Christian Submission: What Does It Look Like In Practice?
We are told to submit to the Lord and then to the authorities that govern us, either inside the church or outside it. In reality, submission is a good thing, something that allows us to be led into what is right, be taken care of properly, and be kept in check. However, there are times when the idea of submission is abused by certain types of people, turning it into something it isn't.
In light of this, what does submission to authority look like in practice? How does it work?
Submission in practice
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Many Christians have the wrong idea of submission. Before we take a look at what it should look like, let's take a quick look at what it shouldn't look like.
First, submission to God doesn't mean not making plans and just "waiting on God" to speak or say something.
I've heard of Christians who just sit idly by (even for long periods of time), saying they are "waiting" for a word from God. That might sound like a great idea but I can say for sure that that isn't how God works. The Bible tells us that we should mark out a straight path and walk in it (see Proverbs 4:26-27). That surely means we should make our plans according to God's righteousness.
Second, submission to God doesn't mean treating your church leader or pastor as if he or she is God.
There are some church members who treat their pastors as if they are God or their every word comes from God Himself (see 2 Corinthians 11:3-4). Worse, there are pastors who love the blind obedience of such people and abuse them, exploit them, and take from them "for the glory of God" (see Ezekiel 34:1-6)
Friends, we must separate God from man (see Numbers 23:19). God's directives are always consistent with Scripture, and He shares His glory with no one but Himself (see Isaiah 42:8).
Third, submission to authority doesn't mean blindly following or considering any leader as "God-willed."
We shouldn't blindly consider any man appointed to any position as God's will. Consider King Saul. Israel complained to God for a king, and although God didn't want (it wasn't His will) to put a king over Israel, He did because the people kept clamoring for it (see 1 Samuel 8). They ended up having to submit to someone who, eventually, didn't do God's will (see 1 Samuel 15).
In the same way, we shouldn't blindly follow any charismatic or popular leader. We must follow God, not man. If the supposed authority isn't obedient to God, what makes us think that God wants that kind of authority over us?
What Christian submission looks like
Now that we got that cleared up, it's easier to see what Christian submission really is.
Christian submission means submitting to God and doing His will over everything (see Matthew 26:39; John 4:34). Whatever we do, wherever we are, whoever we are with, whatever position we may hold in whatever field of expertise or vocation we are in, we seek to obey God's Word over everything (see 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17, 23; James 4:7).
Practically, this means choosing to do what pleases God all the time. When a human leader directs us to do something contrary to God's will, we choose to do God's will even in the face of opposition. We choose to do what is right in the sight of God. We obey God rather than men (see Acts 5:29).
It also means serving one another in love. We "submit" or consider others better than ourselves and act as servants to all in order for us to win many to Christ (see Philippians 2:3-4; 1 Corinthians 9:12-23).
