Submit

At one of our recent worship planning meetings, we were discussing what Christmas songs we would sing. We talked about “Good Christian Men Rejoice.” We discussed whether to change one word to reflect what we believed was the intent of the song – “Good Christians All Rejoice.” Whether you feel that is appropriate or not is not the intent of this article. I kiddingly said, “Well, I’m OK with that if we can write a new verse, Good Christian Women Submit.” Now if you know worship planning, it is made up of mostly women. They laughed with that suspicious little look in their eyes. ‘Is he serious?’ ‘Should a good Christian woman submit?’ The answer is YES. But before you get too worked up, let me finish. The same would be true for a man. Good Christian men should submit.

It’s an interesting word isn’t it? It comes with some baggage, because it brings up a debate that continues in the Church. But I don’t want to focus on that either. I want to talk about the importance of submission even though there is baggage with the word that has hindered us from understanding its importance.

I remember going to a wedding of one of my youth group kids. The entire message of the wedding was directed at the bride and her calling to ‘submit’. It was all about obeying, serving, and submitting to your husband. I was taken aback. Not a word directed at the husband and his role – just God’s call to her to submit. You can see how some of the baggage has come.

If I was to say to you, “You need to submit”, my guess is you would not receive that well. “Submit to you?” “Submit to anyone?” “That is demeaning and humiliating. I am an independent, free willed human being who does not need to submit to anyone.”

The truth is submission is demeaning and humiliating and it is exactly what we are called to do with Christ. Demean defined is “to lower in character, status, or reputation.” (Webster's Dictionary) Humiliation means “to reduce to a lower position in one’s own eyes or others’ eyes.” (Webster's) You can see why there is such negative baggage attached to these words. Who would want this? Who would want their reputation and status lowered? Who would want their position lowered in their own eyes or the eyes of others?

We are challenged with these terms because of our perspective of authority. To submit to another is to give up your authority and defer to theirs. You allow another to guide your life. You do what they say. You give up your own will and wants and obey another. This does not come naturally to us, does it? Let me say that again. This does not come naturally to us.

Jesus was humiliated and demeaned. Jesus submitted to the authority of another. For Jesus allowed himself to be “lowered in character, status, and reputation.” He was “reduced to a lower position in the eyes of others.” He became a human being, a baby dependent upon human beings to care for him. He died a real, physical, painful death he did not deserve.

Will you submit to him? Will you allow yourself to be demeaned and humiliated for Him? If you do submit, what is it you lose and what is it you gain?