What It Really Means to Submit to Authority
God’s Design for Authority
In our modern world, the idea of authority is a concept often met with suspicion and rejection. But it’s important for us to understand that authority isn’t a human invention. It’s a divine design. From the opening pages of Scripture, we find God ordering His creation with both structure and purpose. He rules as Creator, delegating authority to His image-bearers so that they might reflect His character and steward His world.
Adam was given dominion over creation (Genesis 1:28); husbands have been called to lead their homes with sacrificial love (Ephesians 5:23–25); parents are entrusted with authority over their children (Ephesians 6:1–4); government was established to maintain order and restrain evil (Romans 13:1–4); and elders are appointed to lead the church with care and conviction (1 Peter 5:1–3).
All legitimate authority flows from God Himself: “There is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1). That means submission to authority isn’t primarily about the worthiness of the leader—it’s about the sovereignty of the Lord.
When authority is exercised rightly, it produces peace, rather than oppression. It brings order, not chaos. But even when authority is flawed or misused, God still calls His people to respond with a posture of trust in His providence. This means that submission isn’t about blind obedience; it’s about reverent faith.
In fact, authority in Scripture reflects the very nature of the Triune God, Himself. The Father sends the Son; the Son submits to the Father’s will; the Spirit glorifies the Son (John 5:19; 14:26; 16:14). There’s no inferiority within the Godhead—only perfect unity in role and purpose. When believers submit to authority, they mirror that same divine harmony and reveal something of God’s character to the world.
Submission begins not with man’s power, but with God’s providence.
The Heart of Submission: Trusting God, Not Man
Perhaps the greatest misunderstanding about submission is that it’s man-centered; that it depends on whether a leader is likable, capable, or deserving. But biblical submission actually begins with a heart posture, not in a hierarchical structure. It’s rooted in the conviction that God reigns sovereignly over every human institution, and that obeying Him means honoring the order He has established.
Peter wrote to believers living under an unjust government, and he didn’t tell them to rebel. He told them to “submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution” (1 Peter 2:13). Notice the phrase: for the Lord’s sake. This helps us to see that submission is vertical before it’s horizontal. It’s an act of faith that says, “God, I trust You to work through this authority, even when I can’t see how.”
Biblical submission is voluntary and God-centered. It’s never coerced or manipulative. It doesn’t silence conscience or sanctify abuse. It recognizes that even imperfect leaders are instruments in the hand of a perfect God. David understood this when he refused to harm King Saul, even while Saul sought his life. David’s submission wasn’t approval of Saul’s sin. It was confidence in God’s sovereignty: “The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 26:11).
To submit biblically, then, is to rest in the truth that God governs the outcomes of obedience. You may not trust the motives of those in authority, but you can always trust the God who stands above them.
True submission is not weakness. It’s worship.
When Obedience to God Means Disobedience to Man
Of course, submission is not unlimited. When authority commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, the believer’s loyalty must shift upward, to the highest authority of all. The apostles modeled this principle before the Sanhedrin, saying, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
In fact, the Bible gives us several examples of righteous civil disobedience. The Hebrew midwives refused Pharaoh’s order to kill the male infants (Exodus 1:17). Daniel kept praying despite the king’s decree (Daniel 6:10). And the Apostles preached Christ even when forbidden to speak in His name.
What unites these examples is not rebellion, but reverence. Their defiance was never rooted in pride or protest; it was born out of the conviction of their conscience. They disobeyed earthly authority only when obedience to God required it.
Christians must therefore hold two truths in tension:
We honor authority because God established it.
We disobey authority only when it demands sin.
When those moments come, our resistance should still be marked by humility and gentleness. The tone of our righteous disobedience matters as much as the position itself. To disobey rightly, then, is to do so with a spirit of submission. It’s to say, “I honor the role, even though I cannot obey the command.”
Defiance for righteousness’ sake is not rebellion. It’s allegiance.
Submission as a Witness to the World
Our culture, of course, celebrates autonomy and self-rule. But in that environment, submission stands out as radically countercultural and beautifully Christlike.
When believers submit to authority in the home, in the church, and in society, they declare that God’s order is good. Their humility and honor make visible the invisible rule of Christ. That’s why Peter connects the believers’ submission to their witness: “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles… so that they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12).
This helps us to see that submission isn’t weakness. It’s strength under control. It’s the posture of a heart that knows Christ is King. And nowhere is that seen more clearly than in Jesus Himself. He submitted to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51), to governing authorities (Matthew 17:27), and ultimately to the will of His Father, even unto death (Philippians 2:8).
Keep in mind that Jesus’ submission was not passive. It was purposeful. He yielded to unjust authority to accomplish divine justice. He was condemned by earthly powers so that sinners could be freed from sin’s power. Through His obedience, we learn that submission is magnifying our heavenly Father.
So, when we submit to authority with joy and faith, we mirror the obedience of Christ. Our submission becomes a living apologetic—a testimony of the gospel, which declares that God’s ways are good and His wisdom perfect.
The submission of the saints magnifies the supremacy of the Savior.
Submission as Worship
Submission to authority is one of the most countercultural acts a believer can practice today. But it’s also one of the most Christlike. When we joyfully yield to the structures God has ordained, we declare that He alone rules over all and that His design is good.
Therefore, the posture of a believer is not resentment, but reverence. Whether at home, at church, or in society, submission is never about losing freedom. It’s about living under the loving lordship of Christ.
In the end, every act of humble submission points to the One who said, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”