What is submission to God? Why is it important?

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.