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Submission. I am starting to perceive that the reason I have such a struggle with this notion is because part of my internal definitions for this word are incorrect. As with pretty much all religious words and concepts, this one too has taken on spurious meanings that distort my picture of God and confuse my thinking and emotions to act dysfunctionally.
As I analyze my assumptions about this word I think of things like giving up, surrendering to cooperate with the false principles espoused by those in control, letting the enemy win, giving up everything I have learned and returning to a slave mentality under the control of earthly domination, even reverting to earlier levels of maturity. I also sense a great deal of fear, anger, resentment and hostility whenever I think very long about this subject. To face these deep-seated emotions is actually very helpful for me to find the roots that keep this such a volatile issue in my character development.
I came across a parallel passage to Romans 13 recently in 1 Peter 2 which is really opening up a great deal of resources to unlock the mystery surrounding this subject of submission to authority. It also came to my mind that Peter was very likely a person who had similar triggers to authority that I have, given his track record for the first part of his life as recorded in the gospels. And while I may not outwardly demonstrate the smart mouth that got him into repeated hot water (although I am very capable of doing so), I can certainly identify with his emotions and reactions under pressure and therefore can learn a great deal from his mistakes and the way Jesus related to him.
In the events that transpired in the Garden of Gethsemane, I can see a contrast between what Jesus demonstrated in submission to authorities and the actions and spirit of Peter in resisting authorities. Looking deeper, I believe the real problem was rooted in the fears that filled Peter's mind and that caused him to react in the ways that he did. Jesus had warned all the disciples ahead of time to pray about the upcoming events and Jesus Himself had done exactly what He had told them to do. But since none of them took His warnings seriously and thus failed to receive the strength that would have been given them in answer to their prayers, they ended up with hearts still full of fear which made them vulnerable to acting out the sad behaviors that they all indulged in during this critical time in their life. Clearly one of the things they needed to experience by taking time to pray was to have the fear removed from their hearts and replaced with the peace and presence of heaven.
It was because of false ideas about the kingdom of Jesus that the disciples failed to take many things that Jesus told them seriously. They were certain that they knew what the kingdom was going to look like based on a lifetime of indoctrination from their religious background. So when Jesus said things about the soon coming of His kingdom they failed to perceive that He was talking a completely different language than what they assumed. Because they were so addicted to selfishness and the use of force and control they misinterpreted most of the things Jesus talked about and remained unprepared for the times of trauma that would expose the real condition of their hearts. We are in the very same danger today with many of our misconceptions about the Second Coming of Jesus and our traditional assumptions associated with that event. We are repeating many of the same mistakes that the Jews made at the first coming of the Messiah.
The really good news is that Jesus was not caught by surprise by any of this. He knew that His disciples had not listened with their hearts to what He had been trying to tell them, but He also knew that even deeper in their hearts they really wanted to follow Him even though they were tragically side-tracked by the false notions and beliefs they had failed to relinquish. Jesus consistently worked with every disciple to give them every opportunity possible to catch on to the real perspective and meaning that He wanted them to have about reality. He never even treated Judas, His ultimate betrayer, any differently or with less love at any time even though He knew that Judas' heart would not be changed. Instead, Jesus sometimes showed Judas more favor and trust on many occasions in an attempt to break through the hard shell surrounding his heart in hopes that Judas would accept repentance from being immersed in the kindness of God.
But none of the 12 disciples ever caught on very much to the real meaning of most of Jesus' words until some time after the intense events of the weekend of Calvary. Instead, they continued to cling to their own traditional beliefs about Scripture and their desires for power and control in an earthly kingdom very much like most Christians do yet today. As a result they left open the door of fear giving Satan access to manipulate and sabotage them and cause them to act out in ways more consistent with Satan's methods and principles than with Jesus'. They ended up indulging either in attempts of force or in self-survival by either trying to fight or fleeing in terror. Either way, their actions were motivated by fear instead of following the example of true submission from a position of real authority as demonstrated by Jesus.
