I have my rights. I deserve this. I deserve that.
This kind of message infiltrates our society. After all, it’s as American as apple pie and baseball; we all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Protecting our rights is woven into the fabric of our nation’s history and values. But what happens when we begin to value our rights over doing what is right? Destruction is certain to come.
And it’s even worse when it infiltrates the Body of Christ. What is the cure?
One way is to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Okay, so most of you probably cringed or twinged a little when you read that word “submit”. It’s not a popular one today. We tend to flinch a bit at the concept, and it’s no wonder. The Greek word used in this verse means “to subordinate, to be under obedience, subject to, to put under”. It’s not just a concept; it’s a command here!
When was the last time you really felt like putting yourself under someone else? It goes against our every natural inclination to do this. Nonetheless, Paul admonishes the Ephesian believers, and us, to purposely put ourselves under one another.
Many times God has challenged me in my frustration and irritation with others in the church. He’s asked me to give up my right to lead and make decisions and to instead put myself under someone else’s ideas and ways of doing things. When I’ve done that, others have had the opportunity to grow. I have had the opportunity to grow, and the body of Christ has been built up, instead of being destroyed by my pride and selfishness.
Setting aside our rights among one another in the church honors Christ. Paul’s admonition gives us this reason for submitting, too: he says we do it out of reverence for Christ. It honors Him because it follows His example. How can we forget His example so succinctly expressed in Philippians 2:5-11?
Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped onto, even though He had every right to do so! He made himself nothing. No wonder Paul encourages us in the previous verses to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).
In choosing to submit to one another, we honor Christ’s holy example of sacrificial love. That is exercising the right to lay down our rights, and that, my friends, has the potential to bring a freedom and peace in our families and communities that can truly transform and give life.
Taking it Further:
- When has laying aside your rights and putting yourself under someone else brought blessing? When has not doing this brought destruction in your life or the church body?
- How can you put yourself under someone currently in your church to bring honor to Christ?