SUBMISSION, PART 1 RECAP
In the first installment in this "Submission" series, we looked at "Submission: A Surprising Key, now updated to "Submission: A Surprising Key to Peace, Power, Love, and Sound Mind." I shared about how submission to God brings peace and freedom from fear and the ability to operate in His power, love, and sound mind. We learned that, as a believer, submission to God means submitting to an all-powerful and all knowing, all seeing perfect Father Who is Himself, Love. The corollary is that not submitting to His love opens us up to bondage to a spirit of fear which wreaks havoc on our lives.
SUBMISSION, PART 2 - SUBMISSION VS. ALIGNMENT
This will be a somewhat shorter post but I believe a very important one. This post also deals with the issue of SUBMISSION, albeit a subsequent point than submitting to God in the first place. Here I will deal with a term I tend to use with greater and greater frequency. However, I am determined to change my tune and to say the word submission instead of one that is not synonymous but used as if it were. That word that is a very popular term in contemporary Christianity is ALIGNMENT. This is, admittedly a term I use quite often in terms of alignment with God's plan for our lives. Another word that is used is the word AGREEMENT. Now two of these three words are found in the Bible: Submission and Agreement. Alignment is not. What's the big deal you ask? I believe there is a significant difference and that we need to get back to the Biblical term and meaning lest we lose the effectiveness of Submission. I intend to change my tune, perhaps you might, too.
This post is about differentiating between the terms submission, which is not very popular in today's environment or culture, and alignment, which is much more palatable in our culture today. However, nowhere in Scripture do I see anything about aligning with God, either explicitly or implicitly. Always, there is the sense of submitting to God's will because He is the superior force, He lovingly points us in the right direction, obedience leads to blessing, and disobedience leads to very bad circumstances, whether or not you are comfortable with the term curses. To disobey God, takes us out of the covenantal relationship of GRACE and places us back under the LAW and its impossible standards. It may not happen the first time, but habitually disobeying God is a sign of not wanting Him as Lord and Savior so that His protective hand recedes from our lives in greater measure leaving us as targets for the enemy of our souls.
I believe when we veer away from biblical standards and terminology we lose something in the meaning as well as the force and power of the words. Obviously, this does not apply to everything but when a word like "submission" has been replaced with "alignment" as different as those meanings are, we begin to lose sight of what God means to convey and therefore, the true effect of the word.
THE WORDS & THEIR MEANINGS
Let's take a look of the meanings of these three words: Submission, Agreement, and Alignment. We will then focus specifically on "Submission vs. Alignment."
God is clearly the Superior Force. He does not run His Kingdom by committee, although He allows us to partner in the work of the Kingdom, there is a reason we are called His children. We are not His equals, no matter how friendly we are with Him. Jesus was given all authority over everyone but the Father. We submit to God.
James 4:7:"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. In the home, the woman is to submit to her husband, but the husband is also to submit to the wife. He is, however, the leader in the home.
2. Agreement means, "harmony, accordance, [concurrence] in opinion or feeling."
Agreement signifies equal power to disagree or agree. Harmony carries with it a sense of equality. We are not equal to God in authority. He is King and Father. Where the Bible speaks of agreement, it is not agreement between man and God but man and man.
3. Alignment means "arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions" or "a position of agreement or alliance".
In other words, this alignment can be either lateral (side by side). Horizontal alignment implies that the parties are on equal footing, where is no indication of hierarchy. Alignment may also be vertical; however, this would add ambiguity to the term. Is it horizontal or vertical alignment? By simply using the word "alignment," we have no idea. That is unless you add the words vertical or horizontal and even then, there is no indication of submission. Only "submission," or a synonym, means submission. Therefore, the word, "submit" would work best if a hierarchy is being communicated. But notice that the word "alignment" can square with the word "agreement" more than it can with the word "submission." However, there is no indication of yielding to a superior force as alignment and agreement often signal equality.
MORE ABOUT SUBMISSION IN SCRIPTURE
Jesus' submission to God in the Garden of Gethsemane
Since Jesus is our Model, this bears repeating. The Lord clearly had a choice whether to go to the Cross and die for all of mankind to be redeemed to God. He was determined to remain submitted to God even to death, when "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). As One under authority, He deferred to the will of the Father. Jesus, God incarnate, submitted to His Father. It was not about alignment but submission; He was under the authority of the One Who had sent Him. The Gospels are particularly full of Scriptures where He is referring to His Father as the One who sent Him, Who gave Him authority, and Who He sought to please at all times. We must never forget that while Jesus was engaged in His earthly ministry, He did not equate Himself with God but submitted Himself under the rule of His Father. In that way, He showed us how to do submit to God's rule.
