Recently I have been following a series of podcasts by Mike Duncan titled "Revolutions". It began with the English revolution in the 17th century, moved on to the American revolution, then the French, Haitian, and Spanish revolutions, and now I am listening to talks on the failed revolutions of 1848. Sounds thrilling, right? During this binge of podcasts, I've been amazed at how much people will do for their rights. Just the ability to print a pamphlet was worth bloodshed for many of these revolutionaries!
Most amazing, to me, are what people view today as a "right" versus what these revolutionaries fought for. Today, people will complain if Facebook puts a flag on their social media post and claim it is an affront to their right to free speech. In the meantime, the Austrians of 19th century Europe lived in a world where bureaucrats would read all incoming and outgoing international mail and any inkling of criticism for the emperor would result in an uncomfortable visit from government officials, often resulting in fines, jailtime, and sometimes even death.
By nearly any historical standard, the things people complain about today, as an infringement on their rights, is laughably insignificant compared to what people 300, 200, or even 100 years ago had to deal with. We don't even KNOW what it's like to have our rights infringed on. Yet, we are obsessed with our rights just the same. I have a "right" to express my opinions. I have a "right" to address the public. I have a "right" to debate someone whom I disagree with. But is it helpful? Is it effective? Does it further my life's goals? Or... does it just alienate me and push people away? Am I exercising my rights because the situation necessitates it, or am I just being... well.. selfish?
23 “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. 24 No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)
As Christians, we enjoy a freedom unlike any other. We are free from requirements to prove our "holiness". We are free from having to worry about the approval of the world. We are free from the guilt and weight of sin on our lives. In theory, with grace we could do anything we want and it wouldn't matter because the grace of Christ is infinite. It is sufficient for ANY sin we have or could commit.
But... just because we have that right, does that mean we should exercise it?
Rights are not an invitation, they're an insurance policy. They exist so that when life throws us a curve ball, we know we can keep moving forward. We have a freedom of speech so that when speech is needed, we can speak. We have a freedom of religion so that when there are obstructions to our practice of religion, we can still practice. As Christians, we have grace so that when we need grace, we have it. It's not there so that we can go hog-wild and sin until we're black-out drunk. It would be better if circumstances never arose that would require use to use ANY of these rights, but the world isn't perfect... we aren't perfect... so we are blessed to have them.
Sometimes we get a little too wrapped up in what we have a "right" to do at the expense of what we "should" do. We start talking simply because we have a right to do it. We act out because we have a right to do it. As Christians, sometimes we act in ways that don't glorify God or foster healthy relationships... because we have spiritual justification through grace regardless of our actions. That doesn't mean we should do it. When we gauge our actions and relationships with others, we should always be mindful of what is truly beneficial. Instead of boiling faith into a series of "do" and "don't" statements, we have to ask ourselves what is productive? What furthers our mission? What will help build-up a brother or sister? It's the difference between being inwardly focused and outwardly focused. If we can stop looking at ourselves and what benefits our own good, maybe we can shift the narrative away from what is "permitted", and replace it with what is "beneficial".
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