Mutual Submission in Action

 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. NIB Eph 5:21-22

Christian submission means first of all submission to God, to His word and to the promptings and leadings of His Spirit.
Secondly, Christians have to submit to earthly authority. What is the nature of this human submission in the church of Jesus Christ?

Here is a radical idea. The first and most important commandment concerning submission amongst Christians is that Christians should submit to one another in love and reverence for Christ.

That means that a husband must submit to his wife and she to him. after that comes the commandment for a wife to submit to her husband, within the context of a mutually submissive partnership.

What does it mean for a husband to submit to his wife?

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her Eph 5:25 NIV

Paul does not say a husband must lead or direct his wife as Christ leads and directs the church. Jesus is God to the church but a husband is not God to his wife.

Other relationships within the church should follow the same principle and pattern. A pastor must submit to a member in his congregation, and the member should submit also to his pastor. That means obedience to pastors and leaders must be in the context of a mutually submissive partnership between brothers.

The primary connection between a prophet, apostle or pastor and an “ordinary Christian” is one of brotherly equality. The secondary connection is one of leader and member but the authority aspect is secondary and is only valid in the context of brotherly co-membership of a community.

What does this mean in practice?

Firstly, a senior pastor should consult about church policy with fellow church members, those in the official leadership group and especially mature or wise believers outside the official leadership group.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about church policy, he did not address his letter to a senior pastor, an executive committee or an exclusive board of elders but to “the church in Corinth.”

My father was a medical student during WW2. His father and older brothers fought and suffered in the war.

After the war, he became a psychiatrist treating war veterans. He read 70 books about Australian war history.

The siege of Tobruk took place from April to December 1941, during the Western Desert campaign. One Australian division was supplemented by British, Polish, Indian and Czechoslovakian troops, but they were besieged by a far stronger German force with German tanks. 

They withstood the siege for nearly 9 months and delayed the German advance towards Egypt and Israel.
The usually invincible German tanks repeatedly attacked. The Australian foot soldiers took refuge in deep trenches and let the tanks pass over. Then the Australians climbed out and attacked the tanks from behind.

When German tank commanders surrendered, they were amazed, because up till then they had been undefeated.

I told my father the Australian general was amazing to devise such tactics. My father replied at least some Australian generals were open to ideas from men of all ranks. This is mutual submission in action.