Wednesday: Submission
What counsel does Paul have regarding humility and service in relationships? Eph. 5:21. How do you think this attitude contributes to unity in the church? Why is it so important at home? Eph. 5:22-6:9.
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The word “submit” (Eph. 5:21) means to place oneself humbly before another person on the basis of voluntary choice. This unique principle began with Christ (Matt. 20:26-28; John 13:4, 5; Phil. 2:5-8) and characterizes all those who are filled with His Spirit (Eph. 5:18). “Reverence for Christ” is what motivates people to submit in this way (Eph. 5:21, NIV). Mutuality in self-giving was, and still is, a revolutionary Christian teaching about social relationships. It brings to life the spiritual reality that all are one in Christ; there are no exceptions.
A household principle. The proving ground of Christian submission is in the home. If this principle is effective there, it will make a dramatic difference in the church. Paul moves immediately from the introduction of the principle of submission to discuss its application in families.
Three pairs of relationships are addressed in Ephesians 5:22-6:9 – the most common yet most unequal relationships in society. The intent is not to reinforce an existing social order but to show how the faith culture of Christ operates when there is a radically different voluntary submission of believers to one another.
Why do you think Paul consistently speaks first to those who are socially weaker in the culture—the wives, children, and slaves? Write the qualifying phrase attached to the submission of each of these.
Those with greater social power—husbands, parents, masters—are always addressed second. Each receives a directive quite uncommon to the culture. These directives must have astonished the believers of the first century. They leveled the ground around the Cross and opened the way for true oneness to be experienced in relationships.
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When Moses was leading the exodus from Egypt, God called the children of Israel, "a stiff necked people". Things have not changed much. We often find it hard to bow to someone's wishes, wants, or ways. We don't want anyone to tell us what to do. We want to do it our own way.
Just the word, submission, raises the hair on the back of our necks. Our first response is "Hey, I don't have to do what you say." But Peter says that submission is a part of a Christian's life and gives us the ultimate example of submission, Jesus.
At the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three Peter talks about the relationships we have. In all of them, He urges us to be submissive. In relationship to the government and rules, he tell us to "submit to every human institution" (2:13). He talks about slaves and masters, but in our day it would be employees and boss. He tells employees, submit yourself to your masters (2:15). Then there is marriage: "Wives in the same way submit yourselves to your husbands," and "Husbands in the same way, live with your wives" (3:1, 7) Finally, Peter mentions the relationships within the church: "Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic" (3:8). Peter urges us to be submissive, but why?
In the middle of these passages on relationships, Peter talks about Jesus. He tells us that Jesus is the ultimate example of submission and we are to follow the pattern set by Christ.
Why does lesson refer to all these relationships as "social" power as though society formulated all these relationships. Is it not a command of God for children to obey their parents and wives to submit to their husbands? This seems spiritual to me rather that just "societal".
Hi guys, where is Maurice Ashton, I don't hear from him lately, is he alright... I always look forward to his wonderful and insightful teachings and explanations of the lessons. With love, from South Africa.
Hi Laurence. Thank you for your kind comments. My wife, Carmel, and I are on a celebration trip for our Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary, and will be away until about the middle of June. At the moment I am writing this in the middle of the night, sitting in the bathroom of a small ship in a Norwegian fjord. I am using a satellite connection to get this message out. I would love to continue writing comments but it is just too difficult to write when you are travelling.
Hi good morning Maurice,
It's a breath of fresh air to hear from you. I look forward to reading your comments daily.
Yes!
I totally agree with you re:difficult to write when travelling.
Congrats on your golden anniversary. God's continued blessings over your lives. Stay faithful my brother & sister. Jesus is on His way.
Bro. Ashton,
You are missed but taking your family time is an exemplary reflection of this very lesson. Do enjoy the time you and your wife have together. Congratulations on been together for half of a century!
Blessings!
Happy anniversary. Always enjoy reading your comments in the background. Stay blessed.
Totally agree! I always look forward to his contributions!
There is a divine element in SUBMISSION. It has obviously been abused in many cases, and may be that is why it tends to be viewed in the negative.
You see, the submitting party is not necessarily inferior. Let's take the case of the Godhead. We understand that all the members of the Godhead are God FULLY AND ESSENTIALLY and in the full extent of the name 'God'.
Yet we see them taking different roles, and the Son submitting to the Father, and the Son speaking of the Holy Spirit "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you." John 16:14 , and Revelation 1:1-5 essentially telling us of the HIERARCHY that exists in heaven. God the Father - God the Son - God the Holy Spirit then angels, then prophets then the church which is to teach her people.
Paul, when addressing the church of Corinth, is not politically correct in his language, and does not have the scruples of women right's movements of the 21st century, and addresses the HEART of the matter: the beauty of holy submission in a loving relationship between husband and wife, AS AN OBJECT LESSON for the submission that exists in the Godhead. 1 Cor 11:3-10.
I pray that we may not miss the amazing beauty of right submission in the family, to authority, to parents, at work and at church and to our LORD and God - most importantly of all.
That God's version of submission is on the basis of voluntary choice is a vital aspect that the lesson hilights - and one that is overlooked by those who would seek to coercively require submission from others.
If you happen to be in a relationship where someone is'requiring' you to submit to them - even if they are using passages such as Eph 5 as the alleged justification for doing so - you can be assured that this is not God's notion of submission.
