Not A Matter Of Birthright
So, this is probably going to be one
of those in-depth loaded posts with spiritual lessons and insights from a
subject and issue that I would least expect as it deals with a column from The
Federalist publication that deals with the subject of birthright
citizenship as it pertains to the children of illegal immigrants or
noncitizens.
I admit that I am not familiar with
all the arguments for or against birthright citizenship and therefore am not
prepared to comment directly on the matter either way, but what I wanted to
point out is that John Daniel Davidson, the author of the Federalist piece
dealing with this issue, makes some observations that are not only important as
to what it means to actually be an American, but are also equally important as
to what it actually means to be a part of a Kingdom much greater than even
America itself and that is the Kingdom of Heaven where the throne of God, who
made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, is found and it is in
His hands that the course of every nation is and it is He alone who raises up
nations and kingdoms and it is who tears them down and unlike the nations of
earth whose existence is temporal, the Kingdom of God is eternal just as He is
eternal which brings me to the matter of whether or not being born into that
nation or kingdom is enough to make you a citizen and member of that nation or
kingdom and as with any nation, so it is with the Kingdom of Heaven, that in
order to be a member and citizen of that nation or kingdom, you must agree to
be subject to the jurisdiction thereof which means being subject to the laws and
customs of that nation or kingdom but if you are born into that nation or
kingdom, does that automatically make you subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
even if one or both of your parents are foreign? And that has been the debate surrounding
birthright citizenship. Now, while there
are those who would argue for birthright citizenship and claim that the 14th Amendment of our
Constitution supports that argument, Davidson argues against it claiming that
Constitution doesn’t advocate for birthright citizenship but what does the 14th
Amendment itself actually say? The 14th Amendment states the following:
All persons born or naturalized in
the United states, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and of the states wherein they reside. [2]
Unfortunately, the 14th
Amendment does not tell us what it means to be subject to the jurisdiction of
the U.S. and therefore does not necessarily defend birthright citizenship as we
have understood it to be. It would seem
that in order to be a citizen of the U.S., you would have to agree to be
subject to the jurisdiction thereof; in other words, subjugating yourself to
the Constitution thereof and the respective laws and customs of the land, but
if we are to take a face-value approach to the 14th Amendment to its
final conclusion, this requirement for citizenship might not only be taken to
apply to just those born to foreign parents on American soil, but this could
just as easily be applied to anyone born on U.S. soil: It is not enough to just simply be born in
the U.S. You must also agree to submit
yourself to the Supreme law of the land which is the Constitution and to
respect and uphold the freedoms and liberties that that the Constitution was
designed to protect. You must agree to
respect and uphold the Constitutional rights and freedoms of others, just as
you would want them to respect and uphold yours, but not everyone who seeks to
enter into the U.S. is necessarily here to live a life of freedom nor is
everyone born into the U.S. aligned with the philosophy of liberty upon which
this nation was built and rather than be subject to the philosophy of liberty
upon which this nation was built, they seek to replace the philosophy of
liberty upon which this nation was built with another philosophy and that is a
philosophy of tyranny and while we, who have been born in the U.S. have grown
up within a culture of freedom and we hear the words liberty and freedom often,
but I fear that we do not understand what liberty really is or what it means to
actually be free because we have been made largely ignorant of the principles
upon which the concepts of freedom and liberty are founded and if the founding
principles of liberty and freedom are not taught to those whom we hope and
expect to subject to them, then how will they ever be able to make an informed
decision to subject themselves to the jurisdiction thereof?
And as Davidson, in his column,
rightly observes, all native born and naturalized citizens are expected to
swear allegiance to the U.S. alone and not to any foreign power [3] but swearing allegiance to the U.S. is to
swear allegiance to everything about it; the principles on which is was built
and by which the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution was inspired
and that requires them to abandon anything that runs contrary to the philosophy
of liberty upon which this nation was established.
But sadly, many who take that oath of
allegiance, who say the pledge of allegiance to our flag, and many of our
public servants and governing representatives and officials who take the oath
to uphold our Constitution know next to nothing about what it is that they are
swearing their allegiance to because they have not taken time to read and study
the founding documents of our nation or to inform themselves about the founding
principles which inspired these documents to which we owe the security of our
liberties.
Likewise, just as there are those who
agree to subject themselves to things of which they know almost nothing about
because they didn’t take the time to learn about them when they swear their
allegiance to the United States and to its Constitution, so there are those
swearing allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven, but have no idea as to what it is
they are swearing allegiance to because they have not taken time to learn about
all that they are swearing their allegiance.
