There is a beautiful, handmade cross that hangs over the entrance to my church’s gathering place for worship. My friend Tom crafted it back in 2014 during a sermon series that attempted to redeem one of American’s least favorite words—submission.
That cross is engraved with these words of Jesus: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus, in this vital moment before his arrest, submitted. He expressed his desire (“take this cup from me”) but then yielded to the final decision of his Father. The New Testament later says, “[Jesus] was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7).
Before we assume the worst about the “s-word,” let’s remember that you and I were saved through an act of submission. Jesus prepared a place for us in his Father’s house by submitting. He accomplished his mission through submission, and the result was our salvation. For all those moments when we put ourselves first, Jesus put himself second. He didn’t try to get his way, and now there is a way for us to spend forever with God.
You can’t hate a word that saved you! You can’t call it dirty if it made you clean. That is why the Holy Spirit was not ashamed to inspire the writers of the New Testament to write submit again and again and again. Submission is a beautiful Bible word. Looking at our selfless Savior, don’t you agree?
