“This is my answer to those who question my authority. Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?”
1 Corinthians 9:3-6 NLT
Paul declared that he was an Apostle, as he wrote previously, “Am I not an Apostle”? And he argued that even if some didn’t consider him as such, he certainly was to the Corinthians, holding them up as the proof for his apostleship. Consequently, Paul also declared that because he was an Apostle, he was due certain benefits, such as accommodation and food, because such was included as a “right” for this man, who was working for the benefit of the Corinthian church. But Paul also reminded them that he was prepared to work at a different kind of job to support himself if necessary.
The issue of “rights” is a thorny one, much used and abused. It seems everyone today has a “right” to something. So in the UK, we have a free Health Service, paid for by general taxation, and everyone has a “right” to free medical care. We have a right to travel anywhere in the British Isles. We have a right to certain social benefits, which are means-tested in most cases, so that only the needy receive them. The UK has a Bill of Rights, which was established in 1689. The Bill firmly established the principles of frequent parliaments, free elections and freedom of speech within Parliament – known today as Parliamentary Privilege. It also includes no right of taxation without Parliament’s agreement, freedom from government interference, the right of petition and just treatment of people by courts. But that’s just a summary of its intentions. Since then, there have been many laws passed that clarify and occasionally restrict the rights of individuals. Recently, laws were passed that limit the rights of individuals to demonstrate and even pray outside abortion clinics. And there is much discussion going on about the rights of people in the “free speech” debates, where people who disagree with other people’s ideologies are prevented from doing so. The issue of the rights of an individual is a mess, and society seems to have lost its way, instead embarking on a course of “it’s all about me”, selfishly declaring that only my rights matter, and other people’s don’t. There is a quote from a rather belligerent ghost in C.S. Lewis’s “The Great Divorce” who had just attacked a fellow ghost, and after he had done this, he said, “I’m a plain man that’s what I am and I got to have my rights same as anyone else, see?” A bit later in the book, we meet up with him again, arguing with a friend whom he had previously known in life, and who was now a citizen of Heaven. He said on this occasion, “I’m asking for nothing but my rights. You may think you can put me down because you’re dressed up like that (which you weren’t when you worked under me), and I’m only a poor man. But I got to have my rights, same as you, see?” The poor man’s view of his “rights” had survived his death, and here he was still presenting his selfish demands in Heaven itself. A fictional story I know, but it illustrates the fact that some people develop an egocentric view of themselves and feel that the world around them must recognise and accept their view because it is their “right”.
But back to Paul. His demands were simple and limited to his basic needs for shelter, food and drink, extended if necessary to the family members of a visiting Apostle, or even anyone who had come to minister to the church in Corinth. This was something that Paul considered was his “right”.
Do we, pilgrims, have any rights? In a spiritual sense, we don’t. Here’s a quotation from John C Lennox, in his book “God, AI and the End of History: Understanding the Book of Revelation”. He wrote, “The fact that the Lord Jesus has paid an incalculable price for our sins gives him the right to expect something from us, does it not? He therefore has the right to criticise us and discipline us, not to destroy us because he hates us, but to bring meaning and value into our lives because he loves us“. There is a sense in which a Christian has no “rights” of his own, because he has surrendered his life to Christ, who “owns” the believer. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body“.
However, in our natural lives, a person has certain fundamental human rights, and of the Ten Commandments, five of them promote the ethical treatment of our fellow man. So, everyone has a “right” to be treated in accordance with the ethical standards laid out in God’s laws. We are all equal before God, and He shows no favouritism. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus”. We could add to this list other suggestions, such as “black or white, race, gender, cultural background, or social standing”. Sadly, there are many human rights abuses taking place around the world, and it often falls to Christians to correct the injustices. According to a recent survey, it has been found that 60 per cent of all faith-based charities working in overseas aid are Christian, and Christian charities lead the way in working in human rights, with 43 per cent of all faith-based charities working in this area being Christian. So, we pilgrims look for opportunities to stand up for the oppressed at every opportunity.
The Apostle James wrote, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:14-17).
In all that we do, we pray that God will lead and direct us through the whole issue of “rights”. We may not be an Apostle, expecting to be fed, followed by access to a bed, but we look for opportunities to help others. We may not receive a reward in this life, but Jesus will one day say to us, “Well done …” as we live our lives of service to Him.
Dear God. We thank You for Your presence in our lives, filling us with love and kindness for those around us. Please help us to correct what we can in our societies, and leave what we can’t to You, as we pray for those in need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 