When one swears their allegiance to
the U.S., they are swearing their allegiance to everything about the U.S; its
Constitution, its people, and that philosophy of liberty upon which this nation
was built, and they are also agreeing to assimilate accordingly, and to abandon
and turn away from anything that might compromise that allegiance.
When you swear allegiance to Heaven,
you are swearing allegiance to all that is in Heaven, of Heaven, to the laws,
doctrine, and creed of Heaven, and to the God who rules from Heaven above, and
in doing so, you are agreeing to submit yourself to the authority of God and to
the obedience of the laws, instruction, and doctrine that He has set forth
which means you must turn away from and abandon anything that compromises or
interferes with that allegiance.
And one thing that the nations and
kingdoms of this world have in common with the Kingdom of Heaven is that when
you swear your allegiance to any of them and agree to be subject to the
jurisdiction, it is vitally important that you know exactly what it is that you
are swearing your allegiance to that nation or kingdom for because when you
swear allegiance to a nation or kingdom, you are swearing yourself to
everything that nation or kingdom stand for so that you will be better able to
determine whether or not you want to swear allegiance to that nation or kingdom
or not.
Anyone, be they born in any given
nation or kingdom or a foreigner who desires to reside within that nation or
kingdom, who rejects what that nation stands for and the principles upon which
it was built and refuses to assimilate will never be of that nation or kingdom
even though they are in it and may have been born into it and they will either
leave that nation or kingdom in search of one more agreeable to them or, be it
for better or worse, will attempt to change that nation or kingdom from within by
replacing the principles upon which that nation or kingdom was built with another
set of principles and any nation or kingdom led to reject the principles upon
which it was first established in favor of a different set of principles is
never what it once was and what principles a nation is built upon or adopts can
either empower that nation to greatness or bring about its eventual downfall.
And right now, within our nation, there
is a battle and a war for the soul of America and the warfare taking place
within our nation is not one of a militaristic, economic, academic, or even
social. It goes much deeper than
that. It is a spiritual and ideological
warfare and it is a warfare and a battle between the ideology of liberty upon
which this nation was founded and built and a foreign ideology that stands in
opposition to the ideology of liberty and the people of the United States can
be found on both sides which means, just because a person resides in America or
is even born in America, that does not mean that they are of America in a philosophical
and ideological sense because America was built upon a certain set of
principles that sets it apart from all other nations and those are tenets and principles
of which the philosophy of liberty consists and by which it is defined and
anyone who does not abide in the principles of liberty, though they live in a
nation of liberty is not of that nation and land of liberty.
In the same way, just because someone
enters into a house of God, that does not make of the Kingdom of God and just
because someone is born into a household that has sworn allegiance to the
Kingdom of God, that does not make that person a citizen of Heaven because
every soul, be they born amongst those who have sworn allegiance to the Kingdom
of Heaven or not, must agree to surrender themselves to the authority of Heaven
above if they are ever to be a part of it but that means they must also turn
away from those things that compete for that allegiance and loyalty and to
which stands opposed to the Kingdom of Heaven.
And just as everyone who resides in
America has a choice to side with the ideology of liberty or another ideology,
so we all have a choice as to whether or not to side with the things of Heaven
or with the things of Hell and that has been a choice set before us since the
beginning of time itself and the choice that is set before each and every one
of us is the same choice that was set before the first man and woman whom God
had created, the first man being Adam and the first woman being Eve and just like
the rest of us who are descended from them they were given a choice to choose
between the following:
Life or death
Truth or falsehood
Light or darkness
Holiness or sin
Purity or corruption
Good or evil
God or Satan
Heaven or Hell
Today, that choice is presented to us
in many different forms, but to Adam and his wife Eve, it was presented to them
in the form of two trees: The tree of
life which would have enabled mankind to live forever (Gen. 3:22) and the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil which they were told not to eat from, having
been warned of God that in the day that they ate thereof, they would surely die (Gen. 2:16-17)
but before sin and death came into the world, when God had created the earth, the
world was a much different place than it is today for in it was peace,
contentment, happiness, and joy and there existed a perfect peace and harmony
between God, man, and nature and in which man enjoyed an unhindered and
uninterrupted fellowship and relationship with his Creator, but there was
another power at work in the world as well and that power was once a certain
angel; a covering cherub more specifically named Lucifer who used to serve at
the throne of God until he was lifted up in pride which led him to think that
he could make himself equal with God and claim for himself that which belonged
to God alone and as a consequence, he and all who followed him were cast from
their positions in Heaven (Is. 14:11-21, Ezek. 28:12-19) and it was in that day
that the age-long war between God and Lucifer who is now better known as Satan
and after having been cast from the place he once held in Heaven, he then crept
in the form of a serpent into the newly created world in which Adam and Eve
were created and placed and when he had entered into the world, he, by way of
purporting to offer something better than what Adam and Eve already had, led
them into eating that forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil that they had been warned not to eat from and even falsely assured
them that they would not die but that they would be elevated to a status
superior to that in which they had been created (Gen. 3:4-5) and when they had
eaten of that forbidden fruit, instead of attaining a superior greatness, they
were reduced to an inferior state than the one in which they were created and
the sentence of death was pronounced upon them as they had been warned (Gen. 3:19)
to which they both eventually succumbed.
