My dear friend, thank you for this excellent question. The verse to which I believe you may be referring is found in Ephesians 5:21 where we read: “…submitting to one another in the fear of God.” As you might observe, this verse is part of a much longer exhortation to Christians as to how we should behave. We read in Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” So, what does it look like to “be imitators of God”? Ephesians 5:2 tells us to “walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Our example of how Christians should conduct themselves in this scene is Christ Himself. But how does submission fit into being imitators of God? The spirit of submission which we see in verse 21 is one of several of the characteristics that Christians should demonstrate. I believe that submission to the higher authority is actually what is being highlighted in this verse, and I believe we go on to see many examples of this spirit of submission in different aspects of our earthly relationships from verse 22 through chapter 6, verse 9.

Now I have said that this spirit of submission refers to submission to the authority, which ultimately is of God, or God’s order for Christians. We see that order outlined in 1 Corinthians 11:1 and 3: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ…But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”  God’s order of authority in the home and relating to our work is described in Ephesians 5:22-6:9. God’s order in the church is also demonstrated by our submission to our elders in the church as described in Hebrews 13:17. Submission to the governmental authorities is outlined in Romans 13:1-4. The general hierarchy of God’s order of authority and the rationale for obedience in this directive is stated very clearly in Romans 13:1-2 where we read: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” I think we can see from the above verses that the spirit of submission to the higher authorities is a big deal with God, and this is true whether we feel the “higher authorities” are fully righteous or not.  They answer to God for their obedience as we too are accountable to God. There can be serious consequences when that order is not followed.

William MacDonald in his Bible Commentary on Ephesians 5:21 quotes another commentator in saying: “…Submission to our fellow Christians, modesty of demeanor, humility, unwillingness to dispute, forbearance, gentleness-these are the unmistakable proofs of the Spirit’s power. Such mutual submission to their fellow Christians should be rendered “in the fear of Christ,” that is, in reverence to him who is recognized as the Lord and Master of all.”

Thus, in summary, this topic of submitting to one another is a reflection of the Spirit-filled Christian acting or reflecting the characteristics of Christ in all aspects of our lives. At the end of the day, our submission to one another is actually submission to God who has established authority, and this in turn reflects the headship of Christ in all things in our lives because we are children of God.  (SF)  (716.1)