Rebellion seems to be the order of the day in the American cultural scene at this time of our lives. It is as if there is nothing sacred about anything—that it is just the way things are because everyone must make a statement about everything. That is a very human trait, and it certainly is not limited to America—it’s universal!

There are, however, some limits on just how rebellious we can be when it comes to our walk of faith. Saint Paul speaks to this in Romans 13.1-2: Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Whether we like that or not!

I believe this does give one the freedom to be rebellious, but only in selected areas of life. For the Christian, however, I believe it to be a matter of the life and death of our faith. A spirit of rebellion taints everything about a person, and it is a glass through which all the rest of one’s life is clearly viewed—this one is a rebel!

The call upon the Christian is to be appropriately submitted to authority as a sign of our submission to God himself. Paul concludes: Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. One finds that authority is not a threat to independence when one has an attitude of submission.