ENDOWED BY YOUR CREATOR

Image result for john locke The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.

John Locke (1632—1704), famed philosopher of the 17th century, is regarded in England as the founder of what became known as, British Empiricism, but on the other side of the pond here in America, he is revered as the mastermind behind much of the political philosophy that undergirds our entire democratic system of government. “Locke is best known for his arguments in favor of religious toleration and limited government. Today these ideas are commonplace and widely accepted. But in Locke’s time they were highly innovative, even radical.”[i] Understanding Locke enables us to understand why our Bill of Rights and much of the Constitution of the United States of America was written in the first place.

Up until this point in recorded history, it had become generally accepted that kings and queens were divinely appointed rulers over the people, and that their individual rights and liberties, ability to own lands and properties, and even their religious convictions, were subjugated to the sovereign power of the land. The common man had no right to challenge that authority but must submit to that rule, with no regress. John Locke completely changed all of that, declaring that, “…each individual retained all of his or her natural rights. …because they were given by God to all of his people.”[ii] Thomas Jefferson would borrow from this construct later declaring, "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights."  
While Jefferson may have been a Deist, Locke was not, contrary to the wishful thinking of modern writers. Locke believed in God as a personal creator and in Jesus Christ the messiah and savior of all mankind. In his day, Locke was considered to be a theologian, not a philosopher, who included verse-by-verse commentaries of Paul’s epistles in his writings, compiled a topical chain-reference Bible of his own design, and valiantly defended Christianity against the anti-religious enlightenment thinkers of his day, who were attempting to destroy the Bible and the Church. It was this belief in God and His creation, that led him to some very striking conclusions about government and its citizens. 

First that, “Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself.”[iii] He also saw that governments should be instituted by their citizens, so that they become a servant of the people, not the other way around. This of course is where we get our ideas about having, “A government of the people, for the people, and by the people!” It was Locke who believed that we all should have the right to pursue, “Life, liberty, and property…”[iv] , which would later become immortalized in our constitution as, the pursuit of happiness!

However, the problem that man faced in this pursuit, as Locke saw it, was that without some form of government, there is no, “…superior agency to enforce the law of nature, which is a body of rules ensuring the equality of all men and every man’s enjoyment of his natural rights.”[v] So Locke proposed a contract between man and government: man would agree to give up some of his natural, God-given rights, in obedience to the laws of the government, in exchange for the basic protections and provisions granted by the government, which would be required in order for man to pursue his happiness. This bilateral consent was binding on both parties: an unwise or tyrannical government could not infringe upon the natural rights of its citizens without an expectation of revolutionary consequences, resulting in their disillusionment or overthrow, and a citizenry that refused to obey the laws of the land would face punishment, imprisonment, and even execution, if they continued to violate the agreed upon contract. Each party is duty-bound to uphold both aspects of the contract: the benefits of liberty as well as the consequences of accountability.

This entire premise is in keeping with the covenant agreement that God made with his people Israel, when He gave them the Laws of Moses on Mt. Sinai! As He promised to provide and protect them if they would obey Him saying, "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments... that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you... I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days." (NKJV Deuteronomy 30:15-20)   

Similarly, this concept reflected the radically biblical notion of Free Will, that places the common people in control of their own destiny, as the, “…custodians of popular sovereignty…”[vi] Working properly and without corruption, this arrangement would see government becoming more of a blessing to mankind, than the curse it had been in times past. Government is absolutely necessary, but Locke had seen the abusive laws which only served to empower the aristocracy, while crushing the common man, and he wrote, “The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.”[vii] Seeing the bloated bureaucracy that our governmental system has become, it is sobering to realize that Locke’s original vision was that, “Government has no other end, but the preservation of property.”[viii] Perhaps, it may be time for us to renegotiate that contract!

By Pastor Glen Mustian

References:
[i] Connolly, Patrick. John Locke. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Iowa State University. Web. http://www.iep.utm.edu/locke/. Accessed July 9, 2017.
[ii] Connolly, Patrick. John Locke. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Iowa State University. Web. http://www.iep.utm.edu/locke/. Accessed July 9, 2017.
[iii] https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/authors/top_10_john_locke_quotes Web. Accessed July 9, 2017.
[iv] Wallbank, Walter. Civilization Past and Present. Scott-Foreman Co. Print. 1962. (pg. 426).
[vi] Wallbank, Walter. Civilization Past and Present. Scott-Foreman Co. Print. 1962. (pg. 426).
[vii] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnlocke401229.html. Web. Accessed July 9, 2017.
[viii] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnlocke383067.html. Web. Accessed July 9, 2017.
NKJV Bible, all references.

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