Question 1

What is submission to God? Why is it important?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 12:1, 4The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” . . . So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.Exodus 7:6So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them.Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.Submission to God is the first step in obedience to him. It recognizes that God is God and knows best, even when we have to take him at his word.Matthew 26:39He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”John 18:11Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”Hebrews 5:7-9While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.Submission to God is obedience to him; it involves learning to find joy in doing what he commands. It involves seeking God’s will and following it wholeheartedly out of a genuine love and deep respect for him.Jeremiah 7:23“This is what I [the Lord] told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’”Obedience is defined as “being submissive to an authority.” Ironically, obedience to God’s ways actually frees us to enjoy life as he originally created it, keeping us from becoming entangled or enslaved to the sinful things that distract or hurt us. It protects us from the evil that God knows is there, leads us on right paths where we will find blessing, and directs us into service that will please him.Proverbs 29:18When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.Matthew 20:27“Whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.”Hebrews 2:9What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.Submitting our lives to God keeps us from submitting to the authority of Satan and sin.

Question 2

Should I submit to anyone other than the Lord?

Accepted Answer

Ephesians 5:21-22Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.1 Peter 5:5In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”We should submit to those in authority over us as long as they do not ask us to disobey the commands of God.Ephesians 5:21-33Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.Husbands and wives should submit to each other. This passage considered as a whole, rather than selected parts, equates love and submission. Christ submitted to death out of love for the church, for us. The wife’s practical question is “How am I submitting to my husband as the church submits to Christ?” The husband’s practical question is, “How am I willing to die for my wife as Christ died for the church?” Love always includes submission, and these challenges for husbands and wives are difficult for anyone to fulfill.Ephesians 6:1Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.Children should submit to their parents, particularly as they grow to understand that God gave them those particular parents.Ephesians 6:4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.Christian parents should submit to Christ in the way they raise their children.Ephesians 6:5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.Employees should submit to their employers, while maintaining an even deeper allegiance to Christ.Ephesians 6:9Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.Christian employers should submit to Christ in supervising their employees.Romans 13:1-2Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.We should submit to the government that God has placed in authority over us, as long as that government doesn’t require us to reject God’s authority.

Question 3

It what ways should I submit?

Accepted Answer

Romans 6:13Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.Romans 12:1So, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.We must submit our bodies to God so he can help us become all he has created us to be.Matthew 26:39He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”We must submit ourselves to God’s will so that we can be connected to God’s great plan for us.Hebrews 12:9Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?We should submit to authority and discipline so we will be spared from foolish behavior.Hebrews 13:17Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.We are to submit to spiritual leaders and to pray for them. God’s help will enable them to guide us wisely.Romans 13:1Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.Titus 3:1Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.Titus 2:9-10Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.We should submit to the governments God has placed over us, praying for the wisdom of our leaders. We should only reject our leaders’ authority when they direct us to disobey God.

Question 4

What are some ways to show submission?

Accepted Answer

Romans 12:10Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.Love and respect are two key components in showing submission in our relationships.Philippians 2:3-4Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.Submission results from a humble heart, respect for others, and the willingness to serve them and treat them as we would like to be treated.James 3:17The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.Submission includes being peace-loving and gentle, merciful, and full of good deeds.