Submission

Submission means relinquishing authority to another to the denial of self.  Needless to say, this is so intricately woven into the tapestry of the Christian life that it warrants discussion.  There are three basic authoritative forces that Christians are to submit to: God, church leadership, and the state.

The most obvious and central object of submission is and should always be God.  Submitting to the Lord and to His will is the foundation of all Christian life.  The Lord requires obedience and submission to His holiness in our lives: sanctification.  When, as we are reading and meditating on the Word and/or praying, He speaks to us, we are to listen and submit.  This is true submission.

After God, the next authority that we are to submit to is the leadership of the church: elders, deacons, wise teachers, etc.  Those that God has blessed with sanctification and wisdom are spiritual elders, divinely-gifted to guide and train believers.  This does not, however, mean that we should unequivocally and unabashedly accept any and all teaching that our church leaders give us.  Instead, we should weigh every teaching against the Word and the Holy Spirit.  Again, submitting to God should never be usurped by submitting to the church.  The church submits to God, His Word and the Holy Spirit, not ever should that hierarchy be overturned.

The other authority that we are to submit to is political authority.  Both Paul and Peter exhort believers to submit to civil leaders and authorities (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17).  The important point here is that believers should never submit to the civil authorities of government and leadership if it goes against the Will and Word of God.  Again, any authority that warrants submission is secondary to submitting to the Lord Almighty.

Submission is a challenging activity.  It requires denying the self in order to acquiesce to the commands and wills of another.  This stands in direct contrast to our natural inclinations of self-determination and manifest destiny.  However, when we submit to God, we enter into His kingdom as heirs.  Submission to the Lord should be pursued.  In a real sense, we should strive for opportunities to devote ourselves in submission to the Lord.  The beautiful thing here is that when we submit to Him, He promises to bless us.