Mutual Authority: Surrender and Submit
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. (2 John 1:5)
Love one another. The same commandment we’ve always had. Living that commandment out has turned out to be one of the most difficult thins humans can do. Why? Because in an increasingly selfish world, love still requires us to be selfless.
I’m in love. How is that love manifested? I do for her, I worry about her, I pray for her, I pay for her as I am able, I cherish her, I do all that I can to ensure that I can facilitate her happiness. Selfless. Less of Self. That means less of me, and more of them.
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”
The Greek For husbands means “man” (in the gender specific sense) and is translated as such 156 times in the new testament. The Greek for “wives” means “a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow”(Thayers) and is translated as such 132 times in the NT. Thus, while the passages context calls for the translation “Husbands” and “Wives” The greek reads:
“Men, love{agape} your women, just as Christ also loved{agape} the church, and surrendered himself on behalf of it;”
Now, Jesus’ surrender involved self sacrifice. You wont always have what you want. Concede even if it means u wont have your way all the time. It’s about “us” and “we.”
If I surrender myself to you, I am doing thing that are pleasing to you. I am hearing your needs and accommodating you. That means that I have become selfless. Notice that “I” and “me” are only there to facilitate “her” and “she.” She is my beau, my love, my heart, my hope. I serve her.
But there is a flip side…
“Women submit yourself to your own man in the same manner as you would the Lord” (Translated from the Greek of Ephesians 5:22).
Now before you get your knocker in a bunch, let’s clarify the word submit. I Believe the Life Application Study Bible commentary says it best when it says
Submitting to another person is an often misunderstood concept. It does not mean becoming a doormat. Christ—at whose name “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Php_2:10)—submitted his will to the Father, and we honor Christ by following his example. When we submit to God, we become more willing to obey his command to submit to others, that is, to subordinate our rights to theirs.
Now, having said that, Women you must submit, just as well as men have to surrender! How do you submit? Allow him to take the initiative in the relationship. Be sensitive to his needs as he strives to meet yours. Become selfless. Don’t be over needy. Do little things to make him ore comfortable. Be able to reach a compromise before it ruins a relationship. Do something he want to do that you may not necessarily like every once in a while.
Just as we surrender to Jesus and try to please him as he blesses us, so should women try to please their men as their man, provides and takes care of them.
