Books Jesus Read

Chapter 1 Spiritual Rebellion – Mattathias

Background As I write this, the men’s Wednesday morning Bible study at my church has been going verse-by-verse through Paul’s letter to the Romans. There have been some great discussions, but no passage has stimulated more debate than Romans 13:1–7 which begins, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” In our current situation of controversial elections and vaccine mandates, sincere Christians are asking why they must obey a government that makes unconstitutional demands on them. Some predict the advent of governmental persecution of Christianity. The question of balance between Christian submission and resistance on account of conscience grows more urgent every day. The book of 1 Maccabees offers a historical example, not merely of civil disobedience, but of outright rebellion based on spiritual convictions. When the officers of the

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