Biblical submission can only be awakened by love. This dynamic matches Jesus methodology of seeking to draw others to him via reaching out in Agape love (ie, seeking to advance the best interests of the other) (Jn 12:32; 1 Jn 4:19). This is why Eph 5:25 emphasises the need for a husband to love his wife the way Christ loved 'the church' - and gave Himself up for her: self-sacrificing/renouncing Agape love.
More broadly on the topic of submission, because a created being is inherently dependent upon the Creator as the source of life and being (eg Acts 17:28), freely offered submission to a benevolent Creator (1 Jn 4:8) is how abundant life works. We cannot live apart from our connection with our creator (reflected in Gen 2:17). We have only to recall what happened when Lucifer's - and subsequently Eve and Adam's - heart motive changed from submission to self-exaltation to see evidence of the essential nature of submission for abundant life and living.
Willing submission to others is merely another facet of the expression of self-renouncing/Agape love. Imagine living in a world where, rather than seeking to advance their own best interests at the expense of others, everyone is looking out for everyone else's best interests. That's how abundant life operated prior to Gen 3 and it is how it will operate again in the earth made new.
Given the supreme importance of biblical submission as a manifestation of Agape love - the underpinning core principle of abundant life - I personally believe that an important part of the reason behind Sabbath being embedded within creation was the provision of a weekly reminder/opportunity to step back, reflect upon the benefits of living in accordance with Agape-based submission to our Benevolent Creator, and then to reaffirm our free choice to continue living this way for the sake of preservation of abundant life and relational harmony.
Hi Phil, thank you for your clarification on submission, your comments are well written.
I agree with you, and the Sabbath School authors, that submission is based on a "voluntary choice", "awakened by love" (your contribution to the definition). Love, as we studied and learned last week, does not think of oneself, but thinks of others first.
It's always astounding how people, specifically husbands, wholly believe in Paul's written about the submission of wives- "submit to your own husbands", but half-heartedly believe Paul's other written about submission- "love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her".
In my opinion, if a man is not willing to "give himself up" for his wife, then he should not determine that she "submit" to him as her husband. I'm not trying to divide the family environment, or the admonition provide by Paul. What I'm saying to say that we have to accept all of Paul's writings on this subject, and not just the part that benefits us. Also, I'm saying that "submission" is a two-party activity. You can not have harmony if one party is submissive, and the other party is only thinking about his/her own selfish needs. Wives should submit to their own husbands, and Husbands should think about their wives' needs over their own needs, which will lead to a successful marriage. Unfortunately, in this sin filled world that we live in, there are very few example of this two-way submission relationships/marriages; but we should continue to strive to be submissive to one another in both our marriages and our church communities.
Be blessed everyone, and have a Happy Sabbath Day!!
This is a vitally important point that you hilight, Toni. True unity - which results in and is characterised by true harmony - can only exist when all parties are coming from a base of self-renouncing love.
In Jn 17 Jesus outlines that He has completed the work that God had given Him to do - He had manifested God's name. There is a strong biblical heritage for 'name' and 'glory' being terms that represent one's character (especially a righteous character with righteous referring to 'as it ought to be' - and 'as it ought to be' referring to that which is in accordance with and promoting of 'abundant, eternal life' as per Jn 10:10). Thus Jesus had throughout His life and would do in His upcoming death, manifest God's character on earth - the core essence and foundation of which is self-renouncing/Agape love (1 Jn 4:8).
Jesus then goes on to outline that the Oneness that He shares with God is because they each have the same character - they are unified because they each are absolutely committed to self-renouncing love (eg Jn 15:13). And self-renouncing love is inherently unifying by its nature.
Consequently, the Oneness that God and Jesus experience is because they share the same nature and character of Agape. And, by extension, Jesus outlined that we also share in that oneness by similarly being personally committed to that same nature and character - via having our characters re-formed back to self-renouncing love as a consequence of our submission to and active collaboration with the transformational/regenerative work of the Holy Spirit (eg Jn 3:3-6; Ps 51:10).
Why the necessity of a foundation/character of self-renouncing love? Because that is the only way life actually works. This is how life operated prior to Gen 3. Human history from Gen 3 onward is evidence that any other basis simply doesn't work.
What does Paul mean in Eph 5:21 when talking to church members he says "submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord"? Is he saying that in the church community no one must tell the other what to do?
Maybe Philippians 2:1-8 gives us a clearer idea, saying "let each esteem others better than himself" we should humble ourselves like Jesus did by becoming a human being.
Paul goes on to explain how a husband must love his wife like Jesus loves His church so much He gave his life for her for her benefit so she would be a glorious church. A husband out of love for her will nourish and cherish his wife.
Paul gives more advice in 1Cor 7:3-4 he says- let husband give his wife the affection due to her and the wife to the husband, and goes on to say the wife has authority over her husband's body and he over hers.
I remember the original creation plan for husband and wife was to be one, and the salvation plan is to restore that harmony!
What does Paul mean in Eph 5:21 when talking to church members he says "submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord"?
Shirley, I think the quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Sunday’s lesson (The Cost of Discipleship, New York: The MacMillan Publishing Co., 1979, p. 108) covers this. If my relationship with someone is not through Christ, then it is not of Christ. No man can truly love his wife as Christ loves the Church, giving his life for her, without complete submission to Christ. (Ephesians 5:25.) This is not humanly possible – it is only supernaturally possible. Crucifying self for the love of my wife is only possible through the power of Christ.
This is why I find it both mystifying and appalling when I hear a man quote Ephesians 5:22-25 to apply religious force to his claim of “headship” over his wife. It seems to me that such a man has no idea of the claim that Christ has on his life; otherwise, he would not make such an appalling claim on the life of another.