Gary discusses ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He explains when and why it began and what its jurisdiction and purpose is.
Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) establishes the proper definition of the word “right”: “Conformity to the will of God or to his law, the perfect standard of truth and justice. In the literal sense, right is a straight line of conduct, and wrong a crooked one. Right, therefore, is rectitude or straightness, and perfect rectitude is found only in an infinite Being and his will.” “Human rights,” therefore, becomes a contradiction in terms. The term human rights places the emphasis on man’s declaration of what is right. Webster reminds us that our notion of “right” is scarcely important next to “conformity to the will of God.”
Frequently coupled with the concept of human rights is the word ‘justice.’ The Bible uses ‘justice’ in a variety of contexts, but most often it is tied to the words “righteousness” or “judgment” (the word “judgment” is used in the older translations of the Bible and is more accurate). The queen of Sheba notes the significance and uniqueness of Solomon’s rule with these words (cf. Deuteronomy 4:1-8): “Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9; cf. Genesis 18:19; 2 Samuel 8:15; 1 Chronicles 18:14; 2 Chronicles 9:8; Psalm 119:121; Proverbs 1:3; etc.). The king’s duty was not to protect the “rights” of the citizens; rather, it was his obligation to judge rightly, according to the standard of justice, God’s word. “To do justice and righteousness” meant to rule in terms of the unchanging standard of God’s law. There is no real justice without a standard by which it is measured. God’s love for Israel was expressed through His law which set a standard for maintaining justice. In the same way, the Christian who truly loves keeps God’s commandments (John 14:15; Romans 13:8-10).
There is a future dimension for those who “do justice.” There is continuity. Those who rebel against God’s blueprint for a just society will be eliminated. The days of the faithful will “be prolonged” (Exodus 20:12). But the church has not been faithful. The future has been captured by those who promise an earthly kingdom without Christ. Now Christians are feeling the heat of these self-made messiahs. Christians want to resist the encroachment of these tyrannical ideologies and so have jettisoned their future pessimism and have adopted the biblical truth that the future belongs to the people of God. For Christians are “children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17). The repudiation of “human rights” around the world will never go away until the gospel is preached, hearts are changed, and people apply the commandments of God to every sphere of life. A doctrine of “rights” without “ethics”—biblical ethics—will not succeed.
God and Government
With a fresh new look, more images, an extensive subject and scripture index, and an updated bibliography, God and Government is ready to prepare a whole new generation to take on the political and religious battles confronting Christians today. May it be used in a new awakening of Christians in America—not just to inform minds, but to stimulate action and secure a better tomorrow for our posterity.
Buy NowGary discusses ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He explains when and why it began and what its jurisdiction and purpose is. He also reveals some lesser-known facts about how many illegal immigrants were deported under previous administrations. He also analyzes the “storming of churches” that is happening in Minnesota.