There is perhaps no more hated concept in all of Christianity than that of submission. I am not talking about the idea of wives submitting to their husbands; I am talking about submission, period. This is the original sin. Adam and Eve wanted to be gods who could live lives on their own terms. We hate the idea of someone else being able to make decisions that affect us.
The concept of submission is all over the Bible. It is integral to our faith. Children are to submit to their parents. Wives are to submit to their husbands. Church members are to submit to their leaders. All Christians are to submit to other Christians and their local church. Unfortunately, we tend to embrace these concepts when we are the ones in authority and reject them when we are not.
God has absolute authority. He does delegate this authority to human beings. However, when He does so, He severely limits the authority. Not only is this authority limited, this authority can only be exercised under the authority God has ordained. When someone refuses to submit to the authorities God has placed over them, they in many respects forfeit their own authority. When they seek to exercise authority outside of what God has ordained, they are seeking to usurp God Himself. Romans 13 makes it very clear that a refusal to submit to God’s ordained authority is rebellion against God. God sees our refusal to submit in far more sinister terms than we do.
It is impossible to have spiritual power without submission to God. It is impossible to submit to God while simultaneously refusing to submit to the authorities He has placed in my life. Why do we not want to submit? Unbelief. Submission is the natural and necessary fruit of genuine faith. If I believe that God is infinitely wise and good, I will submit to Him and the authorities He places over me.
This is perhaps one of the greatest reasons we lack spiritual power. We believe that somehow obedience in this area is optional. We believe that we can be so righteous that we never need to submit. This is nothing more than pride dressed up in fake righteousness. Jesus lived a life of submission; we must do the same. Who are you submitted to? If you cannot name the church leaders, the church, and the Christians you are submitted to, you are living in direct rebellion against God. There is no excuse. Die to self. Find good Christians, a good church, good leaders, and submit. This is the pathway to power!
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