The Centurion and Jesus reaction to his discernment
Here, the Roman centurion recognizes that Jesus does nothing of His own will but in submission to God in everything. Jesus was amazed at this man's understanding of the Kingdom. To be under authority is to be in submission.
Paul on submission
A very important caveat to submitting to man's rule:
Laws from any government, which are in derogation of God's laws are not be obeyed. It is better to offend man than to offend God.
Peter on Submission
So when we leave the original meaning and intent of God's Word, we lose the power and force of what He means to accomplish through it. By trying to whitewash and make biblical concepts more palatable we have lost the power of what God is saying. There is a reason He uses the word submit. It's a hard one and everyone loves their independence, especially in America. But it's always better to go with God says over what makes us feel good.
In the Old Testament, you certainly did not see anything about alignment, neither the word nor the concept, and even in the New Testament, you would be hard pressed to see any need to "align" or even "agree" with God. Don't get me wrong. It's great to agree and align with God but it's not the principal thing. If we trust Him, we would submit, plain and simple. These two terms, agreement and alignment, are more for the sake of unity among us humans. God does not need agreement, although it's always better for all involved when we agree with Him. But we do best for ourselves and everyone involved to submit to Him. A life submitted to God and godly leaders is a life of peace and blessing, even if not the case externally, it certainly is the case internally.
In the first installment in this "Submission" series, we looked at "Submission: A Surprising Key, now updated to "Submission: A Surprising Key to Peace, Power, Love, and Sound Mind." I shared about how submission to God brings peace and freedom from fear and the ability to operate in His power, love, and sound mind. We learned that, as a believer, submission to God means submitting to an all-powerful and all knowing, all seeing perfect Father Who is Himself, Love. The corollary is that not submitting to His love opens us up to bondage to a spirit of fear which wreaks havoc on our lives.
SUBMISSION, PART 2 - SUBMISSION VS. ALIGNMENT
This will be a somewhat shorter post but I believe a very important one. This post also deals with the issue of SUBMISSION, albeit a subsequent point than submitting to God in the first place. Here I will deal with a term I tend to use with greater and greater frequency. However, I am determined to change my tune and to say the word submission instead of one that is not synonymous but used as if it were. That word that is a very popular term in contemporary Christianity is ALIGNMENT. This is, admittedly a term I use quite often in terms of alignment with God's plan for our lives. Another word that is used is the word AGREEMENT. Now two of these three words are found in the Bible: Submission and Agreement. Alignment is not. What's the big deal you ask? I believe there is a significant difference and that we need to get back to the Biblical term and meaning lest we lose the effectiveness of Submission. I intend to change my tune, perhaps you might, too.
This post is about differentiating between the terms submission, which is not very popular in today's environment or culture, and alignment, which is much more palatable in our culture today. However, nowhere in Scripture do I see anything about aligning with God, either explicitly or implicitly. Always, there is the sense of submitting to God's will because He is the superior force, He lovingly points us in the right direction, obedience leads to blessing, and disobedience leads to very bad circumstances, whether or not you are comfortable with the term curses. To disobey God, takes us out of the covenantal relationship of GRACE and places us back under the LAW and its impossible standards. It may not happen the first time, but habitually disobeying God is a sign of not wanting Him as Lord and Savior so that His protective hand recedes from our lives in greater measure leaving us as targets for the enemy of our souls.
I believe when we veer away from biblical standards and terminology we lose something in the meaning as well as the force and power of the words. Obviously, this does not apply to everything but when a word like "submission" has been replaced with "alignment" as different as those meanings are, we begin to lose sight of what God means to convey and therefore, the true effect of the word.
THE WORDS & THEIR MEANINGS
Let's take a look of the meanings of these three words: Submission, Agreement, and Alignment. We will then focus specifically on "Submission vs. Alignment."
1. Submission means, "yielding to a superior force".
God is clearly the Superior Force. He does not run His Kingdom by committee, although He allows us to partner in the work of the Kingdom, there is a reason we are called His children. We are not His equals, no matter how friendly we are with Him. Jesus was given all authority over everyone but the Father. We submit to God.
James 4:7:"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. In the home, the woman is to submit to her husband, but the husband is also to submit to the wife. He is, however, the leader in the home.
2. Agreement means, "harmony, accordance, [concurrence] in opinion or feeling."
Agreement signifies equal power to disagree or agree. Harmony carries with it a sense of equality. We are not equal to God in authority. He is King and Father. Where the Bible speaks of agreement, it is not agreement between man and God but man and man.
Amos 3:3: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed."
Matthew 18:19: "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."
3. Alignment means "arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions" or "a position of agreement or alliance".