Instead of heeding the warning of
God, Adam and Eve chose to believe a lie.
Instead of choosing eternal life,
they chose a way that led to death.
Instead of obedience to God, they
chose to heed the voice of Satan.
But the sentence of death that was
pronounced upon them did not stop with them but would be inherited by all of
mankind since all of mankind descend from them because the corruption that
entered into Adam and Eve upon eating of that forbidden fruit was then passed
down to all of mankind (Rom. 5:12) and it is due to that inward corruption that
we all die (Rom. 6:23) and that inherent corruption by which death receives its
power is what we call sin; sin being not just an act or even an ill-spoken
word, but the corrupted condition of our very nature that influences not only
our actions, behavior, and what we say, but also our very thoughts, motives,
and attitudes that in turn influence what is said and done, but the effects of
sin do not stop even with man, but has affected even all of creation as it
twists, distorts, corrupts, perverts, and eventually destroys all that it
touches which is why it is written that even all of creation itself groans and
travails in pain to this day. (Rom. 8:19-22)
No longer would there exist that
perfect peace and harmony between God, man, and nature that was once
enjoyed. And not only did the eating of
that forbidden fruit subjugate mankind to sin and death, but it also gave Satan
justification to claim lordship over the kingdoms, peoples, and nations of the
world, (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) thereby diminishing the dominion over the earth
that had once been given to man (Gen. 1:26) and while Adam and Eve knew what
perfect liberty, peace, and harmony was like and even though they had once
experienced an uninterrupted fellowship and relationship with their Maker,
their disobedience not only separated them from the direct presence of their
Creator and hindered their relationship with Him and made them subject to an
inward sinful condition and death, but their actions also prevented the rest of
us from ever knowing a perfect liberty, a perfect peace, and a perfect rest,
and a perfect harmony with all of creation, and a perfect and uninterrupted
relationship with our Creator, or immortality.
Their disobedience caused the rest of us to be born into sin, subject to
die, and into a world in which evil, suffering, and death abound but even worse,
we are all made estranged from our Maker due to sin within us because sin will
never be in agreement with that which is holy; the taint of sin and the purity
of Heaven can never mix or peacefully coexist with one another which is why no
one who is in sin can ever enter into the Kingdom of God and all have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and because of sin being
present within us, no one is able to attain Heaven by their own merit because
our own merit, even at its best, is tainted by sin because sin affects more
than just our actions or even what we say, it also affects even our very
thoughts, motives, and what lies within our very hearts which is why it is written
that man is not defiled from without but from within (Mt.15:11, 17-20) which is
why admittance into the Kingdom of God does not merely require a change in our
actions or behavior, but an inward change from within, (Mt. 23:6) and because
He is not willing that any should perish in eternal darkness and damnation (2 Pet.
3:9) the Lord God Almighty in His love and mercy has provided a way of escape
from the fiery everlasting torments of Hell in His only begotten Son, Jesus
Christ (Jn. 3:16) whom He sent into the world to take away our sins and by the
shedding of His blood was redemption bought thereby satisfying both the demand
for the penalty, which He, being without any sin (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15) took
upon Himself, to be paid for all sin and granting mercy in His death upon the
cross and by His resurrection are we made justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) so that
anyone placing full trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of sin and salvation
will not have to face eternal damnation, but be made a citizen of the Kingdom
of Heaven and granted eternal life and it is in calling upon Him for the
forgiveness of sins and believing that God raised Him from the dead that we are
saved from an otherwise terrible everlasting judgment (Rom. 10:9, 13) and it is
by Him are we reconciled to the Father from whom we had once been estranged (2
Cor. 5:18) and inwardly transformed and made anew (2 Cor. 5:17) and it is this
inward cleansing of the soul and this regeneration which cause all who are
willing to call upon Christ for it, submit to it, and embrace it to no longer
desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but after those things that
pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven, (Mt. 6:33)
to no longer take pleasure in those
things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the Lord, but in that
which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer desire to walk in the
lies of this present world, but only in the truth that comes from Christ
Almighty, (Jn. 14:6) no longer placing our hopes in the things of this present
world, but looking forward to that new and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely on worldly
resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom for our
needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs, (Mt.
