Submit yourselves, then, to God/Elohim. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ/Mashiach; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God/Elohim.”
1 corithians 11
The word submission has become repulsive to many as it carries a stigma of subordination.
Submission: the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.
As well as the action of presenting a proposal, application, or other document for consideration or judgment.
Subordination : the act of placing in a lower rank or position: the act of subordinating, or of making dependent, secondary, or subservient.
The first observation here is that submission is a voluntary act done by the one submitting and is not influenced or forced by the one in authority. Whereas subordination is induced by the person in authority upon those they deem to be under them.
This matters because from scripture we always see that submission is requested and subordination is not implied.
In our sinful state we demand submission out of a desire for control. And we place ourselves on a pedestal that puts us above those we lead. However true submission is a voluntary act which is depicted by asking for permission and approval to act. It also seems to require that the person acknowledge as much as possible the one they are submitting to. Honoring them and making them known. It therefore requires self denial.
Could that by why Yahsya/Jesus said :
Then Jesus said unto His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross/stake and follow Me.
Mathew 16 v 24
He is suggesting here that we must willingly do this. That he will not manipulate or force anyone to do it.
The blessing of submission
Whoever we submit to, take responsibility for our actions once we obey them. We cannot be penalized for it and we are not given credit for it. Taking credit for it is disingenuous since the instruction would have come from them.
When I ask for their permission or approval, I am giving them the authority to veto what I have said or to endorse it. This means if they endorse it they get to take responsibility for its success or failure.
Although this poem gives the impression that self denial can be produced by the flesh. I do not think that is possible. The human ego gets in the way. I think It has to be endowed upon us by The Spirit through fasting, meditation and prayer. It is definitely hard to do without the help of The Holy Spirit.
However we can desire to do it. If not we would not be required to do it. Submission gives up our will in a particular decision and embraces the will of the one we are submitting to. This ensures that the consequences of that decision is not mine. The responsibility is no longer mine, and some times no longer can I claim the credit. This can be a bruise to my ego and cause me to fear submission.
6Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord/master: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
1 peter 3 v 6
Once the person takes responsibility for your will through submission then they are now responsible to be in charge of executing the decision. True submission will facilitate teamwork , but without it there is division, strife, competition.
The difficulty of true submission
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Mathew 26
True submission is hard, because by nature we are selfish and self willed and like the first place. We want to rule others and we like to have our own way. In the above text the Messiah appealed to the Father for consideration of his will which was that the cup should pass. So he would not have to die, however having practiced submission all his life he was willing to accept no as an answer.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
Phillipians 2
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross/Stake!
Submission is true humility and it requires spiritual help
Our ego/flesh needs boasting and pride as fuel to sustain it. The crucifying of the flesh is therefore required for us to truly submit to The Most high.
Anything that feeds our ego is destroying our ability to submit.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth
1 John 2 v 15
For oneness to be achieved and real peace, we must starve the flesh and feed the spirit. The new man must prevail over the old. This is why marriage which is meant to represent on earth the relationship between messiah and his bride requires equally yoked believers.
No one who is not on their way to regeneration having been implanted with the seed/word can submit. And a righteous marriage requires the man submitting to the Father and the woman submitting to the man.
It is nor far fetched for us to pray as the messiah did for help to submit and sometimes fasting is required.