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Submission and obedience is a topic of vital importance, it affects our relationships in the home, our marriage, it effects us at church, and on the job. Yet it is a topic that generates a lot of dissension, in other words, disagreement that leads to discord. This is because the biblical viewpoint of submission and obedience is completely opposite and opposed to that of the world.
Ephesians 5: 21-24 NIV Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
When Joyce and I were planning our marriage we spoke about what our vows should say. Joyce made it clear to me, that in our relationship she would obey,... buttttt..... she was not going to say it out loud in her vows. The world encourages everyone to stand up for his or her rights. The feminist movement promotes women’s rights. The homosexual movement promotes so-called “gay” rights. Some people advocate children’s rights to be free from parental authority, although they never seem to extend those rights to children who still happen to be in the womb. PETA promotes animal rights, often over and above human rights. If you think that your rights have been violated, you can easily find a lawyer who will take your case to court. You may win a ridiculously huge settlement!
So the world’s way is, “Assert yourself! Stand up for your rights! You don’t have to take such treatment! Get an attorney to fight for your rights!” God’s way is, “submit to one another in the fear of Christ.” These views are polar opposites!
Husband should not rule like dictators over their wives, rather just the opposite. Husbands should lay aside all selfishness and dominance. Instead, they should obey God by laying down their lives for their wives as they selflessly seek their wife's’ best interests. Even parents are to be subject to their own children, as they serve them in love, when a husband lovingly bears the burdens of his wife, is that not submission? When a father lovingly gives himself for his children, there is submission. When we assist one another, it the same as submitting and obeying. Thus there would seem to be a sense in which we all are to submit and obey each another.
Every spirit-filled Christian is a submissive Christian. You have submitted your life to the control of the of the Holy Spirit. To build a house, someone has to be in charge in order to coordinate the project. The contractor follows a plan. He organizes and brings in various subcontractors at the appropriate times to move the project along. The workers have to submit to and obey the direction of their boss, who submits to and obeys the overall direction of the contractor. When everyone does what they are supposed to do, when everyone submits and obeys the house gets built.
Are you a submissive person? Most importantly, are you submitting daily to Jesus as Lord of everything in your life? Are you subject to the government in obedience to Christ? Are you submitting to a local church and its leadership? As a wife, are you submitting to your husband? Children, are you subject to your parents? Workers, are you subject to your employer? And, for all of us, are you submitting yourself to others in selfless service for Christ’s sake?
