Submission

What does it mean to be in submission?  This is a short exploration of submission.

Romans 13:1 (NKJV)

¹ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

The subject of submission to authority is a very basic Bible doctrine. Some of the major areas of submission commanded in the Scriptures are:

(1) submission to God (Ephesians 5:24 and James 4:7),

(2) submission to civil or governmental authority (Romans 13:1-7),

(3) submission to the church or religious authority (Hebrews 13:17),

(4) wives submitting to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24 and Colosians 3:18),

(5) children submitting to their parents (Ephesians 6:1 and Colosians 3:20),

(6) slaves submitting to their masters (maybe today's equivalent would be employees submitting to employers, 1Peter 2:18),

(7) the younger submitting to the older (1Peter 5:5), and

(8) all of us submitting to each other in love (Ephesians 5:21 and 1Peter 5:5).

Vine's Expository Dictionary defines the Greek word translated "subject" above in Romans 13:1, (as well as thirteen other times in the New Testament),  as hü-po-tä's-sō.  This was a military term in it’s meaning, (hupo, "under," tasso, "to arrange"), denotes "to rank under" Although, in most cases, obedience is a part of submission, but these terms are not synonymous. The greek word for obedience is hüp-ä-ko-ā', "obedience" (hupo, "under," akouo, "to hear"), is used of the fulfillment of God's claims or commands, "obedience of faith," which grammatically might be objective, to the faith, or subjective, as in the text.

Just as those enlisted in the army have limits to their obedience to an officer, so we only obey others as long as their commands do not oppose God.

A failure to understand the difference between submission and obedience has given way to many false teachings that have caused some people to obey others in matters of sin. That is never commanded in the Word of God.

One of the easiest ways to see that a person can submit without obeying an ungodly command is to look at the life of Peter. Peter made some striking statements when he said:

1 Peter 2:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

This was the same Peter who refused to obey the chief priests when they commanded him not to speak or teach anymore in the name of Jesus

Acts 4:18-19 (NKJV)

¹⁸ So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.

When Peter and the other apostles continued their teaching and preaching about Jesus, the high priest and the Jewish elders imprisoned them. However, they were supernaturally freed from prison by an angel of the Lord who told them to go back to the temple and preach again. This command was a direct contradiction to the commands of the Jewish leaders.

Acts 5:17-20 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, ¹⁸ and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. ¹⁹ But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

The Jews again arrested Peter and the other apostles,

Acts 5:28-29 (NKJV)

²⁸ saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

²⁹ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

This is always the bottom line. We never obey any person if that would cause us to disobey God. And yet, we are to submit to every ordinance of man.

1 Peter 2:13 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme

Submission is an attitude, not an action. It will express itself through actions, but we can have a submissive attitude and yet disobey an ungodly command.

If government officials commanded us not to preach Jesus, we should follow the example of Peter, and not obey them. But we should also not rebel at their authority, in the same way that Peter and the other apostles did not rebel at the authority of the Jews.

When the apostles were beaten for their obedience to God, they didn't criticize or form a revolt. They praised God and kept right on preaching the Gospel

Acts 5:41-42 (NKJV)

⁴¹ So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. ⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

They didn't obey ungodly commands, but they didn't become ungodly, either by cursing those who had hurt them. They submitted to the authority over them to the point that they took a beating without one complaint, but they never did do what the Jews commanded them.

If a man commanded his wife not to go to church anymore, she should not obey that command. The Bible clearly says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (see: Hebrews 10:25). However, there is a submissive way and a rebellious way of doing that.

If she said, "You old sinner! You never have liked me going to church anyway. Well, I'm going to show you that you can't tell me what to do. I'm going anyway, and I don't care what you say," that would be a rebellious attitude.

Yet, a woman in the same circumstance could affirm her love to her husband and state that she really wants to comply as much as possible, but in this instance, she has to obey God over her husband. If that was her attitude, she would be in submission to her husband even though she wouldn't do what he said.

Submission is also a voluntary thing, and in some respects it is a gift we choose to give to another. You cannot make another person submit. You can make people obey you, but that doesn't mean they've submitted. Their attitude is totally a matter of choice on their part. This is the reason that a man cannot hear a teaching on submission and go home and make his wife submit. She has to choose to submit.

The book of Daniel has two examples of civil disobedience done through a commitment to God's higher laws, yet this disobedience was accomplished with respect and submission to the civil authority.

Daniel 3:8-18 (NKJV)

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. ⁹ They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; ¹¹ and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

(Also see: Daniel 6:10-17)

When Pharaoh commanded that the male Hebrew babies were to be killed at birth, Moses' parents did not obey, and God blessed them for their actions.

Exodus 1:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Submission is an essential part of true Christianity. However, it is a missing ingredient in most of our lives. The root of all lack of submission in our lives lies in pride.

1 Peter 5:4-6 (NKJV)

⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time

So what does submission have to do with the love of God?  Everything!  Jesus died on a cross to demonstrate that through submission to the Father, God's desire is to once again have humanity restored into right relationship with Him. This is not a system where by submission is demanded or your die, not at all!  This is a relationship with our creator who wants to demonstrate to us, and through us that He needs us just as much as we need Him.  Amazingly, God is all sufficient, but made Himself put on human skin, came to Earth, and gave us His very life to atone for our sin and prove His deep love for us. He paid the ultimate price to reconcile us to Himself, and nobody pays that high a price for something they don’t need or value, but He did!  

This is the price God paid for us, and this is how we know that He loves us. Because of this incredible and unwarranted love for us disobedient sinners, we are offered eternal life. Salvation is a gift, given freely for the asking, because of the breathtaking, voluntary sacrifice by the one true God.  How could we not submit to such a devoted, wonderful, loving God, who gave everything for us?

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Stephen Barnett
God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

More Than Sunlight

Words and Music by:  Preston Oden Fong

More than the sunlight to me,

Everywhere I look I see your face.

And when I’m sad and lonely,

I hear your voice, and hear you say:

               I love you My Child  (2X)

Cloudy dark times can’t hold me,

The pathway gets hard, sometimes there’s pain.

But when I feel like falling,

I hear your voice and hear you say:

               I love you My Child  (2X)

More than the starlight to me,

Everywhere I go I feel your peace.

And when my heart is burdened,

I come to you for my release.

               I love you My Child  (2X)

©1975 Maranatha! Music

The lyrics presented above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit.

Thank you to Andrew Womack for insight and inspiration for his notes on Romans 13:1