Submission: I Give Up!
In our rules of Bible study, we teach that the two biggest words in the Bible are “like” and “as.” I believe this to be true in the context of studying the Bible. However, there is one word so powerful, it changed the course of God’s plan for the universe. This word has just one syllable and one letter, “I.” Through this one spoken word, sin entered the universe and brought the whole of God’s perfect creation into destruction. We know this word was first spoken by Satan, known then as Lucifer. God recorded what was spoken in Isaiah 14:13-14, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Those five deadly “I”’s were the first rebellion in the universe.
From that time until God makes it right through His Son Jesus Christ, rebellion is the heart of sin. When we boil everything down to its most basic form, we will find every sin ever committed is a rebellion against God. For man, it is a rebellion against God, a rebellion against His Word, and at the heart of the matter, a rebellious heart says, “I am my own God, I know better, I can do it on my own.” In God’s Word, He specifically tells us the rules He has for all mankind. Since we are sinners from birth and have no righteousness of our own, it is impossible for any man to perfectly obey God. The only correct response to God’s Word is our submission. There is no in-between.
It may be interesting to some that the word “submission” is not found in the Bible. However, the words “submit,” “submitted,” and “submitting” are. The first time we find the word “submit” is in Genesis 16:9, “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.” There is a lot of good preaching to be had from this passage. Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid, has been severely mistreated by Sarai. The mistreatment is so bad, Hagar flees from Sarai. This is where she meets the Lord. The Lord’s word to her is, “Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.” From the first mention, we see submission is not based on circumstances, not based on feelings, and not based on how we are treated or if we agree with the authority we are to submit to. Submission is based on God’s Word. James 4:6-7, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Biblical submission is the rejection of self and pride to obey God’s Word so His plan can be fulfilled in one’s life.
This isn’t easy for the Christian because of the sinful flesh we still live in. I can’t imagine how Hagar felt, obeying the Lord and walking right back to submit herself to someone who had treated her so badly that she fled to the wilderness. And she obeyed without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, God demands our submission. In His Word, God clearly instructs Christians to submit themselves to the institutions He Himself has ordained. Those three institutions are the church, the home, and the government. And God’s word is clear about the authority He has ordained in each.
Inside the local church, there are God-ordained leaders to make sure His word is upheld, and in so doing, His purposes are accomplished. Those leaders are pastors. Ephesians 4:11-13, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” The born-again believers in the local church are to submit themselves to their God-ordained pastors. With an understanding of Hebrews 13:7, that those which have the rule are those who have spoken the Word of God, I believe the principle is relevant to what we find in Hebrews 13:17, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” In addition to God ordaining the leadership structure and our submission to Him in it, He has also established the clear fact for Christians to submit to one another within the church. Ephesians 5:21, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
In the home, God has ordained husbands to lead the home and for wives to submit to their leadership. Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” It is also ordained the parents to lead their children and for children to obey their parents.
In government, God has ordained leadership with a purpose that we are to submit to. We find the principle in 1 Peter 2:13-16, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” Additionally, we find the doctrine given to the church in Romans 13:1-3, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.” Based on these passages, it is clear a lack of submission to the rulers God has ordained is a direct rebellion against Him.
Submission or rebellion is simply a matter of authority; it is a decision that must be made in every area of a human being’s life. There is an authority, and either we choose to submit ourselves to it or we will rebel. As mentioned before, there is one common problem all souls have when it comes to making this decision: the flesh. For an unsaved man, he has no other master to follow. Even in his submission to the authority of the government, outside of Christ, he is still in rebellion. But for the Christian, we have been set free so we can serve Christ. Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” The Godhead is the authority of this universe; we are to submit to Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:9), and His instructions are found in His Word (1 John 5:7). The Christian’s flesh is rebellious and is completely against the ways of God; it must be put off constantly. This is the dilemma — this is the greatest spiritual warfare we face, and it is constant. The dilemma and solution are both explained in Ephesians 4:21-24, “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Here’s the question, “Who and what is going to be the authority you submit to?” There is only one right answer.
Even for the most submitted Christian, there arises another dilemma to living out our submission to the Lord and His Word. What happens when the authorities God has ordained do not abide in His purposes? What does a wife do when her husband lives unbiblically? What does a church member do when their pastor has gone off the rails? What does a citizen do when the powers ordained of God are opposed to God? It would be dishonest to say we all answer and live these problems out easily. The Apostles were confronted with this same issue. Acts 4:18-20, “And 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 unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Peter and John were questioned by the religious leaders of the temple in Jerusalem. However, they were not just religious leaders — they had been granted governmental power by Rome itself. They had the power to arrest, detain, judge, and punish. However, when questioned about preaching in the name of Jesus, Peter said his submission to Christ was greater than the authority they had in men, ordained of God or not. So, they preached Jesus. In every situation where man has been given authority by God and there arises a conflict in how they use that authority, we must always follow God’s Word. How we do that is key. Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Isaiah 14:13, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I.” Submission is a matter of the heart. Satan didn’t have to say the word out loud. He said it in his heart, and that was all it took to start a path of sin that brought tremendous destruction to creation. But just as one word threw things into chaos, with one word, it can be brought back into order: Him.
Jesus is Him.
Randy Copeland is the senior pastor at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Moulton, AL.