6:25-33) recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He
brings into our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets
our needs and that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might
acquire our provision are provided and instilled in us by God,
to no longer fear what men can do to
us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to one day give an
account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look to corruptible
institutions within our society for direction and order in our lives but to God
who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be applied to our
lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and who, by His
Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance, establishes in our
lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His glory,
to no longer seek our own glory but
the glory of God,
to no longer rally behind corruptible
men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven bearing in mind that
those men and women God raises up for our edification are but instruments and
servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has called them,
to no longer seek to align ourselves
with the things of darkness but only with the things of the light,
to no longer trust in the wisdom of
the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from above, nor
depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly administer justice, but
only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
And just as we are made spiritually
alive in Christ, so also we will one day be delivered from bodily death itself
when our present bodies are changed from that which was born into corruption
into that which is without corruption (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) but
not only will we also see our bodies redeemed from death, just as our souls
have been redeemed from eternal damnation, we will also witness creation itself
being delivered from the curse of sin when the present prince of this world is
cast out and receives his final sentence and defeat (Rev. 20:10-15) and when
the creation is made anew, there will be no sin, no evil, no darkness, nor any
curse. There will be no death, no decay,
nor any pain, nor any hardship, no oppression, no misery, no cruelty, no
despair, or any grief for all of these things will have passed away with the
old corrupted creation but instead, there will only be life, light, happiness,
peace, and harmony before the Lord God Almighty.
Where you spend your eternity depends
on what kingdom you decide to align yourself with and presently, there are two
kingdoms that are battling for your very soul:
The kingdom of God which is eternal and the kingdom of Satan which will
face its eventual end and as mentioned earlier, a day is coming when Satan’s
dominion over the world will be brought to an end and the nations and people of
the world will be brought under the dominion of Heaven as the earth had been
under the dominion of Heaven before it fell under the dominion of Satan through
the disobedience of Adam, but only those who have sworn allegiance to Heaven in
Christ Jesus will be able to be a part of this new and better world to come and
if this is a Kingdom that you wish to be a part of and have not yet done so, then
I would urge you reader to call upon the name of Jesus today for the forgiveness
of sins so that you will be redeemed from all of your sins and no longer have
to fear for your eternity or be afraid of the coming judgment, but so that you
might rest assured that you will spend eternity in Heaven. It is but a simple prayer of repentance away:
"Lord Jesus I need you.
I realize that I am a sinner
who has fallen short of the glory of
God
and that my goodness falls short
of your standard of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me of all of my sins.
Come into my heart and into my life
to be the Savior and Lord of my life.
Make me into the servant and follower
that you want me to be.
In your name Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is not concerned with
the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but with the attitude of
your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked Christ to forgive
you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your salvation and in
nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in Heaven is certain.
End notes:
1. John Daniel Davidson, “Birthright Citizenship
Is A Pernicious Lie That’s Destroying America,”
The Federalist, January 24, 2025
https://thefederalist.com/2025/01/24/birthright-citizenship-is-a-pernicious-lie-thats-destroying-america/
2.
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
3.
Davidson, The Federalist, January 24, 2025
Scripture references
1.
Genesis 3:22
2.
Genesis 2:16-17
3.
Isaiah 14:11-21
4.
Ezekiel 28:12-19
5.
Genesis 3:4-5
6.
Genesis 3:19
7.
Romans 5:12
8.
Romans 6:23
9.
Romans 8:19-22
10.
Romans 3:23
11.
Matthew 15:11, 17-20
12.
Matthew 23:6
13.
2 Peter 3:9
14.
John 3:16
15. Corinthians 5:21
16.
Hebrews 4:15
17.
Romans 4:25
18.
Romans 10:9, 13
19.
2 Corinthians 5:17
20.
2 Corinthians 5:18
21.
Matthew 6:33
22.
John 14:6
23.
Revelation 21-22
24.
Matthew 6:25-33
25.
Matthew 10:28
26.
1 Corinthians 15:51-55
27.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
28.
Revelation 20:10-15
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