Genesis 3:3-6 (NRSV)
“…God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…”
The phrase “I have the right to” is just another way to eat the fruit in the garden with Eve. That is to say, it’s all about me, the ego-driven me that needs to have its own way. The irony is, individual rights and freedoms are being stripped away, one by one, unseen, unrealized, by the masses precisely because they are so focused on ‘I have the right to’ they can see nothing else.
Jesus says “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness
(that is, seek what will gain God’s approval). What is it that gains God’s approval?
Micah 6:8 (NRSV)
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
Matthew 22:37-40 (NET)
“Jesus said to him, “ʻLove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.ʼ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ʻLove your neighbor as yourself.ʼ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