In other words, this alignment can be either lateral (side by side). Horizontal alignment implies that the parties are on equal footing, where is no indication of hierarchy. Alignment may also be vertical; however, this would add ambiguity to the term. Is it horizontal or vertical alignment? By simply using the word "alignment," we have no idea. That is unless you add the words vertical or horizontal and even then, there is no indication of submission. Only "submission," or a synonym, means submission. Therefore, the word, "submit" would work best if a hierarchy is being communicated. But notice that the word "alignment" can square with the word "agreement" more than it can with the word "submission." However, there is no indication of yielding to a superior force as alignment and agreement often signal equality.
MORE ABOUT SUBMISSION IN SCRIPTURE
Jesus' submission to God in the Garden of Gethsemane
Since Jesus is our Model, this bears repeating. The Lord clearly had a choice whether to go to the Cross and die for all of mankind to be redeemed to God. He was determined to remain submitted to God even to death, when "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). As One under authority, He deferred to the will of the Father. Jesus, God incarnate, submitted to His Father. It was not about alignment but submission; He was under the authority of the One Who had sent Him. The Gospels are particularly full of Scriptures where He is referring to His Father as the One who sent Him, Who gave Him authority, and Who He sought to please at all times. We must never forget that while Jesus was engaged in His earthly ministry, He did not equate Himself with God but submitted Himself under the rule of His Father. In that way, He showed us how to do submit to God's rule.
The Centurion and Jesus reaction to his discernment
Matthew 8:9 - "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Here, the Roman centurion recognizes that Jesus does nothing of His own will but in submission to God in everything. Jesus was amazed at this man's understanding of the Kingdom. To be under authority is to be in submission.
Paul on submission
Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." (And also in Colossians 3:18.)This is self-explanatory with the understanding that the husband is himself submitted to the Lord. So think of God's umbrella of protection and covering over the husband, while the husband is the umbrella of protection and covering over the wife.
Romans 10:1-4: "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."Here, Paul was referring to Israel and their zeal for God without actual knowledge of God because they were not submitted to Him but their own idea of righteousness. No doubt Paul was referring to the adherence to Moses' law when Christ the fulfillment of the Law had come. Change had come, the Deliverer they yearned for from the very beginning had been sent by God but they failed to recognize Him. Instead, most of them dug their heels into their status quo, refusing to bend to the One they claimed to serve .
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject [submitted] to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.God supports social order and governmental authority. It is difficult for some that even bad leaders are subject to, whether or not they realize it, and that God appoints them for reasons He alone completely understand. But if we hearken back to rulers like King Saul, the people asked for a human ruler instead of God, and so they were given one. Saul was not a submissive King but he was placed in his position by God. David, on the other hand was submitted to God, in spite of his failings. He was a man after God's heart.
A very important caveat to submitting to man's rule:
Laws from any government, which are in derogation of God's laws are not be obeyed. It is better to offend man than to offend God.
Peter on Submission
1 Peter 2:13-17: "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme or 14 to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God.17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."Like Paul, Peter also weighed in on submission to the ruling authorities in honor of God, who rules all. But this passage is laden with practical advice for success as a good citizen.
1 Peter 5:5: "Likewise you younger people,submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”Here Peter addresses the young, offering counsel about submitting to elders, as well as to one another. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we really did this. 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love would be a breeze as we would not be seeking our own, we'd be kinder and more other-centered. Such richness here in the Scriptures. But when we think about it, the Lord Jesus Christ operated in the ultimate humility be laying down his glory in heaven to put on human flesh to live among us. However, the best reason, albeit a bit self-serving, is that God is not with the proud, He resists the proud but to the humble gives His grace.
So when we leave the original meaning and intent of God's Word, we lose the power and force of what He means to accomplish through it. By trying to whitewash and make biblical concepts more palatable we have lost the power of what God is saying. There is a reason He uses the word submit. It's a hard one and everyone loves their independence, especially in America. But it's always better to go with God says over what makes us feel good.
In the Old Testament, you certainly did not see anything about alignment, neither the word nor the concept, and even in the New Testament, you would be hard pressed to see any need to "align" or even "agree" with God. Don't get me wrong. It's great to agree and align with God but it's not the principal thing. If we trust Him, we would submit, plain and simple. These two terms, agreement and alignment, are more for the sake of unity among us humans. God does not need agreement, although it's always better for all involved when we agree with Him. But we do best for ourselves and everyone involved to submit to Him. A life submitted to God and godly leaders is a life of peace and blessing, even if not the case externally, it certainly is the case internally.
I am determined to change my tune and will be aiming to change my constant use of the word "alignment" with God's will to "submission" to God's will and His Word. God is not looking for alignment, because He does nothing by committee, as much as He is seeking those who will submit. Submission to God brings a life of blessings, defiance robs us of our peace with God and welcomes the influences of the evil one. Which would you prefer?3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
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Blessings in Christ,
Sonia