“Biblical submission to authority is recognizing that God, my Creator, is the ultimate authority and has all power. As clay in the potter’s hand, I, His creation, should yield full control of my life to His will. This includes submitting to and obeying all delegated human authority over me, realizing that when I do so, I am actually submitting to God’s authority. Likewise, when I rebel against delegated authority, in essence I rebel against God Himself.
“This definition identifies who God truly is and our place in His creation, which includes absolute obedience to Him and to His delegated authorities.”
Jesus Himself was submitted to God the Father.
Therefore, He was submitted to every other authority as led of God’s Spirit. Such is an example for us to follow for when we are mistreated for the sake of the kingdom of God we are blessed.
True submission can only happen as led by the Spirit of God. Many submit, but in their hearts they are too bitter and angry to submit to an authority. Godly submission is where the individual is able—by God’s grace—in good and bad circumstances, to submit and obey God. One example of this in the Old Covenant is when David submitted to Saul’s leadership even though the Lord had departed from King Saul’s life. Even at times Saul tried to kill David by throwing a spear at him, yet under these circumstances he still submitted.
In the Epistle to the Ephesians, we are clearly shown the Biblical precedent for submission: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the Church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”