic circumstance questions have arisen regarding how to organize the community, and, associated with those questions, comes a determination of other more basic ideas that provide a foundation for the existence of the community.

Contributing to this need to organize a community is the tendency for people to wonder about themselves. This is a fundamental trait, isn’t it? We wonder who we are, why we exist, and how we exist, don’t we? Maybe not consciously, but there is something about us that prompts us to understand ourselves: where did we come from? How did we get here? Those types of questions coalesce in values often derived from beliefs that are religious in nature. I don’t mean organized religion necessarily; I mean fundamental ideas that inform our existence. The problem is that people have different views about those things that inform our existence and they reflect different traits and capacities as well. In many respects we’re the same and in many respects we’re different, and questions arise from this diversity.

That diversity has prompted a lot of conflict in the world today. The most prominent—in your face—situation is what’s going on in Israel. A lot of discussion is being engaged having to do with what is right and what is wrong. And the contenders are identifying themselves, in part, according to their religious affirmations, i.e. Islam vs Judaism. But publically it’s not really a contention about whose religion is legitimate; the public discourse focuses on whose rights and freedoms are being violated. Israel has been attacked by surprise and its response is being evaluated as extreme. Both sides can be seen to be violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of their foe, and the nations of the world are tentatively taking sides. Those that have invested in a version of democracy are attempting to support the basic rights of both sides without being drawn into the conflict. Some communities that have a more authoritarian form of government can be viewed as attempting to exploit the conflict as a means of furthering their own agenda, either to verify the viability of their approach to government, and/or to gain greater influence within the political and economic spheres of the world at large—you can figure out who’s doing what yourself.

Religion has been a significant instigator of conflict within the world for thousands of years. And it continues make a contribution to conflict today. Both Christians and Muslims have, at times, propagated their agendas through force of arms in their history. Nowadays conflict seems to be prompted more by cultural heritage than by religion, although religion still plays a significant role in cultural identity. But what is common among diverse people groups today is a sense of justice having to do with personal rights and freedoms. When someone is being compromised by an individual, a group, or a government, the common concern focuses on basic concepts of what is right and what is wrong. There are limits to what people are allowed to do in any community. In stable communities, those limits are commonly recognized and affirmed. When those limitations become sufficiently burdensome, there is pushback. And the extent of those limitations and the manner in which they are enforced will determine the extent of the pushback. Even in countries with authoritarian governments there are limits to what citizens will put up with by way of restraints enforced by the government—remember the pushback that citizens in China exhibited during the extended lockdown of the Covid pandemic.

It seems that people everywhere are contending with one another to one degree or another. The “bone’ of contention varies, and the scope of the resulting contention varies, but everyone, everywhere seems to have some sort of problem with those around them. Limited resources, religious affiliations, conflicting theories of government—not to mention race, cultural heritage and social status—inform these contentions. Those on the sidelines of these conflicts weigh in with their version of what is right and wrong and, depending on their affiliation, providing a measure of support and encouragement for those who share common views with them. This is exemplified in the Israeli/Hamas conflict (war?). Various countries are lending support of various kinds to the side with whom they most identify. The problem is that in this conflict it’s possible to identify with both sides depending on what you’re focusing on. If you’re focusing on religion then your support is for those who share your beliefs. But if you’re focusing on personal rights and freedoms then who you support is a tossup because both sides have been violated. Listening to the narrative it seems that everyone is arguing about what is right and what is wrong. It’s not right that children are losing their lives because the grownups can’t live with each other. It’s not right that people are hiding behind non-combatants while they level their ordinance at their perceived enemy. It’s not right that people wade into a community with their machine guns and kill unarmed people. It’s not right that bombs are dropped on enemy forces knowing that many non-combatants will be killed in the process. There’s no real solution here; no one will be justified regardless of the outcome. Closer to home is the continuous strife being exhibited by Americans. How much is too much government? How are personal rights and freedoms maintained while allowing government to exercise a measure of authority over the citizens? These are questions that can’t seem to be answered in today’s combative climate. The exercise of government has been stymied by the inability of officials to compromise. And the citizenry is so caught up in their focus on personal rights and freedoms, that the notion of compromise is becoming increasingly foreign to them!

