PROPER SUBORDINATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

1 Peter 2:18 NIV

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Bible addresses the literal nature of slavery and the slave master relationship because it was prevalent in culture. Both parties within this relationship are tasked by the scriptures to conduct themselves in ways that God accepts.

For example, look at these words from the sixth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. There, we find the Word of God offering these commands:

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in Heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him. Ephesians 6:5-9

Did you note what is central here to these demands?

You should have caught that the Lord is at the heart of things.

At the heart of what they were to do, slaves were expected to serve with respect and “sincerity of heart” as they carried out “the will of God” from their hearts. This wholehearted dedication was to be done as if it was for “the Lord, not people”, for it was (and is) the Lord, and Him alone, who rewards each person “for whatever they do, whether they are slave or free”.

As for the slave masters, the Word of the Lord makes it clear that they have the same Master (capital “M”) as the slave and is just accountable to God for the things they do, namely the way they treated those who served them. Ultimately, the Lord plays no favorite and even though there was a master/subordinate structure within the slavery relationship, no such model was present when it came to the relationship with God. All are subordinate to Him.

In fact, the scriptures let us know that we are all a slave to the Master of all creation and we are to serve our Heavenly Superior with complete submission, subjection, and subservience. Look at these words from the Lord found in James, chapter 4:

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Vv. 7-8

Note here the call to utter acquiescence and servitude. We are to surrender all of who we are to the God who is everything. There is no wiggle room here. God expects us to sacrifice our own will in whole so He dictates everything that we do.

This is what proper subordination looks like, the subordination God wants from all people.

When this happens, something beautiful is born out of it. For we also begin to respect one another.

Go back to the letter to the Ephesians and you will find this in chapter 5, a verse I have always believed to be the primer for entering into personal relationships in life.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. v.21

This is another command that comes without options but we won’t ever get to where we can carry it out properly until we first submit ourselves fully to God. In other words, submission begets submission.

Friends, enslavement is a critical element in the scriptures because we are all a slave to something from a spiritual perspective. The question is:

Will we submit ourselves to sin or to the God who will lead us from it?

The only way to ensure the latter is to completely lay ourselves down for the God who made us out of reverence to His Son who showed us what perfect subordination looks like.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.