The Divine Law of Submission By J. W. Byers The natural tendency of the heart of man is to be independent, self-exalted, and self-centered. Among our natural tendencies there is perhaps nothing harder to combat than the exaltation of self. No other tendency of our nature makes such a strong appeal to us nor is more likely to lead us into wrong. Satan makes his strongest appeals to the self life, which, when yielded to him, brings the entire being—spirit, soul, and body— a helpless victim into his hands. Man left to himself, by himself, for himself, and in himself is an utter failure. There must be a higher and stronger power to take hold of this self life, to enable us to be right. The Law of Submission in the Church. We must be submitted to God that we may become his child. Very much more than an earthly parent can be concerned, and know the welfare of a child, does God know and care for us. H« has given us his Word and Spirit to guide us, which, if we follow, will bring us safely to glory. He has placed officers in his church which are essential for its welfare. He chooses servants to fill these offices, and commands us to be in subjection to them. They are the shepherds who feed and care for the sheep. They are called of God to this service. We are commanded to “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief” (Hebrews 13:17). The word “rule” does not imply human dominion, nor in any sense lordship over the people of God. Like a good shepherd, the minister seeks to feed and care for the flock. At his departure, Paul enjoined upon the elders of Ephesus to feed the flock of God, over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers. A shepherd can not protect his sheep unless they are submissive; neither can the minister care for his spiritual sheep without their submission. The true minister watches for the souls of his flock, knowing that he must give account to God for the trust. The minister must guide his people in the path of life. He should give himself wholly to spiritual things, and live very close to God. Being filled with the Spirit and familiar with the Word of God, he should be able to discern spiritual things. He should, in many cases, see what his flock may not be able to see; for he is watching for their souls. There may be dangers near that they do not realize, false spirits and snares of the devil to entrap them; but the faithful minister is on the lookout for these: he is the minister of God to them for their protection. If they take their own way, they are as a sheep that strays from the flock, and the wolf is ever watching for such sheep. The wolf always tries to scatter the flock before he begins to kill. He gets a sheep away from the flock before he falls on it. In the church it is the enemy’s business to impose the spirit of independence on some member of the spiritual flock that will cause him to take his own way. This is but the beginning of the scheme of the wolf to make a soul his prey. The minister should warn such an one, should plead and pray with him to submit and stay with the flock. When the minister sees the working of such a spirit, he should warn the flock so that others may be spared. It is the pastor’s duty to stand between the flock and the wolf. But he fulfills his office only when his flock submits to him. He is their spiritual guide. Like the guide through the dangerous Alps, who has become familiar with the perils along the way, and feels the great responsibility of getting the traveler safely across the mountain pass, the minister is God’s chosen instrument to guide his people safely along the journey of life. But, there is danger that the minister may fall, or be led wrong himself. He is but a weak mortal, and why should he be depended upon for spiritual help more than any one else? Knowing the minister’s great responsibility, God has provided for him. In the law of submission there is a special provision for the ministry, requiring that THE MINISTRY MUST SUBMIT TO EACH OTHER Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God. (1 Peter 5:5, 6.) Although this instruction is essential to us all, and although all may profit by it, yet this scripture is especially addressed to the elders, the ministry, who absolutely need the protection provided. The judgment of all the ministry is certainly much safer than that of one or two. The “multitude of counsel” here secures the “safety” mentioned in the scripture. If one minister should err in his judgment, his brethren will see his mistake and help him. Instead of the ministry’s debating with a spirit of contention in order to arrive at a conclusion on any important subject, they must pray and ask God to guide them by his Spirit into the truth. Since God by his Holy Spirit, has promised to guide all his people into all truth, and to teach them all things, how much more can his ministry depend upon this divine guidance, when, in humble submission to God and to each other, we all get together and pray and supplicate for divine guidance in those things for which we are responsible. We have a beautiful example of this phase of submission in the instance of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, recorded in the fifteenth chapter of The Acts. Here was a question involving the church of God in general, which, if not settled, would rend the church into factions. The truth of the matter had to be found, and the unity of the church preserved. Much dissension arose against Paul and Barnabas, and it was impossible for these two brethren to settle the controversy, for