Rebellion vs. Ignorance

“Rebellion is deadlier than ignorance” – Dr. Mike Murdock

This quote reminds me of the following verse…

Acts 17: 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. (NIV)

I read this quote on Twitter and it immediately got me thinking. When someone is unaware of the consequences of an action, they are liable to make foolish decisions that must be later rectified. The good news is that ignorance can be cured with knowledge. Anyone who was once ignorance does not have to remain so. They can forge out on their own to learn what they KNOW that they do not know. Or, they may encounter a teacher, someone willing and able to share wisdom with others. But what about someone who knows the consequences of a particular course of action and still chooses to travel a path that’s almost assured to lead to destruction? That’s rebellion. It’s funny how easily rebellion can be camouflaged nowadays under the guise of doing it your way of finding your own path. In a generation that touts independence and individualism so much, it’s no wonder that young people don’t want to hear someone’s cautionary tale. Everyone, young and old, knows the danger of unprotected sex. Most Christians know the greater dangers of premarital sex. Societies, whether spiritually inclined or not, are becoming aware of the dangers of casual sex. Yet and still young people engage in all three with reckless abandon. Among some young people, there seems to be a disconnect between the knowledge they have of the great risk they are taking and their ability to make sound decisions. Knowing that something has the power to overcome and destroy you yet pursuing it anyway – that’s rebellion, and yes it is dangerous. Reminds me of another verse.

Hebrews 11:26-27 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (NIV)

If a parent has a child who is ignorant about the ways of the world, the parent will always try to educate that child. Parents do this by equipping their children with the skills, tools and mindset necessary to face and overcome challenges. When a parent has a child that has been properly equipped from home yet persists in making poor decisions, that parent has to go to extremes to bring the child back in line. This is where we see young people who end up in the juvenile or criminal justice system or end up with life-altering problems such as incurable diseases, injuries or addictions. This is often where we hear parents say things such as – “He/she was not brought up this way”, “we did everything we knew to do,”they should have known better” “we don’t know what went wrong”.

No matter how much we may want to ignore it or chuck it up to being “independent” or the desire to find our own way, when we embark on a path that we have been warned against and that has led to the destruction of others – it is rebellion! Plain and simple, and if left untamed, it will lead to destruction. Ignorance can be cured just as rebellion can be deadly.