Real Solutions to Real Problems

Christian Living Series 6 of 9

  1. Knowing Jesus Better
  2. The Vessel Formed
  3. Mystery
  4. The Church as Community
  5. Keeping Power Switched On
  6. Real Solutions to Real Problems
  7. Don't You Know There is a War On
  8. The Hope The Glory The Power
  9. The Dynamic for Holy Living

October 18, 1987

Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

THE WINNING PRINCIPLE OF SUBMISSION

Introduction/Disclaimers:

Cultural Realities that we have no way of knowing, but we can infer a wholly different situation regarding women's status, as well as accepting absolute authority in government, and roles and classes into which people were born. No idea of "equality" of all men. Contextual setting of this passage regarding husband-wife: submission is not merely the task of women and children.

In any cooperative enterprise proper lines of responsibility & authority need to be understood and accepted. Respect for authority is one of the sadly lacking features in our American culture that may well finally bring it down. But this is a double-edged truth: real authority must be merited-/earned. One of the rare pleasures in life is learning the joy of losing one's self in a worthy cooperative effort. It is one of the great lessons of music; of playing in a group or band or symphony. It is "rare" because most of us are interested in being "star performers." We want to be appreciated at all costs.

Allan Bloom says: "Everyone loves himself most, but everyone wants others to love him more than they love themselves." But there is a cost in entering into relationships of love and commitment. The taking of "Vows" is always sacred, whether they be wedding vows— "forsaking all others..keeping ONLY TO YOU" or whether they be salvation vows: "Jesus is LORD! forever!"

They bind us to a common submission and set of responsibilities each to the other. Any successful relationship of two free people will have to some extent be an exercise in submission to the common good. One cannot be a Christian without facing up to the Lordship of Jesus, and that means submission.

SUBMISSION TO JESUS CHRIST AS LORD

A Christian is one who is willing to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

SUBMISSION TO THE BIBLE AS THE AUTHORITY FOR LIFE

An evangelical Christian is one who is willing to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. If we are not willing to change our lives to conform to the revealed will of God, then we are not Christians. If this passage of scripture, or any other passage of scripture, makes it clear to me that I must change the way I live, and I choose not to do so, the I am not a Christian, whatever I may say.

SUBMISSION TO THE CORPORATE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

The common way of looking at the church is as a convenience, placed here by God to facilitate our individual and personal growth. Jesus said the church is His BODY. It is Christ's creation, His building.But in the body of Christ our submission is A SUBMISSION THAT CAN NEVER BE ABNEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITY.

SUBMISSION AS HEALTH WITHIN THE HOME

Unless two people deliberately determine that they will subjugate their selfish ways to make a relationship work, their marriage is doomed from the very start.

What do you expect me to say here? I can go either of two ways: the simplistic, literal way (like Bill Gothard) that denies equality. Or I can ignore the fact that Paul says the husband is to be the head of the home entirely. But what Paul is speaking about is the mighty power of MEEKNESS to release LOVE!

  1. WIVES (no simplistic stuff here) Within the context of the culture to which Paul wrote this was revolutionary. Women were not to be considered at the same level as men. But the Christian faith has done great things to promote the equality of all people. There are no second-class people in God's family.

    But what about "Be submissive— the husband is the head?" First— it says "Be submissive to your own husband." As opposed, perhaps, to somebody else's husband. This may be a call to loyalty.

    1. No one is "GOD" to anyone else, and is not supposed to be, ever! No one's word must be considered as final authority (except in infants that cannot yet know God's mind.)
    2. No one is "inferior by birth" to anyone else; that is, simply because one is born poor, or female, or a different color than the majority of a local church, does that in any way make him or her one whit less valuable (or MORE valuable) than the dominant majority of the church.

    Illustration: Of the woman with the demanding husband who made her miserable with his lists, and then mercifully he died. She remarried and found a husband who loved her and cherished her— and one day she woke up to the fact that she was doing the "lists" her first husband had given her— but doing them joyfully. (I do not say the wife is the "servant." I say that we are all to "serve in love" in the home.)

  2. HUSBANDS

    Twice as much here about how the men were to cherish their wives. In light of what I saw with my own eyes in the Middle East this was truly revolutionary.

  3. PARENT-CHILD RELATIONS

    Here deal with potential/future parents—asking them not to repeat the imprinting that they believe may have been harmful to them; "Lord, Help me to be as near the "ideal parent" as I can be!"Does the parent live to serve the child? Does the child exist to satisfy and fulfill the parent? NO! But the home exists to glorify God! And where parents seek God's glory—instead of selfish fulfillment, God will help us to submit and respect each other...and make room for real growth. Perhaps the time for thinking about what sort of parents you ought to be is long before you have your first child. Take notes! Don't let your home overly influence you! Seek to submit to God and to one another to the glory of Christ!

  4. EMPLOYEES-EMPLOYERS

    (I don't know where that leaves the Quincy school teachers!)

    Back to 5:21 (text) - and the ideal is JESUS!

[Conclusion: It may well be that I have only "muddied the waters" in much of this discussion—about the particulars of husband and wife relationships. If you will submit to the authority of the Word and seek God's mind I have confidence He will guide you. But let me close on a note that is much more certain and positive: (Mark Twain said: "It isn't the parts of the Bible I can't understand that give me trouble— it is the part I CAN understand and don't want to obey!")

Much of this word on "submission" is in the context of Christ and the CHURCH.

  1. Marriage is one of the sacred symbols of the fidelity we are to have to GOD. No human marriage is ever perfect. God as HUSBAND TO THE CHURCH; and as our Master We don't like to think of being 'slaves' even to God! But we had better think about what a real SOVEREIGN is!
  2. We are to be totally SUBSERVIENT TO GOD. He IS always right!
  3. But He is also ALWAYS DESIRING OUR BEST! He DOES provide! He will be faithful! And WE must be faithful, too!

#243 I'll Live for Him