Talk about misconception!!! This is probably the most misunderstood word and concept in the history of mankind – including (especially?) the Christian world. Everyone uses it but no one seems to either have a correct definition or application of the word. So often it is simply used to control but that has no bearing whatsoever on what the word means. Therefore let’s look first for a definition, one of Webster’s definition: “the act of submitting to the power of another”. Free choice? Control to continue or change in the hand of the ‘submitted’? Is ‘power’ the operative condition?
It’s interesting to look at the root word, submit, to discover that it’s defined as: ” to give in to the authority, power or desires of another. to allow oneself to be subjected….” Give in, allow oneself seems to indicate that the person submitting has the initial authority/power to act. However, the one word that often is associated with submission is not included – subjected. Subjected and submission are NOT the same though they often have been related and submission is used to subjugate.
One very clear point about submission is that the individual chooses. It is a state no one can force upon another… at least not the spirit of a person. So how do we apply this? It seems that this is a ‘joint’ agreement, never forced. Scripture talks about mutual submitting (Ephesians 5:21) and nowhere that I’ve read do we lord it over the other person. (Even though there has been a total misunderstanding of what Paul was teaching.) Actually quite the opposite. Jesus talks about being a servant to others (Matthew 23:11-12) and then demonstrates it (John 13:3-5).
Granted this is a difficult concept to understand, the point is that we have the choice about who and what we submit to. (I’m obviously eliminating those situations, such as during war, when the choice is determined by the strongest.) The person submitting needs to be very certain concerning what they are doing. And the person in the ‘dominant’ position needs to appreciate that submission is mutual.
…but, what do you believe?
