We consider those who submit to be doormats, weak and oppressed. Yet those who voluntarily submit do not cease to have rights, freedoms or worth. A better understanding of the biblical concept of submission is needed. In the following paragraphs, I would like to present some of the things that I think are involved in the biblical concept of submission. Because the focus of this issue of the Herald is on church leadership, I am thinking particularly of submission to church leaders, but the principles apply to all of the relationships listed above.
Submission includes obedience.
This is the most obvious application. However, there is a significant exception to this requirement. Our obedience to other human beings is overruled by obedience to God. We do not cease to be responsible for our actions just because we are in a submissive relationship. However, we must be careful not to confuse God's overruling with our own desires and preferences.