the brethren of the circumcision outnumbered them, and were too strong for them. But these brethren of Antioch, though they felt sure they had the truth of the matter, were willing that the subject should be brought before the brethren at Jerusalem. So some of them went with Paul and Barnabas to have a conference with the apostles and elders, who received them gladly and considered the subject under discussion. It is impossible for any one to read this chapter without admiration and praise to God, for the wisdom displayed, and the courtesy shown by the ministry one to another in this great counsel. There was much disputing, for they were all sincere and conscientious, and they could not afford to be mistaken in this important matter. The future work of redemption depended upon the decision of this body of chosen men of God. They must have the truth, and it is evident that they all had the fear of God, in their hearts. Peter boldly expressed his views, and told how God had opened the door of the gospel to the Gentiles, and protested against putting the yoke of circumcision on the neck of the disciples, which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear. Then they all were silent and listened to Paul and Barnabas, who told how God had saved so many of the Gentiles. Then James arose and gave his thoughts quoting Scripture to prove his position. After much careful consideration, they reached the conclusion that completely freed the Gentile saints from the yoke of circumcision, and adopted the advice of James to write letters of instruction explaining their attitude in the matter. These men had assembled with different views, but in the assembly they reached the same conclusion. How did they do this? Answer: by the divine law of submission. By the practice of this law, they could receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, hence could write in their letter to the church: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us.” They honored the Spirit by submitting to him instead of following their own judgment in anything that they thought they knew. There is not a question in the church of God today that can not be settled in the same manner. The ministry has reached the position in this transparent light of the gospel where the beauty of the law of submission is more clearly seen, and so long as we all observe that law, there can be no trouble in the unity of purpose and heart or the unity of doctrine, which is so necessary to the welfare of the church. In all questions involving faith and the unity of the Spirit, we are under obligation, as ministers, to preserve and maintain these graces. It is a serious matter for any one to be guilty of division. That such a spirit is dangerous, is shown by the apostle’s exhortation: “Mark them which cause division, and avoid them.” Unity is one of the very elements of salvation. It is one of the most sacred, and, normally, one of the most prominent features of the church of God. Nothing is better nor more pleasant than for “brethren to dwell together in unity.” A good taste of unity will spoil one for division and strife; and those who dwell in unity soon learn to love it better than their own opinions. They would gladly lay down their own individual views when the unity of the church is involved, rather sacrifice what they think, than to break the unity of the Spirit and of the faith. When the ministry have this attitude toward each other, and toward the truth, there is no danger of not obtaining the mind of the Spirit; and if one minister goes wrong in his judgment, or even in spirit, he will soon become adjusted, glad to find that he has dear brethren who are interested in his protection. This result is sure where the law of submission is in operation. PRIVATE OPINION MUST BE SUBMITTED In matters of doctrine and problems that involve the unity of the church, private opinion must be submitted. We should all be glad to sacrifice anything that would not be in harmony with the Scriptures in their spiritual interpretation. Peter tells us that no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation. The Word of God was not given us by the mind, nor by the will of man, but “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” It is not possible that we can fully understand the Scriptures by our own mind or our private interpretation. We can readily see that we must have the mind of the Holy Spirit to grasp the true interpretation. The mind of the Spirit may he imparted to one person, but if so, it will not be difficult for all who are spiritual to comprehend the truth of the matter; There is danger that we get our private opinions into an interpretation, and thus become at variance with the Holy Spirit, and with all others who have the mind of the Spirit. If we are willing to submit even that which to us may seem perfectly clear as the true interpretation of the scripture, we shall be able to see the truth with unprejudiced mind, and if we are wrong in any particular, we would be glad to find out our error. If, on the other hand, we are right in any matter, and our brethren think us wrong, rather than to destroy unity, we can afford to submit until our brethren have time to give the subject a more careful consideration. It is certain that as the Holy Spirit has shown us, he can show our brethren also. There is no variance in the interpretations of the Spirit. As our brethren begin .to see that we are right, the truth will become clearer than it could have been otherwise, and instead of but one mind grasping