So when Peter talks about submitting one's self to every human institution for the Lord's sake (1 Peter 2:13), he is not just spouting off some nice-sounding religious theory but is speaking from very painful and personally humiliating experience. He could just as easily have said, “Don't follow my previous example, don't do as I did but do as I say and as Jesus did.” I see a very close parallel to my own experience here.
Because Peter had failed to pray for strength as Jesus had repeatedly prompted Him to do in the hours leading up to the hour of judgment (revealing what is in the heart), Peter's heart still contained elements that caused him to react in fear and act out the impulses of the flesh instead of responding from a heart at peace. Peter simply fell back on the methods that he had always wanted to use ingrained in him by the desires of his fleshly heart. When the pressure was on he followed the natural instincts of survival instead of responding from a position of authority himself.
You see, earthly power structures depend greatly on intimidation and fear to prop up their flimsy and counterfeit systems of authority. Instead of governing with respect for truth and fairness, many times “authorities” depend on abuse and fear and threats to force compliance to their selfish demands. God allows this to go on for a time apparently unchecked to expose the true nature and consequences of such a system. But in the end those who engage in such perversions of power will themselves suffer unspeakable horrors if they do not repent and turn away from their sins. These consequences will not be because God runs out of patience with them and imposes arbitrary punishments but because consequences are simply designed into the way things are, the true reality that governs all the universe and cannot be violated with impunity.
The way we are to relate to these abuses of power is just as important as understanding the difference between correct exercise of authority and counterfeit methods. Jesus taught that we must not resist an evil person and both Paul and Peter here reveal that the correct way to relate to them is to submit – whatever that means. And that brings me back to the very beginning where I started a few minutes ago. What does true submission look like and what are false assumptions we carry that are not part of true submission?
While I am certain God has much more to teach me and mentor me in answer to this question, I found a number of important clues while looking carefully at this passage in 1 Peter.
The first is the issue of reputation. (1 Peter 2:11, 12) And while it can be hazardous to base my response to authority on looking out for my reputation alone, it is not something I should completely ignore. But when properly understood, the real issue is not really my own reputation that I should be so concerned about nearly as much as God's reputation and how my actions and attitudes affect what other people come to believe about Him. This is where the phrase, “the fear of the Lord” becomes extremely appropriate. While I have been personally wonderfully enlightened over the past few years about many fresh truths about God and my need to not be afraid of Him, at the same time I am becoming increasingly afraid or concerned about the effects of the witness of my life in the way that it affects what other people come to believe about Him.
I have certainly been learning very many wonderful new things about God and about reality in the past few years that have greatly liberated me and allowed me to enjoy a much closer relationship with my Creator and removed many confusing and false ideas about Him from my heart that kept me at a distance from Him. But I can also clearly see that the heart side of me has been much slower at embracing all of these new insights and is still harboring many of the lies and false beliefs about Him that my head has agreed should not be part of my experience. Like Peter in his early experience, I still sense that I have a lot of fears about God that do not line up with the truths that I have been learning with my head. I want to believe them with my heart, but getting the heart to believe things involves a very different path than getting information into the head.
But what the heart believes has much more to do with how I will act when under duress or pressure than what my head has accepted as truth. Like Peter and the rest of the disciples, I need to spend more time in real, interactive prayer to receive the strength and proper perspective that I need at my heart level so that I will not react from fear or selfish instincts when I am caught by surprise by circumstances or when I am faced with abusive situations under corrupt people in positions of power and authority.
The second clue that I find from Peter is that submission is for the Lord's sake. This is repeated in the instruction to servants in verse 18 where he uses the phrase, for the sake of conscience toward God. This is really tied in closely with the last point about reputation but is more specific about it. The way I respond (instead of react) to authorities is a powerful witness as to how much affect God has had on changing the condition of my heart up to that point. This is extremely frightening to me knowing how vulnerable I am in this area to being exploited by Satan in one of the weakest areas of my life. I certainly need an immense amount of God's grace to prepare me for these situations.
