A Theology for Hipsters (Part 31): Keeping the Fundamentals (Part 10)

I’ve always been a bit of a rebel; just ask my parents. They have the scars to prove I was their most difficult child. Rebellion is often a sign of sinfulness. I gave an example from my own life last week. There is often a real desire for attention, to be above authority and accountability, and to be supremely independent. Such desires to not honor God, and I think we’ve talked about that. But there is a form of rebellion that is not only acceptable for Christians, but in fact is necessary. At one level all Christians should be rebels.

Biblical rebellion, precisely because it submits to God’s authority, rebels against the value systems of this world. Christians, therefore, rebel against materialism (Matthew 19:21-22; Luke 12:15; 12:33-34; 1 John 2:16), against sexual exploration without boundaries (1 Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:9, 18; Ephesians 5:5), against gluttony (Proverbs 23:20; Titus 1:12-13), drunkenness (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Peter 4:3-5), and greed (1 Thessalonians 2:5; 2 Peter 2:3, 14; Psalm 10:3; Proverbs 28:25; Ephesians 4:17-20; Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). Paul writes to Timothy with a litany of items from which the Christian is to abstain, and as we look at the list we see countless practices that his world values.

² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money,  proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:2-5)

Biblical rebellion calls us to turn our backs on the value system of this world. To shun it, to deny it authority over us, and to fight against the status quo which blindly adopts the mindset of the culture.  Biblical rebellion does not deny the rightful place and role of authority (whether of parents, government, or God), instead it rebels against the practices of this world which do not align with God’s standard. When you live for a different Kingdom you are inherently a rebel to the current regime. In summary, then, to be Christian is at some level to be a Rebel.