Submission
(Reflection - June 2002)
In our modern society where the individual’s rights are of primary importance, often to the detriment of the larger group, we have to be very clear about the difference in perspective that we have as servants of Jesus.
Fundamental to our
characters
Our kingdom and our king are
not of this order of things, and we have to be on our guard against being
caught up in wrong thinking and attitudes. We know that in everything we
do, even in our work environments or when in situations that do not
obviously seem to be related to the truth or to our spiritual family, we
still have to behave in a way that shows the unique principles and
perspectives that we hold. This is not just a matter of witnessing for the
Lord, although this a very important aspect of our lives, but goes much
deeper, and is more encompassing than that. As Paul says, the bottom line
is “whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Rom. 14:8 NIV as
all quotes).
And what is the decree about how we should think and act? “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph. 5:21). We may try to limit this command concerning our behavior to those in the household of faith, but the New Testament writers extend the principle beyond that boundary to include: rulers (we cannot make excuses or exemptions for our often-corrupt modern governments when we consider that Paul was writing in the context of such wicked rulers as Nero); our employers (the modern equivalent of the master-slave relationship), and husbands who are not in the Truth. We remember the proviso that Peter makes “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), but we have to use it in the right context – when being asked to follow the principles of the world that clearly compromise the principles of God – and not as an excuse.
Submission not popular
Submission is a concept which
is rejected by our modern society, and we ourselves all too easily see it as
a passive state whereby we let others walk all over us. This is, in fact,
far from the truth. It is actually a state in which we actively make
choices about how we think and behave, and we make these choices in the
pro-active spirit of love. As Paul says in his letter to the Roman
ecclesia “….make up your mind…” and “…make every effort…”
(Rom. 14:13,19). As Peter says in his first letter, we actively make the
decision to submit to others in our lives even in adverse circumstances –
when the boss makes a decision that makes the job harder for us; when the
local authority imposes a speed limit that seems ludicrous (or that no one
else follows!); when the government imposes a harsh tax; when the co-worker
makes unfair complaints to the boss about our work or behaviour, or one’s
husband makes a decision that is contrary to one we would make if we had our
own way.
The principle of submission goes hand-in-hand with that of humility, and is an expression of our inner attitude of humility in our dealings with others. By having an attitude of humility and actions of submission to others, we learn more about what these principles mean in our relationships with the Father and with our Lord Jesus. And by having an attitude of humility, and actively submitting to the will of God in our lives, we will be more predisposed to be that way with the people in our lives.
Reasons we grumble
Paul says something that’s really pertinent to each one of us, in
Phil. 2:14,15: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that
you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked
and depraved generation…”
How easy we all find it, and how contrary to the attitude of humility and the actions of submission, to complain and grumble – whether it’s about the weather (a frequent topic!), something that someone else has done that we may not agree with or that made us feel slighted, the quality or content of the exhortation or Bible class address – the list could be endless, and I’m sure you can provide plenty of your own examples. By acting in such a way, we show that we are, in fact, no different to those in the world, and may be liable to fall before the destroying angel, as did the Israelites who grumbled (I Cor. 10:10).
The believer should
be different
By grumbling, we complain that things haven’t gone our way, or suited
our desires, and pride and selfishness subtly rear their heads. We
have lost our focus, and those around us do not see any difference between
our attitude and theirs. Our focus is deflected from being thankful for
God’s provisions in our lives. Even in adverse circumstances we are to
acknowledge His care for us. It is in a spirit of humility that we submit
to His will, even in the petty frustrations and the bad weather, and ask
ourselves what we can learn and so our spiritual growth can occur.
The principles of humility and submission are really hard for us to practice, as we want to follow the ways of our sinful human nature and stand up for our rights!
We have so many good examples in the Scriptures to follow and learn from, the greatest of whom was the Lord Jesus: “…he humbled himself and became obedient to death…” (Phil. 2:8). He submitted to the actions of wicked men in the most adverse of circumstances, much worse than most of us are called on to endure, because he had “…learned obedience from what he suffered…” (Heb. 5:8) and submitted to the will of the Father: not my will, but yours be done” (Lk. 22:42).
Wendy Johnsen