Does it seem ironic to you that a religion whose name means submission is wreaking havoc with Christians all over the world, and disturbing the calm of Western Christendom, a Christian force that has trouble with that very thing, submitting. Subjecting itself. Humbling itself. Lowering itself. Obeying. Let's take a look from the Scriptures at what submission was supposed to be.

The Greek.

There are several Greek words that spell out the New Testament teaching on submission. As in English, the family of words involved can be used interchangeably. Hupeiko, Hupatage, Hupakoe, Hupandros. Surrender, subject(ion), submit, submission, obey, be under obedience to,.

You'll notice the prominence of "Hup" and "sub", in the Greek and English respectively. Both mean under. An awful word to us. Me under you? Us under them? Unthinkable! But under is the word, and under is the idea. There's no other way to look at Biblical submission. Luke (Jesus), Paul, Peter, and James all weigh in on the subject, and we need to listen to them all.

Jesus.

Let's start with a look at Luke 10:17-20. Behold some excited disciples! They have just discovered that they are able to control demons! The powers of the other world are theirs for the commanding. Evil spirits are "under" them.

"Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" We can cast out devils. It's wonderful. Thank you Jesus!

We hear a lot of this today. Some of it is for real, don't get me wrong. But much of it is little Christians trying to be big Christians, to show their "stuff" as it were. they will cast out demons of anger, and jealousy, and bitterness, before even researching the "patient" to see if maybe he has a flesh problem and not a "spirit" problem. Demons are everywhere for these people. Find a person acting less than saved, and the target is ready for their special brand of deliverance.

Power. We love power. We love to know that something is subject to us. Something is under us. Don't tread on me! I'm in charge here. This kind of submission is out there and abounds and is in many cases worthless. And it clouds the real need for real submission of the Biblical sort. The true spiritual submission.

Jesus did not deny the fact that we have power over devils. But He did put things in order.

"Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven." There's the real power. Heavenly citizenship, heavenly credentials. Looking like Jesus, acting like Jesus.

Let's follow some other submission passages in the order of their Biblical appearance:

The government

Rom 13:1,5, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities... whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God...and will bring judgment on themselves..."

There he is again. Paul the radical. Paul the teacher that gets under your skin. Always saying stuff I don't want to hear. Things that belong in another era.

No. Submission, whether to the President or to the local police, is in, as long as Paul is a Spirit-filled apostle of Jesus Christ. As long as we consider his epistles the very word of God. I still do.

There is simply no excuse for breaking the laws of men that do not break the laws of God. There is nothing holy and spiritual in speeding. Cheating on your taxes. Littering the streets. I know there are things the authorities command that are actually laws of God first. Those should be easy to obey for Christians. I'm not talking about those moral laws. I'm talking about laws that mess with our convenience and our assumed personal "rights." But here, God says you have no rights that He does not give you through the government.

God is testing our ability to obey every time we drive down the street. Why do we feel it is OK to break laws routinely? Because we usually get away with it? How do we teach our children to obey our laws if we consistently defy the higher powers? And they are the higher powers, says the Lord. You are "under" them. Live with it. Get over your pride and Western sense of independence and self-governing that even makes the Word of God ineffective in your life. You aren't guilty when you get caught. You are guilty when you disobey. So obey. Submit. That's God's will for your life! (See I Peter 2:13 for confirmation of this principle by another Spirit-filled apostle)

So, submission bothers you? Check out Paul again in I Corinthians 15:28. There Paul tells the known fact that the Father has put everything under (there it is again) the feet of Jesus. But it goes on to say that the Son is under the Father. What a humbling idea for us to drink in. That our Lord submits Himself to Someone. Even Jesus the Master of all becomes subject to One, "that God may be all in all."

Submission then is what allows the power over us to be the power through us. Power works when submission works. Power is meant to bless . Authority and rules are good things. When we submit to them, when Jesus even submits to the Father, nothing but God is produced. God fills the submitted one.

The Living Word became a man. As a man, He is asked to submit, as all men are asked. He becomes our example. When we follow that example, there is a "trickle-down" effect of blessing. The Father fills the Son, the Son fills us, we even are sources of filling for those who submit to us, and on and on.

The coming Kingdom will not be American-style democracy, with "the people" in charge. When Jesus rules the Earth it will be a tight-fisted but love-giving Monarchy, happily submitted to by all earthlings. Oh yes, submission is in our future, too. That's why it is important to be practicing submission now!

The brothers

In I Corinthians 16:16 we read of a beautiful Christian family headed up by one Stephanas. They were the first converts to Christ in the Greek region known as Achaia. No title is given. Thank God for that. Not an elder or deacon or bishop or pastor. Just a loving growing force for Jesus in their world. Paul's orders: submit to them! And not only to them. Submit to everyone who loves Jesus in this deep way. Submit, Paul says, to all my fellow workers while you're at it.

Here is a fresh way of looking at submission. It is not slavish groveling. It is recognition of Christ in another person or agency or even government. We love this Jesus. Whenever we see Him we want to serve Him and obey Him. That is submission. It's a good thing. It's a God thing. It's not to be taken lightly, but with a serious joy.

More of this general submission is mentioned in Ephesians 5:21. Christ is in His Body. So everyone we meet is worthy of us going "under" them in attitude. Do they have a need? Make it your priority. Serve them in HIs Name. Submit to one another. (See also I Peter 5:5)