Submission and Obedience - A significant difference

 BY Argie Simonis   

The inability to understand the difference between submission and obedience has created great confusion and has given birth to many false teachings that have led some people to obey the commands of others and fall into sin. This is not required by God anywhere in His Word.

The concept of submission is defined as follows:

Submission is the acceptance or surrender to a higher power or to the will or power of another person. Obedience on the other hand is the execution of an order.

Although these two words seem synonymous, there is a significant difference between them: Submission is the attitude of the heart, while obedience is an act, that is, the execution of a command. Submission to higher authorities is not just an obligation but also a command of God. The apostle Paul explains this to us below:

"Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and you shall have praise of the same:For he is the minister of God to you for good. 

But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath on him that does evil.Why you must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake." Rom. 13:1-5

The subject of submission to authority is a very basic teaching of the Bible. Some of the most important areas of submission mentioned in the Scriptures are

(1) submission to God (Ephesians 5:24 and James 4:7),
(2) submission to governmental authority (Romans 13:1-7),
(3) submission to the church or religious authority (Hebrews 13:17),
(4) women who submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5: 22-24 and Colossians 3:18),
(5) children submit to their parents (Ephesians 6: 1 and Colossians 3:20), 
(6) slaves submit to their masters (the present equivalent would be the employees who submit to their employers), (1 Peter 2:18 ), 
(7) the younger ones submit to the older ones (1 Peter 5: 5), and
(8) everyone submits lovingly to one another. (Ephesians 5:21 and 1 Peter 5: 5).

The apostle Peter explains it to us in a similar way. In 1 Peter 2:13-15 we read:
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.For so is the will of God, that with well doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:" 1 Peter 2:13-15

In 1 Peter 2:12, Peter told these believers to lead honest lives before the lost. Here, he expounded on how that was to be done. They were to submit themselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake. Remember that these people were living under corrupt Roman rule. The emperor proclaimed himself to be a god and demanded worship. 

The same apostle Peter, when addressing the religious leaders of that day, who forbade them to speak of Christ, said the following:

"But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, judge you. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." Acts 4:19-20 

Here of course there is no contradiction in Peter's words and deeds, and I will explain it. The key to understanding this is to understand the difference between submission and obedience. It is not the same thing. Submission, as it appears from the definition I mentioned at the beginning of the message, is an attitude of the heart. Obedience is an act. The attitude of submission affects our actions, but you can disobey people in power and continue to submit to them.

When Peter disobeyed the command of the rulers not to teach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18), he did not rebel against their authority. He did not return to the believers to incite rebellion or criticize their actions. Instead, the believers prayed for boldness no matter what the rulers did (Acts 4: 23-30). This is submission without obedience. We should never violate God's laws because of man's laws. But in the process of doing the right thing, we must remain submissive in the  authorities. Any form of government is superior to anarchy.

We see the same in the case when the Pharaoh of Egypt ordered all male infants to be killed:
"And he said, When you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the stools; if it be a son, then you shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive." Exodus 1:16-17 

So what should be our attitude as Christians? We follow what God calls us to do: Submission to authority and obedience to God's commands. And something else very important that the apostle Paul emphasizes:

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" 1 Tim. 2:1-3

Amen!