Articles
The Relationship with Rebellion
The Relationship with Rebellion
“Live your life your way now”. Biblically, such an attitude is summed up in Ephesians 2:1-3. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
This course of life is not only dead now but spells death eternally, hopelessness, because sin has bee permitted to reign in our body. SIN is clearly violating the rules of God. It is more profound than going against a moral code. It is deeper than behaving inappropriately and more severe than bad actions and wrong words. SIN is our relationship with rebellion. It is a relationship motivated by love – love of self, love of darkness, and love of pleasure. The only thing to satisfy this relationship is the one thing we will never have - God's position, all authority. Rebellion is a relationship of fighting against God, a battle which we will ever claim total victory.
We will regret ever being involved in this fight. We suffer but have no lasting solution to our malady. We hate what sin is doing to us but cannot find a way to stop it. We have immoral, ugly attitudes but excuse it all with “this is who I am”. We are mad for ever thinking we could quit it, but it shows us the next day. Then we feel God abandoned us, frustrated, and lonely, but we wanted a relationship with something else. Therefore, “the rebellious dwell in a parched land” (Psalm 68:6).
The relationship of redemption is what sinners need in Ephesians 2:4. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us…” God’s wealth appears in grace and makes “us alive together with Christ” (v.5). It is a relationship far away from the one with rebellion, as far as the east is from the west. It is a grand, glorious freedom from the rule of the prince of the world to God. Rather than wrath, we experience God’s saving grace. It is a relationship initiated by the first step of repentance toward a relationship with God called – LIFE.
Our view of God changes as the relationship changes from rebellion to redemption. God adopts us as sons and daughters. We are children of the Father rather than outcasts. We are free to live in good works, not dead in endless worldly pleasure. Our fellowship with Him is doubled by fellowship with Christians who have also been released from bondage and are at peace to honor and glorify God and strengthen one another. The relationship of redemption is not trying to be God. We serve Him. We come to Him in full assurance. He helps us walk in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
