Part I
"Of all the Spiritual Disciplines none has been more abused than the
Discipline of submission. Somehow the human species has an
extraordinary knack for taking the best teaching and turning it to the
worst ends. Nothing can put people into bondage like religion, and
nothing in religion has done more to manipulate and destroy people than a
deficient teaching on submission. Therefore, we must work our way
through this Discipline with great care and discernment in order to
ensure that we are the ministers of life, not death."
-Foster's opening paragraph
Some disciplines are easier to write about than others. The fact
that it's taking me three weeks to put up a proper post about submission
should speak for itself. I don't really count part II as a proper post
on the subject and if you have read it or are going to read it I'm sure
you'll agree. The very word submission carries such negative
connotations that it's almost taboo to talk about. I've been struggling
with how to write about a topic that is both woven into the heart and
soul of the Gospel and yet is sorely received by the world. Can you
have the Gospel without submission? No, it's not possible. Jesus makes
no apologies when he tells us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and
follow him. Sadly, his word has been twisted beyond recognition and
used as a justification for all types of slavery. I thank God regularly
that I have my own copy of the Bible and the freedom to read it.
Generations past have not enjoyed this blessing; there are even still
some cultures today that are denied this freedom. The beauty of having a
Bible and being able to read it, is that we can see it's loving truth
for ourselves, and see man's distortion of it for the lie that it is.
When I read the Bible, it becomes clear to me that the picture of
submission that Jesus brings to life is one of unconditional love. In
fact "the one and only compelling reason for submission is the example
of Jesus" (p.117). In both word and deed, Jesus was the embodiment of
submission; ". . . the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me . . . Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all' . . . Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet . . . He went away a second time and prayed, 'My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done' . . . And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death
on a cross!" * I am continually blown away by God's love for us.
Everyone knows that the best leaders are those who lead by example; and
the example that God gives us to follow is monumental. Jesus submitted
himself to the point of death so that we may have life and he tells us
that we should be willing to go to the same extreme for others. The
imagery that comes to mind is the soldier who throws himself on a live
grenade to save the lives of others. Pure, selfless, sacrificial love.
In Scripture, Jesus uses the example of murder to make the point that
the spirit of murder which resides in ones heart towards another, is
equally as grievous as murder itself. Foster picks up on this idea and
says that the Bible's teaching on submission mainly focuses on the
spirit we view others with. We can outwardly live in submission but
inwardly be in rebellion. This is all very true and I do agree with
Foster to a point, but I believe that the spirit with which we view each
other is just a symptom of a greater ill. The ill, the root cause if
you will, is the failure to obey the greatest commandment: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love
your neighbor as yourself'" (Luke 10:27). When we are living in
obedience to this command then the inner spirit that we view others with
will match our outer obedience which will in turn free us to
truly value and respect each other. We no longer have to have our way
in small matters or retaliate when wronged; a spirit of consideration is
birthed with in us. When you really get down to it consideration for
others is at the heart of Biblical submission. The one and only
compelling reason to change the way we view others is so that we are
living in obedience to God's command.
It was
always hard for me to read the teachings of Paul because he comes across
as laying down a sort of spiritual pecking order; children obey your
parents, wives obey your husbands, slaves obey your masters and so on.
He even goes on to give some very specific dos and don'ts for the people
in these roles, which I had always found offensive. Then I came to
understand what the Gospel meant for these people. It's important to
remember that the Epistles are simply letters. Paul was writing to
people whose humanity had been denied, who lived lives of unquestioned
servant hood and most likely abuse. When they accepted Christ these
societal non-humans understood that God considered all men equal. What
Paul was really saying was yes you are free, and since you understand
the Gospel, it's important for you to maintain your roles out of your
own free will and preform your duties out of your joy and love for
Christ in order to make the Gospel attractive to others. Paul didn't
just stop there, he went on to address the parents, husbands and
masters. It was critical that they understood the value of those under
them. These were precious, precious people in God's sight and ill
treatment of them would carry consequences. Foster uses the the example
of Philemon and Onesimus. Onesimus was a run away slave who had
accepted Christ and was returning to his master out of his own free
will. Philemon, the master had also become a Christian. By all rights,
Philemon could have done some horrible things to Onesimus upon his
return but Paul implored them to lives lives of mutual submission.
Onesimus was to serve freely and Philemon was to treat him with the kind
of respect befitting a free man.
The
Gospel paints a beautiful picture of what the world could look like if
we lived in mutual submission to one another. There would be no need
for war, boundary lines or possessions. No one would go hungry and
every need would be met because we would do unto others as we would have
them do unto us, we would love others as our selves, we would treat our
neighbor with dignity and respect. We would serve and give
generously. I'm in love with God's vision for humanity but sadly our
world is broken. People abuse their power and act out of selfish
ambition rather than love. This begs the question: what are the logical
loving limits of submission? God knows the world is broken and so he
lovingly has given us a clear boundary. We no longer have to submit
when it becomes destructive to our selves or those around us. We no
longer have to submit to governmental authorities when their laws are
harmful and contrary to God's laws. We do however, have to submit to
the consequences brought on by our decision not to submit to these
authorities.
God is loving and he will walk us
through each step on our journey towards living a life of submission.
It's not easy but he is gracious with us. Don't be overwhelmed by the
changes that might need to take place in your heart, if you are
faithfully making an effort to be obedient to the Great Commandment,
then the Lord will be faithful in shaping your heart to look more like
his.
* John 14:31; John 13:14; Mark 9:35; Matthew 26:42; Philippians 2:8