Rights & Responsibilities

Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men.  And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:5-8

Being citizens of this land grants us many rights and freedoms for which I am most grateful.

Being citizens of the Kingdom of God sometimes calls us to set aside those rights and freedoms for the sake of our neighbor.

Jesus, who is our lodestar, surrendered heaven and his earthly life for the sake of sinners like us.

St. Paul, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, taught that Christians are free to eat meat sacrificed to idols but that they should surrender that right if doing so might injure the conscience of a neighbor.

Martin Luther put it this way, “A Christian is the most free lord of all, subject to none; a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.”

Any conversation about “my rights” that doesn’t also prioritize “my responsibilities to my neighbor” has strayed off the path of following Jesus.

Jeff Marian serves as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN