Submit To One Another

SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO ONE ANOTHER BECAUSE OF YOUR REVERENCE FOR CHRIST. Ephesians 5.21.

Independence is something this generation values greatly! All nations want to be independent. All people want to be independent. And it is good to a certain extent. We train our children and subordinates to be independent. Women have become very much independent today! However, if you and I do not understand the limits of our independence and appreciate the value of inter-dependence, we will be in deep distress. It is so in every walk of life, from home to society to the nation and the world.

As far as our spiritual life and conduct is concerned, we find in the Scripture a totally different and even contradictory principle! The apostle Paul instructs you and I to “submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ”. For such a statement to come from a man so fiercely independent is nothing but the Spirit of Christ working in him! Unless the same Spirit begins to work in us too, we will find it impossible in this day and age of independence to submit to one another and especially, authorities!

In today's Bible passage, we are first given some general teaching about submission in the context of the Christian home and spiritual household. Paul being a very practical Christian, highlights specific areas of life and conduct. Notice that we are taught “inter-dependence rather than slavery!” Otherwise you will miss the divine point and become a vicious opponent of ‘submission to one another’ which the Scripture demands!

The other day, my wife and I were to attend a meeting of a Christian Organisation. We were to discuss a proposal to split our group into three because of the rapid expansion of our city. However, our group being still small in number, we were doubtful of the feasibility of survival if we did split! Hence some were not in favour of a split.

At the meeting several members spoke for and against the proposal to split. The reasons for having more groups seemed to outweigh the arguments against. Hence, those of us who did not favour this move earlier, agreed with the others. We unanimously agreed to have three groups instead of continuing with one! Each of us could have stuck to our independent views and not have submitted to the views of the others. But for the common good, we submitted ourselves to one another for the cause of Christ.

Dear believer, this is what the Lord exhorts and expects us, the members of His Body on earth, to do! We are all created with independent thinking and we have our own ideas about everything! But as members of Christian families and churches we need to learn to 'agree on the essentials' and 'agree to differ on non-essentials' and still work together for our common good'!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, You submitted Yourself to the Father’s good will. Teach us to submit to one another and live in peace for our common good, out of reverence to You. Amen.