Greetings,
Many biblical statements are quite familiar to us since we have read or heard them many times over the years. But do we ever pause to ask ourselves – have I really embraced what this statement means? Familiarity is said to breed contempt. It is true that we can lose respect by devaluing the importance of something or someone in our minds. Familiarity of itself should not be a problem. It is certainly appropriate to be very familiar with God and His word. The problem is our human proclivity to devalue the familiar. This easily happens even with somewhat abstract biblical principles.
Let’s look at one example. A very important principle upon which the authority structure of marriage, family and godly governance is built is, “submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). How real is this principle to you? Because it is not an easy fit with our concepts of what authority structure is, it can become a principle to which we can give lip service and which we then do not put into active practice. In that sense we devalue the importance of the instruction — that is, unless we give due consideration to this as a directive from God. The world around us undermines the spiritual authority of this principle by encouraging everyone to stand up for their rights. This saturates our society more than we perhaps realize. Rights of sexual preference, animal rights, rights of children, women’s rights, etc., can become inappropriately reinforced by wrongs committed and abuses perpetuated.
However, we do not march to the beat of the drums of this world. No matter how difficult it might be to go against the stream, we are expected to embrace godly principles and not let them become buzz words and throw-away phrases, which inevitably devalues their intended meaning. We are to submit ourselves one to another in the fear of God. This is a direct follow-on or compliment to the Church’s submission to Christ.
In efforts to understand this subject some wrong concepts have been fostered – primarily by well intentioned religious people who miss the mark. Ephesians 5:21 is not a statement regarding hierarchy. Some want to make the case for “submit” in this verse to mean exclusively that someone is to subject themselves to one who is in authority over them. Interestingly, a truly converted person who has submitted their lives and will to God will have no problem in doing that. But that type of submission will not necessarily produce the fruit that is intended by this principle.
Another concept that some have is that “submitting one to another” removes all the authority structure within the Church. This, of course, is not supported by other scriptures. Clearly from the context of Ephesians 5:21-33 we see that hierarchy is not dismantled. Christ is the head of the Church and the man is in authority over his wife.
Perhaps the best illustration is provided by Christ Himself. He was in authority over the disciples yet at the last Passover with them Jesus set an example we are expected to follow. By washing their feet He demonstrated what it means for “whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45).
We need to be able to lay aside our “rights” and humbly serve one another in love. It does not do away with the authority that goes along with the responsibilities. It means that those in positions of leadership (by Christ’s example) should be able to submit to those under their authority by not being domineering – on the contrary, they should serve them in outgoing concern. Husbands do not abdicate their authority over their wives but they lay aside authoritarian dominance and lay down their lives seeking their wife’s greater good. A parent can in a sense be subject to his or her children by serving them selflessly with a view of bringing the children into a relationship with God. There is no abandonment of our God-given roles in the process.
It is the attitude with which we use authority that is key. We should note that this directive follows the directive that we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Submitting one to another is in this way a fruit of the Holy Spirit. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
In this Christ is our perfect example. He submitted Himself to die in the manner in which He did, in servitude to all mankind. He did not deserve to die but He willingly laid down His life to serve us. Can we do the same for each other?
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