The next clue has to do with what other people say about me and about God. I realize these are all so closely related it may seem like nit-picking to separate them, but I do see little differences that make them worth itemizing separately. Verse 15 says that when we do right we may silence the ignorance of foolish men. This goes beyond just concern for reputation but illustrates that when I respond as Jesus would under times of abuse and duress designed to activate my deepest fears, then all the excuses that people use to discredit God – and yes even me – are pulled away and they lose the deceptive coverings they have hidden under to support their false accusations. The lies become exposed that have propped up the false charges against God and those who depend on this covering or foundation of lies can no longer claim to have credibility. This, in fact, is an act of true judgment.
Quite interestingly, the converse of this concept is addressed in the warning in the very next verse. I am instructed to act as a free man – no matter what my external circumstances may appear to be. As a free man of the heart I am not to be enslaved by fear, intimidation, shame or any other chains others try to put on my heart. But I am sternly warned not to allow my flesh to exploit this freedom to indulge in its desires and lusts. I must never allow my selfish heart of flesh – my fallen nature – to use the newfound freedom and joy that I experience to become an excuse to indulge in any desires of my old heart of selfishness. The only way that I can prevent this from happening to to literally place my selfish heart under chains of enslavement to the will and Word of God. I must consider myself a bondslave of God while living in this treacherous world if I want to be safe, because God takes good care of His slaves.
The last clue that I see right now in this passage is the issue of honor and respect. Verses 17 and 18 dwell on this motivation which also has to do with the reputation of God. In fact, everything really, is all about God's reputation in the end. The whole plan of salvation is not primarily designed for our benefit as much as we think it may be, but the plan of salvation was conceived to reveal the truth about God in contrast to the lies and false charges that Satan has invented over thousands of years of deception. Our role is primarily that of witnesses and our lives demonstrate what we really believe in our hearts about what kind of God we serve and worship.
To respond with respect to those who do not deserve respect is a very difficult instruction to live up to without a certain level of maturity. One of the evidences of growth in maturity is the development of respect for others which is really an issue of overcoming selfishness. And while a person can learn to act respectful on the surface while feeling very resentful or even hateful inside, Peter is telling me that I need to have a heart so transformed that I will be able to truly treat my enemies with genuine respect and love just as Jesus demonstrated in His life while here on earth.
I can imagine as Peter wrote these words that the very painful memories of his actions and words during Jesus' trial came back to haunt him intensely. He knew all too well that he had not submitted to authority when he whipped out a sword and began hacking at anyone within reach, only to be rebuked by his Master and warned against resisting these evil men. A little while later he had indulged in the reactive promptings of his flesh to lash out in anger and retaliation with his old sailor expletives when put on the spot repeatedly about being associated with the man currently on trial. He felt very afraid to be openly linked with someone so much out of public favor at the moment. He enjoyed being identified closely with Jesus when the popularity was high and everyone was seeking Him out for miracles and words of wisdom. But when the chips were down and popular opinion was suddenly changed, Peter was intimidated and frightened by the potential dangers that public association might bring and he distanced himself from Jesus just as Jesus predicted he would.
This event in Peter's history became the defining moment of revelation for Peter that riveted his attention for the rest of his life. It was also the turning point in Peter's life when he began to really learn how to live from his heart But as he came to realize the true level of belief that Jesus had in Peter and His confidence in Peter's heart that even Peter could not see, he came to embrace the principles that Jesus had tried to teach him all along and learned to share them with others with great effectiveness. He learned that those who have the most spectacular failures can be uniquely equipped to have the most humility and compassion making them effective to be able to comfort and instruct others who have similar weaknesses.
God, I don't know what this all means in relation to me and I suspect I wouldn't want to know right now. I sense that I have many of the same weaknesses that Peter had but I am also very glad to see the amazing confidence that You showed in Your trust and favors and the grace that You poured on him. I pray for strength for my coming times of testing. I pray that You will bring me into right relationship with You and make my heart a bondslave of Your own heart. I feel very convicted right now by the things You have just shown me and I thank-you for that conviction. Fill my life with Your Spirit and prepare me to respond with true respect when confronted by authorities. Re-wire my heart and mind to reflect the Spirit and disposition of Jesus. And do this all because it is Your reputation on the line far more than it is mine. Demonstrate Your ability to transform a messed up, rebellious life by the miracle of Your grace in me so that others will be amazed and attracted to You as a result.
