The Biblical Foundation of Human Rights

1. Defining human rights
Human rights describe the kind of life a human being should be able to expect by virtue of being human (not because they are members of a nation or other group).

2. Where do human rights come from?
The origin of human rights is creation. Human beings did not "win" them, no government has "given" them. We received them from the hand of our Maker "in the beginning." That creates a problem in this day of moral relativism, because it's hard (for say, a government agency today) to show the need for the protection of human rights if you can't point to their origin.

Genesis 1:27-28 (New Living Translation)
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

a. our relationship to God
We are made in the likeness of God.We are made to be God-"like". Because we are made by God, for God, we have certain rights connected with freedom of worship, thought, and speech. The subtlety is that ONLY that which is good in us is like God. The sinful stuff we put there ourselves out of our own greed, lust, and so on. That's where the danger is.

b. our relationship to each other
God is a social being, and made us the same. According to scripture, the first time God appeared in human form (Genesis 18), there were three of him! Rublev's famous icon is a great image of God as three people in relationship with each other and with us. In the second telling of the creation of humans in Genesis, God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18). So human rights connected with the sanctity of human sexuality, the institution of family, and the right to receive respect no matter our age, gender, or nationality all come from this foundation in Genesis.

When one group of people says "We are made in the image of God, but this other group is not," the world experiences profound evil.

• 6 million Jews are killed (WWII)
• In the Balkans, two top Bosnian Serb leaders personally oversaw the executions of 8,000 Muslims in Serbian territory.
• In April of 2004, Sheikh Nur Barud gave an interview to Reuters in which he was quoted saying "All Somali Christians must be killed according to Islamic law. Such people do not have a place in Somalia and we will never recognize their existence and we will slaughter them."
• In 1994, Hutu leaders embarked on a systematic killing of 500,000 Tutsis in Rwanda.
• Today more than 2.5 million people have been displaced in the genocide that is taking place in Darfur.

Where God is not honored in our relationship with each other, deep sin takes root and flourishes and human rights are trampled.

c. our relationship to the earth and its creatures
God has given us clear directions to govern the earth and its creatures. "Fill the earth and govern it; reign over its creatures…" So when we as Christians fail to address the reduction in biodiversity, the food crisis, nuclear abuse, the amount of garbage we produce, or climate change, we are talking about failing to give the world it's basic human rights. So all those human rights we call the right to to adequate food, clothing, and shelter; the right to the preservation of good human health and the health of the Earth; EVEN the right to dignified work and sufficient rest; these come from the way God set things up in Genesis. These are at the base of the right to be human.

3. The problem: inequality of privilege
Because God made us, we have basic human rights. And it would be very easy for all of us in Cary to say to our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone, "You have the right to clean drinking water." What's MISSING is equality of privilege. Not everyone has the same access to things that we in North America have.

God's people were called for a very specific purpose. That purpose involves bringing bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, releasing the oppressed, and proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18-19) The Bible even urges us to forego our own rights in order to do this.

Jesus was a prime example. He was a refugee baby in Egypt, a prophet without honor in his own hometown, rejected by the religious establishment of his own people. He became a prisoner of conscience, refusing to compromise in order to gain his release, he was falsely accused, unjustly condemned, tortured, and crucified. And he never demanded his rights, instead making the sacrifice of his life so that he might secure ours.

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," wrote Paul. (Phil 2:5)

We are our brother's keeper. Human rights are our responsibility. We must set the example for this community, and for the world.

5. So how can we take action for God?
Read the post below for a list of eight ways to take action for God...