Seeds of Wisdom

ATTITUDE OF SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been put in place by God.”

Romans 13:1

There are three positions that people have towards authority. These are rebellion, slavery, and submission. Submission is the Kingdom position derived from an understanding of the attitude of a person receiving authority. The principle of submission says, “The person in authority and I are created equal but assigned differently, so I submit.” Such a person is submitting to the difference in his make-up relative to that of the person in authority so that the assignment they are to do together can be accomplished. Headship is where vision and instructions flow from. Submission is what takes place after a vision and instructions are known or communicated.

The person who rebels against authority thinks (in his attitude) that he is superior to the person in authority and takes a position of rebellion and insubordination in himself. No grace flows on the rebel because of this. This attitude is from self. Romans 8:7 - “The mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is hostile to God’s will.” It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot. The Bible says that a rebel shall dwell in a dry land (Psalm 68:6). Amid river and rain, the rebel always remains dry unless he adjusts his attitude. Slavery makes a person under authority take a position of inferiority to the one in authority. A person with a slavery mindset sees the one in authority as doing them a favour.

This mindset is what operates in some cultural spaces where wives take on the position of slaves to their husbands. A wife is not a slave in the house; she is a companion. Getting understanding puts you in a better position of balance and advantage for the blessing of obedience from God to whose authority we submit.

Further Reading: Romans 8:1-14, 13:1-14, Philippians 2:1-14.

Prayer: I submit myself to Kingdom authority and resist pride.