it, there will be many. This will add power to the truth, and will magnify the Holy Spirit. All that we were willing to submit will come back to us with a blessing and an increased assurance. Thus we see that SUBMISSION IS NOT ALWAYS SACRIFICE When we submit a wrong opinion, it will surely be sacrificed, and no one should be more glad than ourselves. In such a case, we would humbly thank God that we are delivered from error, and that we are in the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, where we are surrounded by brethren who are designed by our Father for our spiritual protection. INDIVIDUAL MATTERS In matters of an individual nature, and on subjects that do not involve the unity of the church, there is abundant room” for variety; and, indeed, there is a beautiful unity in variety. Each member of the body of Christ has his individual sphere of activity and his individual office to fill, and in all that pertains to these different offices each must have his individual liberty. In these matters, it is due to each one to have the LIBERTY OF PRIVATE OPINION In our individual activities we may often find it profitable to discuss with others the best methods to pursue; but that each may be able to develop in his own office and capacity, he must be granted the right to act individually. We have an example of this individual liberty in the instance of Paul and Barnabas when they disagreed in their opinions of taking Mark with them on their second missionary journey. Mark was not faithful on the first journey, and Paul did not feel disposed to take him along the second time; but Barnabas held a different attitude toward the young man, partly, perhaps, because of his kinship, and partly, because he saw in him something more promising than Paul did. But both of these apostles were firm in their personal opinion and each acted according to his own individual judgment. They could not see alike: so Barnabas took Mark, and Paul chose Silas for his companion in travel. Now we see that this was purely a matter of personal opinion, and left no ill will one toward the other. It had nothing to do with doctrinal matters “of the church, and granted, with charity, the privilege of each doing as he thought best. We have no information that they overlapped each other’s territory in their travels or that they in any respect opposed each other in their work. Paul found in Silas a faithful colaborer, and Barnabas seemed to be able to make a good worker out of Mark, for he is afterward spoken of in this respect; and Paul had need of him later in his work and spoke commendably of him. WHERE AND WHEN WE SHOULD NOT SUBMIT There are times, even among the ministry, when some may be influenced by a wrong spirit or teaching. Some one may be led away from the truth, or some one who has never fully accepted the truth may influence the weak to countenance something wrong. In this case a principle of truth is in danger of being sacrificed, and souls lost. Even the strongest of God’s ministers may through some influence be overcome and fail to stand true on some vital issue. In such an event, every possible, measure must be employed to recover those in error, who, if humble and submissive, will be easily restored’. When a number of souls are thus led away, it is the duty of the church to restore them. Sometimes, however, some become so exalted and put up such a strong defense that submission to them would only strengthen them in their position and blind them all the more, and the truth of the gospel would be sacrificed. When the truth is thus at stake, it is the duty of every one to stand firm in its defense. It is the duty of those in error to submit. A good example of this nature is found in Paul’s stand against Peter at Antioch. Some of the Jewish brethren of Jerusalem evidently still held to circumcision and had not fully understood that the Gentiles should be free from that yoke. Peter fully understood this also, and had perfect liberty with the Gentile brethren; but when these brethren came from Jerusalem, Peter did not stand true to the decision of the counsel of the church on this subject, but separated himself from their fellowship, fearing the Jewish brethren. Paul saw this inconsistency on the part of Peter and the sad effect it had upon Barnabas and others who were carried away with his dissimulation. He withstood Peter to the face; for Peter was to blame. Paul’s firm position on this issue saved the church at Antioch from division, and doubtless Peter learned a lesson. Did this separate these two apostles from each other in the Lord? No: it is evident that Peter appreciated Paul greatly for his trueness to him at such a time when he was involved in such a difficulty. In a later epistle, he speaks of “our beloved brother Paul,” and the “wisdom given him.” Thus it should ever be among brethren in the ministry. How blessed it is that when one may fail to stand consistently for the truth, others see it and restore him! Thus, the ministry is safe, and unity preserved. But, as the ministry are exhorted to submit one to another, and the laity to the ministry, so we are all to submit ourselves one to another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21). This is a beautiful principle, and, wherever applied, will always prove a blessing. When applied to the laity, the results will be the same as when applied to the ministry. To submit is not always pleasant; for it sometimes feels very crucifying to the natural man, but it is a wonderful remedy for the spiritual affliction of