The Vanishing Virtue of Submission

Nov.12, 2018 - "From the Minister's Study" column, The Citizen
    The recent municipal election has ushered in some new faces on local municipal councils. Let’s salute these brave souls who have stepped up to the plate to provide leadership and accept responsibility for affairs that affect us right where we live. Maybe it’s easiest to praise them now before they make any decisions with which we might take issue!
    Anyone who takes on a leadership capacity soon realizes how difficult it is to please everyone – not that that would necessarily be the right thing to aim for in the first place. I have been privileged to lead local churches as a pastor, larger regional church organizations, and most recently serve on the board of a nearby Bible college which recently had to make some tough decisions regarding staffing and property. My mother’s brother, and her sister’s husband, each served as reeve of a township and later as warden of Perth County. When you’re in such positions, you’re bound to be subjected to criticism, for at least two reasons. First, because of the sheer volume of information required to adequately grasp a given topic, your critics frequently don’t know all the facts even in non-sensitive matters. Second, in some cases, confidentiality prevents you from divulging all the facts of the matter (especially when it comes to staffing issues), so of course it’s easy for outside observers to get a wrong impression and conclude you’re being unfair or have poor judgment.
    It’s all too easy to become critical of those in authority. One might have thought Agnes Macphail, the first woman to be elected to the House of Commons 70 years ago in 1948, would have been highly lauded for her notable accomplishment. But she remarked, “When I was first elected, everything I said was wrong; everything I wore was wrong, everything I did was wrong, to hear comments about them. Bouquets were not thrown at me because I was the only woman in the House. Brickbats were what I got.”
    The spirit of our age is a rebellious one, critical of those in power, scoffing at actions of those in government, supposing ‘plebs’ know better than those who’ve been entrusted with the reins of power. Dale Schlafer, a pastor in Colorado and former chairperson of Promise Keepers, wrote: “Our culture encourages us to not show honour to anyone. We live in a day of egalitarianism that doesn’t allow for differences and appears to treat all people the same. Political and sports cartoonists ridicule those in authority. Comedians poke fun at anyone in a place of prominence. And the average Christian carries that same attitude into the church.”
    The problem of rebellion and lawlessness is not new. One of the lowest (morally speaking) periods in Biblical history was that portrayed by the book of Judges, which closes with the summation – “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”  (Judges 21:25) We all want to be our own boss, to be the ultimate judge of things.
    The Apostle Paul warned the early church that a period of general lawlessness would happen before the Lord’s return. “...That day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction... For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work...” (2Thess. 2:3,7)
    Moving against the flow of this cultural current is the Biblical admonition to submit to legitimate authority in various spheres – in the community, at home, and in relations with others who follow Jesus. Several apostles are very forthright in speaking of the need for obeying those in authority. It begins with reverence for God our Creator. James (4:7,10) urges, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you... Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
    Because we revere God who is sovereign, that affects how we relate to lesser human authorities. Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men... Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king.” (1Peter 2:13ff)
    This does not mean earthly rulers have the right to exploit the poor and generally throw their weight around. There is still a law above them to which they must one day submit for accountability – their job is clearly ‘to commend those who do right’. And as Peter notes, our submission to human authorities is “for the Lord’s sake”, springing from our obligation to Him foremost, for both creating us and for redeeming us from sin and its penalty.
    The Apostle Paul echoes, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves... He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.” (Rom.13:1f,4f) Likewise when writing to Titus, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” (Titus 3:1f)
    This vanished virtue of submission is even to be practised with fellow followers of Jesus, peer-to-peer. Paul instructed the church at Ephesus, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21) Again, note the divine dimension: our submission to one another on a human level springs out of huge respect and love for God - ‘out of reverence for Christ’.
    Mind you, it’s not usually easy to do! It’s difficult to bend our own will to fall in line with someone on an issue about which we strongly disagree. But it’s good for our character and humility (assuming, of course, it’s not an issue of morality that’s at stake).
    In conclusion – let’s take care to honour those who become entrusted with responsibility for our welfare. Often they are doing their level best with what they have to work with. And their most notable accomplishment may even be, not something they did, but some potential blunder they prevented from happening. As Canada’s longest-serving prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, observed: “It is what we prevent, rather than what we do that counts most in Government.”