We rightly celebrate this , but a word of warning is in order . In recent decades , Americans foolishly have rallied around the banner of equality alone when , in the original statement on America ’ s “ birth certificate ,” the meaning of the word equal is informed , tempered , and shaped by the word created . Created , in turn , is linked inseparably to the divine title Creator . The implications of these realities , of course , are enormous .
Principle Five : Rights are inherent and God-given and are rooted in God ’ s having created members of the human race in His own image .
The rights the Declaration identifies —“ Life , Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness ”— tell us much about the kinds of rights the Founders recognized . Similar rights have been enshrined in the U . S . Constitution ’ s Bill of Rights . Social scientists call these “ negative rights .” To enjoy them , individuals must be free to act in unhindered ways . Conversely , “ positive rights ” are “ achieved ” through government manipulation , a process that tramples all over the negative , inherent rights of others and that flies in the face of the government ’ s God-given , limited role . 3 , 4 America ’ s upholding and protecting negative rights through the years has been a major reason the United States became the greatest and freest nation on earth , as well as the most civil , powerful , benevolent , and prosperous .
Principle Six : Equality , as used by the Founders , refers to equality of worth and affirmation of natural opportunities , not to equality of outcomes achieved by government manipulation of outcomes , opportunities , or both .
The Founders correctly saw equality as being inherent among human beings rather than a place at which people arrive only after the government has orchestrated and rearranged the playing field . Government involvement on this level inevitably restricts personal freedom and liberty .
Principle Seven : Rights are inextricably linked to God ’ s laws .
God ’ s moral laws , including the Ten Commandments , do not merely show us how to live but also carve out rights that everyone should honor and respect . The commandments against murder , stealing , and lying affirm personal rights to life , property , and an honest reputation , respectively . Respect for God ’ s laws makes ordered liberty and the exercise of rights possible .
Principle Eight : Government does not grant rights but is responsible for recognizing , maintaining , and protecting them .
Significantly , when government protects inherent rights , it fulfills its God-given duty to punish those who do wrong according to God ’ s standard of morality and ethics and to commend or reward those who do right . This maintains order in society and makes personal freedom possible ( see Rom . 13:1-7 ; 1 Pet . 2:13-17 ; 1 Tim . 2:1-4 ).
Principle Nine : Government has limited authority .
The Declaration of Independence itself explains why government must be limited . First , it says the government ’ s role is to secure or protect God-given rights . Second , it affirms that the government ’ s powers are derived “ from the consent of the governed .” Third , it asserts that the powers of government are to be “ just .” The government ’ s authority is not absolute . It operates under the law , even as the nation ’ s citizens live under the law .
Principle Ten : When government oversteps its authority and begins to achieve ends contrary to those it was established and designed by God to accomplish , the people have a right and even a duty to hold it accountable .
This even includes abolishing a tyrannical government and replacing it with one that will fulfill its duty to protect inherent rights : “[ W ] henever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends , it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it , and to institute new Government , laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form , as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness .”
The ultimate boss in the United States is “ We the People .” When government steps beyond its God-ordained authority , the people are charged with holding it accountable .
Let us rediscover these tenets , uphold them , and practice them once again . Liberty depends on it . ■
To read the series of essays on which this article is based , visit wordfoundations . com / principles-of-liberty .
For a five-session Bible study series exploring the above ten principles , visit discoverbedrocktruth . org / principles-of-liberty .
B . Nathaniel Sullivan is a writer , Christian educator , and blogger at wordfoundations . com .
ENDNOTES 1 . William J . Bennett , America , the Last Best Hope — Volume 1 : From the Age of Discovery to a World at War ( Nashville : Thomas Nelson , 2006 ), 122 . 2 . Ibid ., 86 . 3 . B . Nathaniel Sullivan , “ Return to the Founders ’ Perspective on Rights , Part 2 ,” Word Foundations , https :// wordfoundations . com / 2019 / 11 / 12 / return-to-thefounders-perspective-on-rights-part-2 . 4 . B . Nathaniel Sullivan , “ The Purpose of Government ,” Word Foundations , https :// wordfoundations . com / the-purpose-of-government-3 .
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