Submission As Grace

 During a disagreement early in our marriage, I once yelled across the room at my wife, “You need to submit to me!” I had the verses to prove it, but, in my immaturity, I saw it as a law more than grace. My wife keeping the law of submission is what I wanted so I could get my own way. Little did I realize, at the time, the many shortcomings I had in loving her as Christ loved the church. Who can hit that mark?

She could not keep the law of submission, and I could not keep the law of love, as if we were trying to earn a good marriage. Over time, I became less rigid, but it took a few decades to see her submission to me as grace from Jesus. The more I saw it, the more I realized my sin and weaknesses as a husband. Yet, the grace soothed as it pointed me to Jesus. Sweet submission had a profound effect on my heart.

All of a sudden, any drop of submission from my wife came as a beautiful grace gift from Jesus. Had I earned it, it wouldn’t have been nearly as sweet. In turn, my love for her increased as I saw her through new eyes. Even her weaknesses, that once agitated my soul, were received as grace. Love and submission as grace—a beautiful flow.

Submission is a grace not deserved.

On Sunday, we studied the command to submit to our leaders in the church from Hebrews 13:17. No leader deserves this. No saint deserves a leader. It’s all grace.

We have a very submissive church. This has a profound effect on the heart of a leader with many weaknesses. It truly adorns the Gospel of grace (Titus 2:10). It is said that a leader needs to earn respect and submission. I can see it to a point, but then we are back to law. Only Christ has earned this. Dear friends, we submit to leaders as to Christ (Ephesians 5:21)!

A submissive people moves the heart of a leader like almost nothing else. Even to a non-believing leader, Christian submission emits rays of grace. If we want to win their hearts for Jesus, we must be submissive. And we can be submissive because of our perfect Leader, Jesus, not because we have perfect leaders.

We need to chew on this. We have been given the Great Commission. We are not to go out clothed in rebellion. “I will submit to Jesus but not to the clowns in Washington,” is no submission to Jesus at all. It will win very few. Sweet submission out of reverence for Christ is the call of the day.

Even if we must submit to a decree to stop preaching the Gospel or we will be thrown in prison, we still submit. Like Richard Wurmbrand before us, we continue to preach the Gospel—we are happy. They throw us in prison—they are happy. Everyone is happy!

Sweet submission is a ray of grace this dark world so desperately needs to see. It is sweet because Christ is sweet. Enjoy Him and let the joy flow!