In saying this, I’m not really trying to address the problems this country is facing. My focus is on Christians and Christianity. The world is engaged in a debate over the extent of, and the securing of, personal rights and freedoms. Human affairs are assessed on the basis of what is right and wrong. Everybody is arguing about that, but what I want to point out is that this is not the agenda of the Gospel! The Gospel is the “good news” that Jesus has provided a way for reconciliation with God. Without His death there is no hope for such reconciliation, and without His resurrection there is no way to be reconciled. What Jesus did was to pay the penalty for our sin and provide us with a way in which our very existence can be altered. God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, can dwell within us rendering us children of God. (Romans 8:1-8) Believers are adopted as sons and daughters of the living God.

So then brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons (and daughters) of God. (Romans 8:12-14)

Whatever remedies the world has for the human condition, they become insignificant in comparison to the Gospel. But as Christians we need to understand that distinction. Securing personal rights and freedoms is not our primary issue! We may be called to participate in our form of government—through our votes, through holding an office, etc., we may be called to help reduce human suffering regardless of the source of that suffering, but such activities do not provide hope for the human condition. Support the government by all means but don’t get caught up in the assumption that all people everywhere have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We enjoy the application of that assumption as Americans, but human “rights” are not the focus of the Gospel!

What the Bible tells us is that “we all got it comin’.” Everything that the Lord has done for us is by grace, we don’t deserve anything! I came to this conclusion after watching another movie in which a man had been sentenced to death after participating in a most horrendous crime. He and another man had kidnapped a couple and taken them into the woods where they spent the entire night raping the woman, forcing the man to watch. Eventually they stabbed the woman multiple times as an added thrill and then shot the man in the head. It was a terrible, terrible, crime, and it was based on a true story! When the perpetrators were arrested one of the men turned state’s evidence to avoid being executed, but the other man was sentenced to death. While he was on death row he asked a nun for help—she had been advocating for doing away with the death penalty. In their discussions the nun made repeated attempts to get the man to admit his guilt and ostensibly ask for forgiveness. He wasn’t willing to do this, insisting instead that he was innocent. But in the end, when he was about to die, he admitted his guilt and the nun insured him that he was now in God’s good graces.

Why am I telling you this? It hit me between the eyes! I was attending seminary at the time, doing a lot of thinking about the Gospel, and this was a conundrum. It was conceivable that the victims of this crime were not Christians—maybe they hadn’t repented of their sins, acknowledging the significance of the Christ. But the man who had participated in their abuse and murder would be forgiven and have eternal life! How can this be? After a time of soul searching I recognized the stark reality that nobody deserves anything from God! Anything we receive is by grace; the Lord doesn’t owe us anything. We can advocate and provide for the relief of human suffering as a means of expressing God’s love for them, but it’s not because people deserve this relief. Nobody deserves anything! Not even us Americans who enjoy so much in comparison to most of the people throughout the world! The pitfall for us is to think that because we’ve been so prosperous everything that is associated with American ideology is ordained by God, including the basic rights afforded by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. That’s not what my Bible says. My Bible says that nobody gets special recognition for their accomplishments. It’s only through God’s grace that we’re afforded eternal life. The fact that Christian beliefs have informed American culture since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock doesn’t mean that everything American is good, or that our affirmation of human rights has anything to do with rectifying the human condition—a condition that amounts to estrangement from God. In fact it might be argued that some of the hotspots where the Gospel is making greater progress these days are places where individual rights and freedoms are curtailed in comparison to modern America.

My point in all this is to challenge us to keep our eyes on the real prize which is Christ and His kingdom! Represent God in providing relief for those who are suffering. Support the government as an institution that provides order, and a means for living an unencumbered life that serves the Lord’s purposes. But don’t think for one minute that we deserve what we have; it’s only by God’s grace that we have anything.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)