Submission: “To relinquish control of ones self”. Why is submission such a dirty word in today’s society? Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that the rooted feelings and emotions of this word are found only in weakness and lack of control/power.
I’ve come to realize that exactly the opposite is what was initially intended for the word “submission”. Like many words in our modern day, the evolution of self has evolved the meaning of such words that were originally created for purity, wholeness and a point of reference for freedom and oneness with Him flow. Words like love, marriage, commitment, purity, rich, servant, success, believer and many more have evolved with us over time. Therefore, making most of the words irrelevant given the situation and only relevant as needed, but mostly modified to suite the time.
This should and cannot be the case if we are to find “truth” in this present day as it was intended to be found – as He is, not as we’ve created Him to be.
In the beginning the world was created with a word. A word from God. And this word was only reconcilable because of the source from which it came. (ex. light is ultimately a sample of the source of light. We cannot create light from nothingness – light is light because He said so.)
“In the beginning God.” Not matter, for matter is not self-causing. It requires an antecedent cause, and God is that Cause. Not law, for law is but a name for the course which all creation follows. That course had to be planned, and the Planner is God. Not mind, for mind also is a created thing and must have a Creator back of it. In the beginning God, the uncaused Cause of matter, mind and law. There we must begin. (A.W. Tozer “The Pursuit of Happiness)
The world of words that were spoken into creation, carry a certain weight of origin that I would consider foreign to the human race because we have no true concept or experience of creating something from nothing. Something without matter, without shape and form – just create for the sake of creation.
A.W. Tozer says “And this word of God which brought all worlds into being cannot be understood to mean the Bible, for it is not a written or printed word at all, but the expression of the will of God spoken into the structure of all things.
“This word of God is the breath of God filling the world with living potentiality. The Voice of God is the most powerful force in nature, indeed the only force in nature, for all energy is here only because the power-filled Word is being spoken. It is the present Voice which makes the written Word all-powerful. ” (A.W. Tozer)
What I suggest is to revisit the root of the word and see not just what the intention for this word is, but His purpose behind it.
Let’s start with a definition so we are all working from the same platform of truth.
p.def: (Submission – To choose the will of another over yourself for the sake of love)
* A quick note to consider..to submit to a higher, stronger, bigger power is not “submission”, but rather “giving in” due to lack of or feeling, having, being lesser than.
Now, Let’s review a couple of biblical examples of submission.
In Luke chapter 2 we hear about the 12 year old boy Jesus who was left in the temple by his parents. Jesus was found “…in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2: 46 – 47).
In this story we see how Jesus (Son of Man) was used to demonstrate two things.
1.) God uses children, youth, formally uneducated and unequipped to teach those of us who “think” we understand the secrets of His kingdom.
2.) True servant hood that’s found in submission is the way of Christ himself – the way of love.
Shortly after Jesus’ parents found him in the temple teaching “…he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and favor with God and man.” (Luke 2: 51 – 52)
So as we find Jesus (Son of God and Savior of all man kind) submitting to his earthly parents and in doing so He found favor in the eyes of God and man and increased in wisdom.
Not a bad trade for someone who is looking to grow in understanding and was destined to save all mankind and sit at the right hand of the Father – not bad at all.
Jesus humbled his heavenly and perfect self to his perfectly imperfect earthly family and in doing so gained the word in their eyes and His. What a beautiful picture of how submission was originally intended to be.
Let’s review another biblical example of submission.
In the book of Esther we hear about a woman names Esther who was seeking favor of the king for her people. “…to go to the king to beg his favor and pleased with him on behalf of her people. ” (Esther 4:8)
So Esther went and ” …stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal thrown inside the throne rooms opposite the entrance to the palace.” (Esther 5:1)
“And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand.” (Esther 5:2)
And this acceptance into the presence of the king is because Esther humbled herself to inquire from the Eunuch – Hathach, someone who would be considered of lower social order. In doing so she won the favor of the king and was granted anything she requested.
“If I have found favor in the sight o the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request…” (Esther 58)
Even up to half his kingdom. ” What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you, even to the half of my kingdom.” (Esther 5:3)
We’ve reviewed two examples of biblical submission in Jesus (Son of Man) and Esther (A woman who was prepared for such a time as this..). Submitting in love and instantly gaining wisdom and the favor of God and man.
If we not only believed the words we read to be true and lived out it’s true meaning, would we now see submission differently?
What would change..?
Would husbands remove idols of lust and ego of self gratification and male domination and replace it with the submission heart towards their wives that is spoken of in (1 Peter 3:7)
Would wives relinquish this thirst to control their husbands and dominate others around them with beauty and spitefully jealous attitudes and replace it with submissive spirits we read about in (1 Peter 3:1).
Would families come together and remove prideful ambition and pain past memories from its mantel and find true peace and refuge in the kind of submission spoken of in (1 Peter 3) ?
Would marriages be healed and remove generational baggage and fear of man from it’s thrown of acceptance and the submissive identities spoken of in (Timothy 2:5) would take over as husbands lead from their knees and wives support the Christ in their husbands?
Would our churches be in constant revival removing Pharisaical chatter/actions and worthless personal/theological doctrine from it’s mantel, because it’s more to do with the agenda of man and less to do with the submission we read about in (hebrews 13:17)?
Would children come back home and submit to parents/authorities because of the submission we see in a 12 year old child who was sent to be the Savior of all mankind? (Luke 2:51), while all along bringing himself to a constant state of serving?
Artificiality is one curse that will drop away the moment we kneel at Jesus’ feet and surrender ourselves to His meekness.
Submission is wisdom and humility working itself out in faithful action; Reverence for how little we truly are in the presence of the shards of Him we find within us all.
Will you remove the dirt of social conditioning and find beauty in submitting as it was originally intended…?