self-exaltation and a powerful preventative of that spiritual malady. It is a bitter dose; but a powerful cure. It brings every saint under the protection of God and his church, the only place where we are safe. SEEING WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S EYES We have all been in positions at different times in life where we might have been much benefited had we been able to have seen ourselves as others saw us. .Our individual scope of vision is naturally very limited and especially when the objective is ourselves. The use of the mirror helps us in some respects, and yet this comes far short of showing us to ourselves as we really are. We need the eyes of others in both a natural and a spiritual sense. Satan will often succeed in imposing upon us something that is hard for us to see, although another may see it at a glance. Often we may look ridiculous to others, and be unconscious of the fact. If our attention can be called to this, we certainly can improve. One morning as I was cleaning the stovepipe, I found that one of the joints had rusted through and must be replaced by a new one. I concluded to go down-town to get a new joint, but I forgot to wash my face. The people seemed to notice me more that morning than usual, and occasionally one would laugh as he passed me. I thought he did it only because he was friendly, and I felt cheerful because so many seemed cheerful toward me. Finally I met one of the brethren, who also looked at me attentively as we met; but he stopped me and told me that I had a large black spot on my face. Had this brother not loved me, he would not have cared how I looked; and I would have gone on with the spot on my face, for I could not see myself. WHERE TWO BRETHREN ARE AT VARIANCE Frequently two brethren may be at variance, and each feel sure that the other is wrong. Because of a lack of willingness to be found wrong, each puts up a defense that will surely hinder him from seeing his wrong. Good, honest saints have had such experiences, each trying to make the other see his wrongs, and becoming more and more blind to his own faults. Sometimes this has been carried so far as to involve others, and factions have arisen in congregations. The longer such conditions exist, the more complicated matters become. There is but one remedy. What is it? Submission. Sometimes one party will say, “I will submit if the other will;” but this will not help matters. We must be willing to be found in the wrong, and willing to help look for that wrong. We must obey the text, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” “But must I submit to the other when he is wrong? Will not this only strengthen him in his wrong?” No matter about the other: let us obey the Word of God. Jesus told Peter what to do when he was concerned about the other brother: “What is that to thee, follow thou me.” If we do our part—submit—the Lord will take care of the other person. In trying to help a brother in the ministry, I offended him, and he at once began to question my judgment and my ability to help in his case. After repeated efforts to get matters adjusted, we utterly failed. When we called other brethren to help, we still could not flow together as we knew we should: a feeling of variance existed. It seemed that we had come to a case where there was no help, and we grew farther and farther apart in spirit. This grieved the Holy Spirit, but we seemed to be ignorant of how to help conditions. After much prayer and earnest looking to God for help, it was made clear to me that I had something more to do in helping to remove this trouble. The Lord showed me that I should go to this brother, humble myself, and tell him that I was willing to take all the blame in the matter. I did so. I told him that I was willing to meet him, not half way, but all the way— take not only part of the blame, but all of it. His answer was, “I don’t want you to do that.” It is needless to add that our trouble vanished. Neither of us was concerned now, as to what per cent either of us was wrong, for when one became willing to take the one hundred per cent, there was nothing left for the other, and he wanted his share. Submission on the part of one will provoke others to the same grace. If all observe this divine law, there will be no room for division. WHERE ANOTHER MAY NOT SEE HIS PART But, in some instances one party is wholly in the wrong, but so blinded that he can not see it. He throws all the blame upon an innocent person. Shall the innocent suffer wrongfully? Generally, where variance has arisen between two children of God, both have had some part in the wrong; although there are doubtless instances where one is entirely innocent. Rather than cause trouble, and do wrong the innocent can afford to suffer wrong. He can be patient and bear with his brother. His humble attitude will commend him to others, and to his brother also. Usually he will not have to suffer very long wrongfully. A brother is willing to be shown by others but if he can not be helped, or if he refuses all help, there is a definite rule for such cases (Matthew 18:15–18). The church can suffer no harm where this rule is applied. But, if there be a case where we should have to suffer individually, perhaps carrying the blame for a long time, we can commit that to God, who will bring the truth to light and vindicate his own. “For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God” (l Peter 2:20).
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 12:50:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015