What does the Bible teach about rebellion?

from the old testament

• When God created humanity (Genesis 1:26–27), He gave them one command: “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Genesis 2:17). Though that was His one limitation, Adam and Eve decided it was one too many. After being deceived by Satan that eating from that tree that “you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5), they disobeyed God and ate from it (Genesis 3:6). In that one act, they were both rebelling against God’s right to set limits on them as well as expressing their desire to be the ones in charge of their lives. That was the first act of rebellion that began humanity’s protracted, rebellious fight against its Creator.
• To show the world who He was, God chose Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6). After rescuing them from Egypt and as their God, He gave them specific commands to obey (Exodus 20:2–3). However, most of the Old Testament is about showing how rebellious even God’s people were. Because they were like animals fighting against their reins, God referred to them as a stiff-necked people (Exodus 32:9).
• Everyone is born a rebel. Left to ourselves, we remain in rebellion, hardened against God. For example, Pharaoh “hardened his heart and would not listen” (Exodus 8:15). A rebel is one with a hardened heart who refuses to obey God.
• God also calls anyone rebellious who refuses to listen to His appointed people, such as when Korah and others refused to submit to Moses’ authority (Numbers 16:1–3). In the end, they received God’s judgment of death for their rebellion (Numbers 16:28–35).

from the new testament

• Just as Korah’s rebellion led to their death, humanity’s rebellion is leading to the eternal death of each person who remains in rebellion until the end. Paul said, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7–8). The “mind set on the flesh” is a person who sinfully refuses to obey God. Like Adam and Eve wanting to rule their lives, this type of person wants to be the ruler of his or her life.
• Because God is the eternal Creator, He demands submission by all of His creatures and cannot allow their rebellion to last forever. In the end, He promises to destroy all rebels in the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:11–15).
• However, He has delayed doing so for the express purpose of giving people time to repent of their rebellion (2 Peter 3:9). To justly offer forgiveness for sin, He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to die for sin (John 3:16–17). Humbling oneself through confession and faith (Romans 10:9–10) is a person’s only way of salvation (John 14:6). Those who do will not receive God’s final wrath (Romans 5:9), while those who remain rebellious are already under His wrath (John 3:36).
• Like with the Israelites, being a believer doesn’t mean one has stopped rebelling. Believers are called to put to death the rebellious deeds of the flesh (Colossians 3:5) and to put on Christlikeness (Colossians 3:10) by walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16–17).

implications for today

All people are born rebellious. Cute babies, sweet grandmas, and everyone in between, by nature, is born an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). We are sinners by nature and by choice, which separates us completely from God. Left to ourselves, we would live not for God, but for ourselves. As rebels, our desire is self-pleasure, self-exaltation, self-worth, and self-importance. Self, self, self. Because we are all about ourselves, we elevate ourselves as little gods, much like how Adam and Eve wanted to be like God.

However, there is only one true God (Isaiah 45:5). He is the eternal, self-sufficient, unchanging, holy Creator to whom we are all dependent to keep living. Think about how insane it is for us to rebel against Him! That’s the effect sin has had on our minds. That we think we can overthrow Him is pure hubris.

Yet God does not treat our rebellion with immediate destruction, even though He would be entirely just to do so. Instead, in astonishing patience, He delays His judgment so that rebels like us have time to turn back (2 Peter 3:9). Even more, He does not merely wait—He acts. He sent His Son into the midst of our rebellion to live the life we refused to live and to die the death our rebellion deserves (Romans 5:8; John 3:16). The cross is where God dealt honestly with our mutiny while opening a real path of forgiveness for anyone willing to surrender.

The only fitting response is repentance, laying down our weapons of independence and confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9). And in that surrender, we are not crushed as enemies but received as sons and daughters, brought back into the life we were created for (Romans 8:15–17).

Consider where you stand. We do not know when Jesus will return or when your life will come to an end, but when this time comes, your chance to repent will be gone. Therefore, we implore you now to throw down your arms against God, confess your sin, and confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9–10). When you do, God will no longer call you an enemy but His son or daughter (Romans 8:15–17)!