Submission and Fear
Fearing
all-mighty God
led to an understanding of grace.
Fear of
Him leads me to submit
and not fight for rank or place.
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
Ephesians 5:21 (KJV)
hupŏtassō5293 – to
subordinate; reflex. to obey: - be under obedience (obedient), put under,
subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under),
submit self unto.
phŏbŏs5401 - (to be put
in fear); alarm or fright: be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”
Proverbs 1:7a
yir’ah3374 – fear (also
used as infin.); more. reverence: - X dreadful, X exceedingly, fear (-fulness).
In today’s “me first” culture, we shy away from the idea of
submitting to anyone, especially someone of equal or lesser status or
education. Why should we submit to anyone? Aren’t we just as good as they are?
In our sometimes fierce independence, we miss the point. God created us for
community; and for a community to work, we must submit to each other. I submit
to the authorities in my life because I believe God places people in positions
of leadership. I may subordinate my plans to the plans of friends for the sake
of unity. Note that we are to submit to one another not due to the fear of the
person to whom we are submitting, but because of the fear of the Lord.
What
does it mean to fear God? I’ve had people tell me it is merely respect; but
from the definitions above, I believe it is much more than that. The fear of
God is something else we’ve watered down in modern society. We focus on the
aspects of God that are most palatable such has his unconditional love, his
mercy and grace, and his power to heal. We shy away from the idea of the
awesome, all-powerful, supreme Lord who is in total control of the world. We
conveniently forget the scenes in the Bible where people came face to face with
the Lord and fell flat on their faces! When we truly fear God, it makes his
love and sacrifice for us even more fantastic. If I had no fear of God, why
would I need his forgiveness and why would I seek salvation? The all-mighty God
of the universe, who could have squashed me like a tiny bug because of my sin,
chose instead to inhabit earth in the person of his Son and die in my place.
This is a God who will be obeyed. This is the God I fear and love at the same
time.
Father,
help me to understand what it is to fear you and to be confident in your
everlasting love at the same time. Help me to submit to others for the unity of
the body of Christ. Help me to always remember the greatness of your grace.
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