TheHolleringStump.com: A Child's Rights

When you were born into this world more than likely you were born into a family. And being such you instantly gained rights by the law of the nation you were born into. If that nation is a charter member of the United Nations there's even more, including the right to play. What are a child's rights? The FindLaw.com website in a broad stroke defines these rights as follows, "Children have a unique status under the law. The law defines children as unmarried persons under the age of majority -- usually eighteen -- who have not left home to support themselves. The law protects children from abuse and neglect. It also entitles them to the protection of the state. Children may be removed from their home if it is necessary to ensure them a safe, supportive environment. This removal may be temporary or permanent. Children have a rite to be supported by their parents. At minimum, this means food, shelter, clothing, medical care and education. The law allows children to sue. However, in most instances an adult legal representative must begin the suit. The representative is often referred to as a guardian ad litem for the child, or as next friend." These rights are conferred upon a child as soon as it begins breathing. As soon as it has human life the child's rights are bestowed. The child's rights by law are designed to give this new citizen an environment in which to grow and learn that it might become a responsible (tax paying) citizen. Within that family, the child also has rights. Such as your father's name and the responsibility he takes in nurturing and protecting his child.

How about your rights as a child of God? That's right. You... as a child of God... just as in the physical realm... have rights due you of your father. They are necessary in your spiritual growth and walk through this life just as your legal rights are necessary in this physical realm. These spiritual sonship rights give you a legal standing in "heaven", in the spiritual realm. Given to you by your spiritual father (God) to make you acceptable to stand in His presence and for the nurturing and protection of your spiritual life. Do you know what they are? Do you know how many there are? What are they profitable for? How do I utilize them? Well... we've already gone over who conferred these spiritual rights. What they are profitable for? They are to make you acceptable to fellowship with your Father and for your spiritual nurture and growth. Shall we go over the other questions?! Let's take a look at how many there are, what they are and how to utilize these spiritual sonship rights in your day by day living. There are five of them. They are... redemption, justification, sanctification, righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation. Let's examine these one by one.

The definition of "redeem" means "to recover ownership of by paying a specified fund, to pay off, to fulfill, to set free." Coupon clippers know what "redeem" means. They give their coupon to a cashier when purchasing a certain product for a discount on the purchased item. Man once was God's but by his free will choice man opted to go after the knowledge of the senses realm above the spiritual knowledge God made available. (See "Perceptions") This choice has caused great calamity for man ever since! Having taken the word of the serpent (Satan) over God's Word man choose to be ruled over by Satan. Ever since this "treason" every human being is born into this realm belongs to the "god of this world." But God made a way for those of us that want to get back to His good graces. He paid the ransom, the price to reclaim us with the life of His son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, appointed by God as the High Priest for His people gave his own blood willingly being the Passover lamb for all of man and paid the price for us to become sons and daughters of God. Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Colossians 1:14 In whom (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: We have been redeemed! We have redemption!

Justify means "to demonstrate or prove to be just, right or valid. To declare free of blame. To free (a human) of the guilt and penalty attached to sin." With the new birth comes also the reality that God has given us justification. He justified us. He made it just as if I've never sinned. He wiped away all of our sin! He validated us for citizenship in His kingdom! Romans 5:16-18 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Because Jesus Christ lived the Old Testament Law blamelessly those of us that believe on him have been justified. The free gift of the spiritual birth brings with it justification. God sees us as blameless... as though we've never sinned!

Sanctify is to "set apart for sacred us; consecrate. To make holy, purify. To make productive of holiness or spiritual blessing." To be sanctified is to be separated from the world and the ways of it. God sets His people apart from those that choose to follow the god they were born to. I Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God. Upon receiving the gift of new birth we are spiritually separated from the unbelievers on this planet and their ways and the god that owns them. Having now a presence in the spiritual realm we need to shed our old thinking and live this sanctification by applying the truth of God's Word in our physical lives. Check out this prayer Jesus prayed just before he was taken to be interrogated, tortured and murdered. John 17:14-20 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through thy truth: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. Jesus lived the Word of God he had in his time, the Old Testament Law. Spiritually he knew he wasn't of this world. By living God's Word he showed his disciplined desire to not live by the world. The same is available for us! Jesus Christ is our supreme example of how NOT to live by the world!

Righteous defined is "Morally upright; without guilt or sin. In accordance with virtue or morality. Morally justifiable." Righteousness is easily remembered "living rightly" or "right living." Romans 8:8-11 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (make alive) your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwelleth in you. "If Christ be in you"... if you have "Christ in you" you have God's creation of spirit within which is righteous. II Corinthians 5:21 For He hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who (Jesus) knew no sin; (why?) that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus). Jesus took the sin of mankind upon himself when he died and took it to the grave with him. Jesus did this so those that would believe on him would be made righteous in God's eyes. The righteousness we have been given with the new birth gives us the right to stand in God's presence without any sense of sin, guilt or shortcoming. Also. We have the right to stand in the presence of the devil without any inkling of fear. We are righteous! Not of our works, not because of what we have done but by the grace of God! (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Ministry is "the act of serving: ministration. One that serves as a means, an instrumentality." Reconcile means "to establish a close relationship between. To settle or resolve. To bring oneself to accept" so this phrase can mean "serving to resolve and establish a relationship between God and people." Or maybe "calling others to God." You also serve yourself as you renew your mind to God's rightly divided Word as you grow spiritually. II Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, (to know) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word (His Word!) of reconciliation. God has given us... along with the new birth the service of calling others to Him. He gave it to us. You can do it or not. But if those of us that have received sonship from the Creator of the universe don't work the ministry he's given each and everyone of us... who will?! He has committed, or entrusted us with His Word that always calls people back to Him. It's our duty to study this Word, to bring ourselves up to the calling He's called us to. To walk precisely in this life to defeat the attacks of the world on our lives. And to assist others with their walk as well.

These are your legal rights as a child of God! It's the standing on these rights that frees one from the bondage of and in this world! So how does one claim these rights as God's child? God tells you through His rightly divided Word you have them. Therefor you simply believe you have them! And act like it! II Corinthians 5:5-9 Now He that wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who hath given unto us the earnest of the spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk [live day-by-day] by faith,[believing] not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord [our situation after the gathering together.] Wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent [from our physical bodies,] we may be accepted of Him. We labour, we "make it a point of honor to do this"... whether we be in the physical realm as we are now or in the spiritual realm later (after the gathering) we are accepted of Him. We are accepted of Him because He made it available and some, like me (and you if applicable... makes a "we!") accepted it. These sonship rights are all wrapped up in the new birth. It all comes in a bundle. That spirit He created in you when you believed on His son Jesus Christ is righteous. He's justified you with it. Redemption comes with it. You are sanctified with it as you now have spirit and His Word to guide you, which separates you from the unbelievers and have been given the ministry of calling out the called. Which should give even more emphasis to verses such as Ephesians 4:20-32!