Category Archives: Subjection

Quote reading 'A clear conscience is the most comfortable pillow, finding peace within' with decorative floral and celestial elements
Bible, Conscience, Romans, Scripture, Subjection, Submission

FOR THE SAKE OF CONSCIENCE

ROMANS 13:5

“Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience.”

Do you want to have a clear conscience? Then do what is right and good in God’s eyes. It’s really that simple. Does having a clear conscience make things easier for you? Not necessarily. People struggle all the time with their conscience. Most of those struggles are because they are not leaning on the Word of God. We know how it can guide and strengthen us. Let’s see what Paul says about this in today’s verse.

Man, I am sure this statement, “it is necessary to be in subjection,” really didn’t sit well with the readers of this letter to the Romans. What?! We should be in subjection to this tyrannical government that has enslaved us? I cannot imagine what that was like. I have read about the circumstances but that does not do it justice. However, Paul, who lived in that same circumstance, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes “it is necessary.” But let’s concentrate on the last phrase of today’s verse, “but also for the sake of conscience.”

APPLICATION

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says this “sake of conscience” means “to keep conscience clear, to exercise a good one void of offence towards God and men; for natural reason, conscience itself, dictates that there ought to be such order among men, that civil government should take place, and ought to be submitted to.” Did you catch that? “Void of offence towards God and men.” As followers of Christ, we are to try to avoid conflicts with others and God. That is done best by doing what is good. That’s been Paul’s guidance for the past few verses.

Paul gives a lengthy example of this in 1 Corinthians 10:25-33. You need to read this in context to get what Paul is saying. “25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for the sake of conscience; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, ‘This is meat sacrificed to idols,’ do not eat it, for the sake of that one who informed you and for the sake of conscience; 29 Now by ‘conscience’ I do not mean your own, but the other person’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered about that for which I give thanks? 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. 32 Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God; 33 just as I also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the many, so that they may be saved.”

There it is – “so that they may be saved.” That is why we submit to authority. That is why we avoid conflicts and try our best to not cause an offense. We want all to come to Christ and experience a glorious salvation. Keep your conscience clear by doing what is good and thereby, leading others to Jesus.

O Lord, it is hard sometimes to avoid conflicts, but for the sake of conscience I will strive to do that.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Medieval sword resting on parchment documents and scroll on wooden table
Authority, Bible, Romans, Scripture, Subjection, Submission

SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY

ROMANS 13:1

“Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

I can think of no better passage in Scripture to address today’s verse than Mark 12:13-17. I know it’s a long passage but bear with me. “13 Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 They came and *said to Him, ‘Teacher, we know that You are truthful and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth. Is it permissible to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Are we to pay, or not pay?’ But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, ‘Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.’ 16 And they brought one. And He *said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ And they said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ 17 And Jesus said to them, ‘Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at Him.”

In Paul’s time all the ruling kingdoms were pagan kingdoms, so this was a great topic to address to first century Christians. It still applies to us today. All around us we are witnessing pure anarchy in the streets. It’s not just here in America. I hear stories from all over the world. People don’t like their government, so they revolt. As followers of Christ, we answer to a higher authority and therefore have to trust Him.

APPLICATION

Paul discusses this topic of submission to governing authorities in the first seven verses of chapter 13. Obviously, this was a question raised by more than one early follower of Christ. Were they to continue to obey Roman law? Paul basically says, “Yes.” Unless the governing authorities are telling you to do something illegal or immoral which goes against God’s law, you should obey them.

I can think of a time in the early days of the Christian movement when Peter and John faced such a question. They had been arrested by the Jewish leaders. Look what happened in Acts 4:18-20. “18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, make your own judgment; 20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” 

Now, listen carefully. There may come a time in your life when you are faced with such a dilemma. Do I obey the authorities even though I know it is not God’s Will or do I follow God and accept the consequences that come? There are many in the world who face that question daily. Let’s covenant to pray for them to have strength in the face of adversity. Until we are faced with such a question, we are to be obedient to God by being obedient to those in authority over us.

Sometimes Lord, it’s hard to submit to those I disagree with, but help me be obedient to You by being obedient to them.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Bible, Disobedience, Obedience, Righteousness, Romans, Scripture, Subjection, Submission

SUBJECT YOURSELF

ROMANS 10:3

“For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”

Obedience is so simple yet so hard. Do you agree? I mean, how hard is it to drive the speed limit? Not hard at all, but how many of us actually obey the speed limit signs? There have been times (I’ll admit not a lot, lol) when I drove the speed limit. What happened? I almost got blown off the road by all the other motorists. I got honked at for “going too slow” even though I was driving the posted speed. So, what did I do? I sped up, thereby breaking the law. I wasn’t being obedient.

Paul points out in today’s verse that the Jews just did not want to “subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” The Greek word used there for “subject” is hupotassó “from hypó, ‘under’ and tássō, ‘arrange’) – properly, ‘under God’s arrangement,’ i.e. submitting to the Lord (His plan). (HELPS Word-studies) It’s a fairly commonly used word in the New Testament (used 48 times). It basically boils down to being obedient.

