In declaring their independence, our founding fathers made the statement, "that they (all men) are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that are among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." This statement attempts to answer the question, "who grants rights?" For if someone has a right, someone had to give it to them. But whom?
This act of men and women at this point in history established the best form of government in the history of the world. The establishment of a government that was ruled by the people as a rule over the people was an enormous departure from what had existed in Western Civilization, although the Greeks created the notion of democracy or "people rule" a thousand years earlier. The notion that "all men are created equal" was to reject that kings and queens were no different than the peasant absent their circumstances.
"Inalienable rights" has commonly and without question been considered a Biblical concept since God is invoked as the grantor. BUT is it? Is He? Can it be a spiritual head fake? Now questioning whether "inalienable rights" is actually God's view of truth about His Kingdom does not challenge or diminish the amazing experiment in government of our founding fathers. However, Christians, and especially American Christians, should reconcile "inalienable rights" with what Scripture, especially the New Testament, actually claims about God's Kingdom and rights in this world.
First, the declaration says "these truths are self evident". How so and if so, do we find God's truths often "self evident"? What is wise to men is foolishness to God. What seems to be the emphasis for this worldview is the Aristotelian notion that there are natural laws or rights that informs and exist beyond government's laws, therefore not subject to any government's control. Basically, the founding fathers were debunking the prevailing idea of "the divine right of Kings." The source and motivation for this declaration is more about rejecting government as the ultimate authority and source of "rights granting." In a way, this declaration is placing the Sovereignty of God above the institution of government, which is a reasonable conclusion.
But, in doing so, are they declaring "truth" as God has revealed in His word?
I have found nowhere in the New Testament that God has bestowed on us "rights" to anything in this world. In fact, Jesus says the really fortunate are those who are destitute in self-reliance and rejected by this world because of their allegiance to Him. He contrasts the Kingdom of heaven with this world by pointing us to His unmerited provision for us, not our rights we can demand for our benefit. In fact, if we seek everything this world has to offer, our soul loses, not wins. We are told we are pilgrims and sojourners in this world and must "hate" this world's system. This doesn't seem like He is reminding us of our rights. We hear that we are not immune from affliction, but actually we are called to have our deepest emotions align with how Jesus felt as he journeyed to the cross.
Before you want to "tar and feather" me for patriotic heresy, let me say I love the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. I do believe society works better when government belongs to the people, not vice versa. BUT, if we confuse this with God's truths, we operate well beneath His best for us. When we claim our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we miss all of God's wishes for us in His Kingdom. His plan for us is not rights and rewards in this world, but provisions and privileges in the Heavenlies.
I am afraid "self evident" is a human nature core assumption that truth is determined by what we conclude through observing our situations. It probably is evident from what people witnessed that human kings were not Sovereign. But, if we assume truth is revealed to us by the Creator (the witness of the Holy Spirit) not our observations, we would not assume we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is nothing revealed in His word other than life, liberty and joy is all given to us by Him consistent with his Sovereign will.
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