What does it really mean to prefer one another in love?
What does the word submission really mean and why is it important?
Why does the church shy away from word submission and how we can reap the benefits of honorable sacrificial living?
What do you think of when you hear the word submission?
Richard Foster, the author of the book Celebration of Discipline, says that of all the spiritual disciplines none have been as abused as the discipline of submission.
The goal of any spiritual discipline we are trying to cultivate is never the discipline itself. This is an area that I think it is easy to lose focus when it comes to spiritual growth. When we fast, or practice silence or pursue service, the goal isn’t supposed to be the work itself, as good as that may be, but what those various works are producing in us by way of growth.
Richard Foster says “Every discipline has its corresponding freedom. The purpose of the Disciplines is freedom. Our aim is the freedom, not the Discipline. The moment we make the Discipline our central focus, we turn it into law and lose the corresponding freedom.”
What is the corresponding freedom that goes with the discipline of submission?
Foster says the freedom we are released into when we embrace submission is that we are released from the burden of always needing to get our own way.
He contends that many of the worst conflicts and even church splits in history have occurred because the people involved did not give themselves the freedom to give in to each other. Not when dealing in theology or principles, but rather simply because we must get our own way.
When we embrace the discipline of submission, we learn to hold more loosely to our wishes, preferences, and opinions, and according to Foster, quickly find that most things are not as big a deal as we make of them.
“The Biblical teaching on submission focuses primarily on the spirit with which we view other people. Scripture does not attempt to set forth a series of hierarchical relationships but to communicate to us, an inner attitude of mutual subordination.”
Compare this to what Jesus says in Matthew 5: 21-22
21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother[a] shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults[b] his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell[c] of fire. ”
Also what John says in 1 John 3: 15 that to hate your brother is to murder him in your heart
The covenant laws of the old testament stipulated that we do not murder, but Jesus, in the bringing about the new covenant was calling us to something deeper and often more difficult, to address the inner spirit of how we view others, not just the outward actions.
The real spirit of submission is not about how we act as much as it is, the value we place on each other and the respect we have for each other. Click To TweetFoster says this is an important step to the ability to love others unconditionally.
“Do you know the liberation that comes from giving up your rights? It means you are set free from the seething anger and bitterness you feel when someone doesn’t act toward you the way you think they should. It means at last you are able to break the vicious law of commerce that says, “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. You bloody my nose, I’ll bloody yours. It means you are free to obey Jesus’ command, to Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. It means that for the first time, you surrender the right to retaliate.”
This is the first in what will hopefully be a series of upcoming blog posts on the discipline of submission. While some of the sentiments feel especially appropriate and convicting right now, I actually wrote this over a year ago as a teacher for our church’s Wednesday night adult class. Bear with me as I figure out how to best share this important area for growth that the majority of us need in our spiritual lives.
