There are certain rights and privileges that believers enjoy through Christ Jesus. These rights are inalienable, indisputable and they are immutable as long as one’s faith is reposed in the Lord Jesus. You must have heard or read about fundamental human rights in the World, isn’t it? In the world settings, fundamental human rights are the legal entitlements which every citizens of nations enjoys without fear of the government or fellow citizens. it is something to which you are entitled by virtues of being human.

In the kingdom of God as well, there are rights and privileges that you enjoy, by virtue of the fact that you belong to that kingdom. Don’t forget that you have been saved from the world, and you have been translated into the kingdom of our dear God. Colossians 1:13 says “For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son.” By virtue of that, there are certain rights that you enjoy as a result of changing location or address. We will examine just five of them in this piece.

Number one, you enjoy the right to become a child of God. Someone may be wondering, how can I become a child of God that I don’t see? Is God a father? Let us begin from this elementary understanding so that we can both be on the same page. There are two spiritual families in the world. There is the family of God and that of the devil as well. God is a father, and the devil is a father, every soul on earth can belong to either of the family per time. John 8:44 tells us how that the devil is a father of lies and as many that belongs to his family would do his bidding.

⁴⁴ Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The family of God on the other hand as well has God as the father. 1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” Haven said all these, what then is the right to become a child of God? As we have rightly established that a person can cannot belong to God and the devil at the same time, the right to become a child of God is then embedded in renouncing the devil, and coming to the family of God. John 1:12 tells us that:

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

From that Scripture, we see that the right to becoming a child of God is embedded in receiving Jesus Christ as one’s personal Lord and saviour, it is that simple, as A, B, and C. Becoming a child of God is not rocket science, and God is not going to deny you of that right, as long as you have fulfilled the condition that is attached to it. Even fundamental human rights are not sacred in that sense, they are enforced after certain conditions are being met by the citizenry. If you violate the law of the state for example, your fundamental human rights can be withdrawn. But as long as you accept Christ and remain in Him, your right as a child of God is forever intact. I believe that is simple enough, isn’t it?

Number two, the right to access grace. You must understand that God is an embodiment of grace, and it is a right that you have in Christ Jesus. How do I know this? The Bible says Christ is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Even in Ephesians chapter two verse eight, Apostle Paul wrote clearly that we became saved or became a child of God as it were, through this grace. But in case you are still wondering where the access to this grace is, there is a bible passage that gives us the full assurance that we have unhindered and unrestrained access to grace. Hebrews 4:16, it says:

¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

That scripture says to come ‘boldly’ and not intimidated or fearful to the throne of grace. You know, when you know that certain things are your rights, you are not apologetic when you are demanding for them or trying to access them. For example, as a child, you are not afraid to move or walk freely in your father’s house, why? Because you know your father owns the house and you can therefore access anything and everything within the confines of that house. The same thing is applicable to grace, it is a right that you enjoy in God through Christ Jesus.

But the grace of God is to this end: that we as believers live our lives, day in day out, by it. We must understand that we have received forgiveness according to the riches and fullness of God’s grace, and grace propels our sanctification. Paul tells us, “¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,” (Titus 2:11-12). Grace transforms our desires, motivations, and behaviour.

I believe that you have been encouraged so far, watch this space for the continuation of this piece.

Source: [CentreNDL]