Submit to One Another
Ephesians 5:21

Submission is not a word our age loves. We associate it with weakness, loss, or coercion. Yet Paul commands believers plainly: “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).

Christian submission is not about domination or fear. It flows from reverence for Christ. Because he is Lord, we willingly place ourselves under one another for the sake of peace, order, and love. The gospel reshapes power. Those who belong to Christ no longer insist on their own way; they yield for the good of the body.

Canadian church history gives us a helpful picture of this. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Baptist congregations across Ontario and the Maritimes often disagreed sharply on secondary matters like worship forms, associational structures, and mission priorities. Yet churches chose to cooperate, submitting local preferences to shared convictions for the sake of gospel advance. Associations and unions were not formed because everyone thought alike, but because believers recognized the value of mutual submission for a greater good.

The church is not held together by uniformity but by humility. Where submission is absent, conflict multiplies. Where submission is practiced, unity is preserved. Elders submit to one another in shared oversight. Members submit to leadership in trust. Believers submit to one another in patience, deference, and love.

This kind of submission is profoundly Christlike. Jesus did not grasp at authority but humbled himself, taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5–8). When we submit to one another, we reflect the mind of Christ and testify that his lordship governs our lives together.

In everyday life, submission may look like listening before speaking, yielding personal preferences, receiving correction without defensiveness, or trusting God’s design for order in the church. These quiet acts rarely draw attention, but they safeguard fellowship and honour the Lord.

As you reflect this week, ask yourself: where am I resisting godly submission? Where might Christ be calling me to yield, not out of fear, but out of reverence for him? In such obedience, the church grows in strength and peace.