Ladies and Gentlemen...
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 26 Nov 2006 in From Steve's Study ::
The aim of Judo, Wrestling & and many other forms of combat is to force your opponent into “submission”. This will only happen when they are helpless and have no other choice.
Our world does not take kindly to the concept of submission – for why would one even contemplate giving up their “rights”? Indeed, from a young age, we are taught to stand up for our rights & those of others.
With this background, it is not surprising that many today approach Ephesians 5 & 6 with a great deal of scepticism. Wives submitting to husbands, children obeying parents, slaves obeying masters… it all seems so unfair. Surely nowadays, we’ve dispensed with all this heirarchical view of society!
I think the main problem arises from a misunderstanding of the biblical picture of submission. In the pages of scripture, submission is not the result of a contest of wills, but is rather a voluntary act whereby one forgoes their rights for the good of another. The ultimate example of this, of course, is the life of Jesus who, “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,… he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:6-8)
This is the background from which we should approach Eph 5:21 “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”. It is one of the ways we follow our Lord, by living our lives in the service of others.
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