APPLICATION

I love how Paul uses the word in 1 Corinthians 15:27-28, where he uses it six times. “27 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is clear that this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” 

Jesus, Who is part of the Trinity, willingly subjected Himself to the Father. Wow! If Jesus, Who was and is God, could subject Himself, why can’t we? We’re even told to “subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21) In 1 Peter 5:5 we read, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders;” I could go on and list numerous other verses using hupotassó, but I think you can see the importance of obedience and subjection in Scripture.

Is there something in your life which the Lord is asking you to submit to Him? It could be your career choice. How about that man or woman you are dating? It could be your children. That’s a hard one. Whatever it is, just obey the Lord. Subject yourself to His Will. Let Him show you what He would have you do. Joy never precedes obedience. Mark that down. But once you choose to obey, joy will follow. Choose obedience today.

Father, I will obey You because You love me and promise such joy in my obedience.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

Standard
Bible, Family, Husbands, Scripture, Subjection, Submission, Wives

GODLY SUBJECTION

COLOSSIANS 3:18

“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Boy, oh boy! This is not something you hear a lot today. Women subjecting themselves to their husbands? Are you kidding me? Aren’t we all equal? If you think about it, we are all subject to someone. I am subject to my boss. I am subject to the donors who support my ministry. I am subject to my church. I am subject, most of all, to God.

Paul discusses roles and relationships in the remainder of chapter 3. These verses are almost exactly what he wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians chapters 5 and 6. Describing biblical roles in families is not sexist. It’s not chauvinistic. It’s not biased toward one person over another. It’s just the way God planned for us to function in families and communities.

APPLICATION

Men, before you get all high and mighty about this verse, ask yourself this question. Am I a man to whom a godly woman would want to subject herself to? Paul is going to the men in the next verse, so hang on. But we men need to prepare ourselves to be “subject worthy.”

In Ephesians 5:21-24, we read this, “21 and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”

Most any God-fearing, God-loving woman would willingly submit herself to a man who is subjecting himself to Christ. That can be trusted. That’s a man whom she can feel secure in trusting. Do you know many men like that? I do. They love God much more than they love their wives. Wives really do love that. So, wives subject yourself to that kind of man.

Father, thank You that we can subject ourselves to You.

Standard
Bible, Family, Husbands, Scripture, Subjection, Submission, Wives

THERE’S AN ORDER TO IT

EPHESIANS 5:23

“For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.”

I like order. I like things in their place. I probably got that from my dad. He had a shop in the back of our house. In that shop was all kind of tools, wood, screws, nuts and bolts and a lot of other stuff he had collected over the years. But in that shop everything had its place.

God has an order to things, as we began to see in yesterday’s blog (check it out if you missed it). Father – Son (Jesus) – Husband – Wife. The Greek word for “head” used here means lord or ruler. Just as Jesus followed the lead of the Father, husbands are to follow Jesus, and the wife is to follow her husband. Again, as I said yesterday, this is God’s design, not mine. There is a purpose for everything God does, including the design for the home.

APPLICATION

Christ came to lead the church, to be the head of the church, but He was also the Savior of the body. He gave Himself freely to die on a cross for each and every believer. In the same way, husbands are to sacrifice themselves for their wives. Then and only then will the wives follow them and subject themselves. When a wife sees her husband making sacrifices for her, she is drawn to that. Some men sacrifice their hobbies (hunting, fishing, golfing) in order to spend more time with their wives and children. God will honor him for that sacrifice.

The “lordship” the husband has over his wife is never meant to be one of abuse or disadvantage. No, this lordship is only meant to show he is in control of himself and his family. His role as protector and priest of his household is key to the wife’s willingness to subject herself to his leadership. Remember, the comparison is to Christ. What an example!

Paul will continue his statements about the family for several verses. I would encourage you to read those verses (5:22-6:1) several times and ask the Lord what He would have you learn from His plan for the family. If your family does not look like these verses, pray and ask the Father what you need to do.

O Lord, help me be the husband/wife I need to be for my spouse.

Standard
Bible, Humility, Scripture, Subjection, Submission

SUBJECT YOURSELVES

EPHESIANS 5:21

“and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.”

No one likes to submit to someone else. I have this image in my head of childhood wrestling matches and getting pinned by someone. They might have my arm behind my back or have put me in some other uncomfortable position and asked me to say “uncle,” which meant I was submitting to them. No one wants to be in that position. Now, get that image completely out of your head, because that is not what is meant in today’s verse.

Paul uses the word hupotassó which means “to subordinate; reflexively, to obey — be under obedience (obedient), put under, subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under), submit self unto.” (Strong’s Concordance). It is not a negative word. It is actually quite positive. We place ourselves up under someone willingly trusting they are looking out for us.

APPLICATION

The verse that really goads some people is Colossians 3:18. “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Because of so much domestic violence, women are reluctant to accept this command from God’s Word. “Subjection” does not mean door mat. God never intended men to treat women disrespectfully. In fact, just the opposite. He told men to love their wives as Christ loved the church. He died for it.

In 1 Peter 5:5, there is another verse that disturbs people, this time the younger generation. “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT HE GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” Our younger generation today does not seem to want to submit or subject themselves to anyone, yet it is a command of the Lord.

Unless you accept your submission to God, unless you subject yourself to His will, you will never submit yourself to another person. But through your humility and willingness to serve another, you can learn to be subject. Try it today. Choose to submit. This honors our Father in heaven.

Father, thank You for allowing me to submit to Your leadership. Help me submit to those in authority over me.

Standard