Submission (God's Blessing)

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       Submission has gotten a really bad rap. In today’s society it is the equivalent of a four-letter word. The sad part is that women (and men) really don’t understand the purpose of submission. The word submit comes from the Greek hupotasso, which is a military term that deals with ordering or arranging troops under a leader (Thayer and Smith), but it is really not used in a domineering sense in Colossians 3:18, which reads: “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (NASB). These verses, taken alone or out of context, are easily misused, but in the context of the passage on family relations, it becomes clear that godly submission is intended to be a blessing to all parties involved: wife, husband and God. Colossians 3:19 relates the equally difficult requirement for a husband: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” When Colossians 3:18 AND 19 are paired, they are a beautiful picture of what God intends for a marriage: unity, harmony and order—a covenant relationship representative of Christ and the Church. What we’ve made of God’s idea of submission is disgraceful. Many marriages are not what God intended for them to be and many definitely do not bring him glory; however, when we realize that husbands and wives pulling together in obedience brings glory to the Lord, we see the non-military definition of hupotasso at work. This definition suggests the idea of “a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden" (Thayer and Smith). Matthew Henry says this about submission in his commentary: “Submission is the duty of wives. But it is submission, not to a severe lord or stern tyrant, but to her own husband, who is engaged to affectionate duty. And husbands must love their wives with tender and faithful affection.” What wife truly wishes to assume full responsibility for raising children or providing for her family alone? What wife does not wish for her husband to help carry the heavy burdens of this life? I know I would not wish to do so; it is hard enough to walk through this life when my husband and I pull in the same direction. Speaking as one who has seriously wrestled with this in the past (and still does so on occasion), I have to say that if it were easy to submit, no one would ever struggle to do so. The voluntary attitude of giving in is the hard part because it deals with my pride; however, when weighed against the cost of having my own way, it is much easier to see the benefits of submission both to God’s word and my husband. Having someone to help bear the weight of responsibility and to carry the burdens of this life is God’s blessing for submission.

Work Cited
Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Hupotasso". "The New Testament
Greek Lexicon".
<http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=5293>.  

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