In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
The second obligation that assembly-members have toward each other is submission. We must submit to one another.
For many people, the word “submission” triggers unpleasant thoughts. Evil people have used the concept of submission to justify tyranny and oppression. That is a worldly, perverse form of submission.
In the Bible, however, submission is a good thing. It is not tyrannical, it is not oppressive, and most importantly – it is not one-sided. Biblical submission is mutual. This single caveat makes Christian submission entirely unique. As we’ll see, it mirrors the life of the Trinity and it is only possible given a trinitarian worldview.
Paul tells the entire assembly to “submit to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). That is the general command given to all. Paul then applies that command to various relationships within the assembly: husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants.
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