The Right to Sin

Human rights, and the defense thereof, comprise the battle cry of many an international organization today. Indeed, many regions in the world, including those in my ancestral land, show inadequate respect for human rights. Innocent people are bullied, enslaved, or even sentenced to death by those who are socially or politically in power. Individuals encounter discrimination even when they do no wrong to deserve it. Yet what if they do indeed do wrong? Then we have a problem.

There is a thin line between granting basic human rights and condoning sinfulness in today’s world. Whereas slavery, unfair trials, and undue discrimination should be uprooted, many other issues that hide behind the mask of human rights do not merit the same treatment. Human beings—lovingly created in the image of God—have the right to be protected from sin. We have the right to be protected from physical abuse, from wrong accusations that lead to death sentences, and from denial of service based on our God-given ethnicities. I salute the historical heroes who have sacrificed much in their own lives in order to ensure those rights are met. Today, however, there is a growing movement in multiple nations to push the boundaries of human rights towards an ungodly agenda—a “right” to sin.

The individuals behind this agenda are crafty with their words. Abortion is no longer called murder, but a right to choose. Same-sex marriage is not properly identified as open sodomy, but as a right to equality. Behind the deceitfulness of these terms is the blasphemous belief that an act of deliberate sin can be a “right.” If Christians are not careful to see through this ungodly ideology, the next generation is in very grave danger. Once murder of unborn children and sinful application of sexuality become “rights,” other sins and crimes with more far-reaching consequences are merely years away from becoming “right.”

Please understand that I am not advocating any hatred towards those who believe differently than I do. Every human being born today is born a sinner. My loved ones and I are no exceptions. Just because someone has sinned or has the temptation to sin does not devalue him as a person. I despise homosexuality, but I do not disrespect the individuals who have sinned in this aspect. In the eyes of the extreme left, I am a “homophobe”—someone who believes in God’s definition of sexuality, someone who believes that God made men and women different for a reason, someone who believes the Bible contains God’s moral standard. I believe I am in no way better a sinner than people who choose homosexual lifestyles, but I am a villain in their eyes just for believing that they—with God’s help—can be capable of refusing to sin.

We are all sinners. I am, however, a sinner saved by grace; many others are not as fortunate to have come to that liberating salvation. In a mostly unsaved world, we have the right of protection from others’ sins—but not one of us have the right to sin.