The Essence of Rebellion
Introduction. As children, when we saw the authority of our parents or teachers as an obstacle to our own desires, we may have tried insubordination (just say "NO!") or outright disobedience ("I WON’T") a few times. But we quickly learned that such overt behavior was too obviously a sign of disrespect that always brought serious consequences. But that didn’t end our desire to evade responsibility. Willfully misunderstanding instructions was much easier to get away with and even if we were caught, led to less serious punishment. From that time perhaps even to the present moment when we are given an instruction or law we don’t like, we simply misinterpret it to our own liking.
Many times we got away with it. But even if we were caught, we could fall back on excuses. “All my friends were doing it and I just went along.” “I’m sorry, but I forgot exactly what you said.” “I didn’t understand precisely what you wanted me to do.” “I did the best I could.” Sometimes we even convinced ourselves! But if we are really honest, we now realize we were dodging authority and being disobedient.
The purpose of this article is to expose something of great importance. What we used to evade responsibility as children is often what we will now be using to evade God’s authority.
Back Then. Thus Eve said “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat,” and Adam said “the woman you gave me...” (Gen. 3:13). Aaron told Moses “I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out” (Ex. 32:24). While King Saul sought to evade his rebellion with “I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed", God swept away all the excuses and justifications leaving only Saul’s actions: “Why didn’t you obey? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
And Now. Fast forward to the religious climate of Western Civilization today. Nearly every command in the Bible has been challenged, willfully misunderstood, and/or set aside by someone. Yet these conflicting doctrines are not a sign the Bible is not clear. They are only an obvious indication that many are seeking to evade responsibility by willfully misunderstanding!
Can we honestly say Paul did not make it clear when he said, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (1Tim. 2:12-13)? The reason women are preaching and taking authority over men today is not because Paul wasn’t clear. It is because some do not want to follow God’s desires.
The current division over homosexuality in various denominations is also not the fault of Scripture. God made His feelings toward homosexuality clear. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death.” “The men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men.” (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:27). People need to be honest. If they don’t like God’s prohibitions, then simply say so. Why not just candidly say, “I don’t care what God said, I am going to do what I want.”
Could the Holy Spirit have been any clearer on the purpose and importance of baptism? “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.” “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.” (Mk. 16:16; Acts 22:16; 1Pet. 3:21). Again, it is not because the words are too hard to understand. It is because some simply do not want to understand. But today, “accept Christ as your personal Savior” which is not even in the Scriptures has become the method of choice.
The reason people can’t seem to understand these simple instructions today has nothing to do with the Bible or the Holy Spirit’s ability to make them clear. It is just people doing the same thing they did as children. When we don’t want to do what has been commanded or seek to do what is forbidden, we don’t say, “I won’t do it!” to God. But we will say, “I just couldn’t understand”, “what you said just wasn’t clear enough”, or even the obviously false proverb in every other realm but religion, “it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.”
Paul prophesied of days like today. He spoke of days when finding ways to evade God’s clear instructions would become more important to some than a love for the truth - days when what we want is more important to us than what God wants. When those days come, people would seek teachers and attend churches where what they want to hear is proclaimed.
Once again, the words are easy to understand until a husband and wife are not getting along and want to divorce. Suddenly Jesus’ words become too hard to understand. Then, the couple seeks someone who will teach what suits their passions and then turn from the truth to the myth that Jesus did not mean what He said.
Multiply this by the thousands of things people don’t like in Scripture and we have the recipe for what “Christianity” has become today. People no longer see the church as the “pillar and support of the truth,” (1Tim. 3:15) where we repent of our own ideas and return to God. They see it as a spiritual buffet. No matter what myth we want to hear, we can find the teachers who will support it. If we don’t like the teaching, we change the preacher or the church. Instead of seeking to truly find out what God wants, we find someone who will teach it as we want to hear it so we can have what we want.
Conclusion. We must stand up against this madness and confusion. We must heed Paul’s words in our Bible reading and in our choice of church and preacher. “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2Tim. 4:2-3). We must do this for our own self-preservation because “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2Jn. 1:9).
Many times we got away with it. But even if we were caught, we could fall back on excuses. “All my friends were doing it and I just went along.” “I’m sorry, but I forgot exactly what you said.” “I didn’t understand precisely what you wanted me to do.” “I did the best I could.” Sometimes we even convinced ourselves! But if we are really honest, we now realize we were dodging authority and being disobedient.
The purpose of this article is to expose something of great importance. What we used to evade responsibility as children is often what we will now be using to evade God’s authority.
Back Then. Thus Eve said “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat,” and Adam said “the woman you gave me...” (Gen. 3:13). Aaron told Moses “I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out” (Ex. 32:24). While King Saul sought to evade his rebellion with “I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed", God swept away all the excuses and justifications leaving only Saul’s actions: “Why didn’t you obey? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
And Now. Fast forward to the religious climate of Western Civilization today. Nearly every command in the Bible has been challenged, willfully misunderstood, and/or set aside by someone. Yet these conflicting doctrines are not a sign the Bible is not clear. They are only an obvious indication that many are seeking to evade responsibility by willfully misunderstanding!
Can we honestly say Paul did not make it clear when he said, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (1Tim. 2:12-13)? The reason women are preaching and taking authority over men today is not because Paul wasn’t clear. It is because some do not want to follow God’s desires.
The current division over homosexuality in various denominations is also not the fault of Scripture. God made His feelings toward homosexuality clear. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death.” “The men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men.” (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:27). People need to be honest. If they don’t like God’s prohibitions, then simply say so. Why not just candidly say, “I don’t care what God said, I am going to do what I want.”
Could the Holy Spirit have been any clearer on the purpose and importance of baptism? “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.” “Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.” “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.” (Mk. 16:16; Acts 22:16; 1Pet. 3:21). Again, it is not because the words are too hard to understand. It is because some simply do not want to understand. But today, “accept Christ as your personal Savior” which is not even in the Scriptures has become the method of choice.
The reason people can’t seem to understand these simple instructions today has nothing to do with the Bible or the Holy Spirit’s ability to make them clear. It is just people doing the same thing they did as children. When we don’t want to do what has been commanded or seek to do what is forbidden, we don’t say, “I won’t do it!” to God. But we will say, “I just couldn’t understand”, “what you said just wasn’t clear enough”, or even the obviously false proverb in every other realm but religion, “it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.”
Paul prophesied of days like today. He spoke of days when finding ways to evade God’s clear instructions would become more important to some than a love for the truth - days when what we want is more important to us than what God wants. When those days come, people would seek teachers and attend churches where what they want to hear is proclaimed.
- For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2Tim. 4:3-4
Once again, the words are easy to understand until a husband and wife are not getting along and want to divorce. Suddenly Jesus’ words become too hard to understand. Then, the couple seeks someone who will teach what suits their passions and then turn from the truth to the myth that Jesus did not mean what He said.
Multiply this by the thousands of things people don’t like in Scripture and we have the recipe for what “Christianity” has become today. People no longer see the church as the “pillar and support of the truth,” (1Tim. 3:15) where we repent of our own ideas and return to God. They see it as a spiritual buffet. No matter what myth we want to hear, we can find the teachers who will support it. If we don’t like the teaching, we change the preacher or the church. Instead of seeking to truly find out what God wants, we find someone who will teach it as we want to hear it so we can have what we want.
Conclusion. We must stand up against this madness and confusion. We must heed Paul’s words in our Bible reading and in our choice of church and preacher. “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2Tim. 4:2-3). We must do this for our own self-preservation because “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son” (2Jn. 1:9).