1 Peter 5: Submission, a Practice That Sets You Free

Introduction

Submission is not a very popular word. In episode 14 of Réplica, the podcast of la Chapelle, David Pothier, senior pastor of the Church, talks about it with the show's host, a campus pastor at la Chapelle. Both describe it as a "transformative practice" that is misunderstood but extremely important.

The podcast starts from the mission of la Chapelle: that people far from God become disciples of Jesus who make other disciples. Being a disciple means walking a path of ongoing transformation whose ultimate goal is to become a "replica" of Jesus. Submission is part of that path.

David Pothier begins by saying what submission is not, then shows how it is lived out in practice: toward God and Scripture, in the Church, before authorities, and toward one another. His conviction fits in one sentence: submission is not a prison, it is freedom.

Message Outline

1. What Submission Is, and What It Is Not

The New Testament word is hupotassô: hupo, "under," and tassô, "to place." To submit is to place yourself under someone's authority.
Submission is chosen. "If you are forced to submit, it is not submission, it is tyranny." It belongs to you: you are the one who chooses to submit.
The word has a bad reputation, and for good reason: it has been used and abused. So David Pothier makes his list. Submission is not letting yourself be crushed, mistreated, or beaten without a word. It is neither weakness nor passivity.
It is not tolerating injustice, turning a blind eye to what should be exposed, accepting abuse, or obeying without discernment. It is not avoiding discussion or forbidding yourself to ask sincere questions.
It is not hiding sin. He sees two extremes: Christians who say they submit to God but submit to no one, and others who, under the cover of submission, witness abuse from a spiritual authority and say nothing. "He is the man of God, we can't say anything": that is not submission, it is blindness, and it is not biblical.
Submitting does not mean considering yourself inferior to the other person either. It is first a matter of conscience before God, because it is God who asks us to submit.

2. Submitting to God Means Submitting to Scripture

Few Christians say, "I don't want to submit to God." But submission to God remains abstract. How do you know whether you are really submitted to him? By looking at your submission to Scripture, which is authoritative in matters of faith and practice.
You have to study and interpret the Bible with a good conscience, but not from the stance of "is this what I want it to say?" "If there is no submission to Scripture, there is no submission to God. You are submitting to an imaginary God."
In a museum in Washington, you can see Thomas Jefferson's Bible, full of holes: he cut out the miracles because he did not believe in the supernatural. It looks like a caricature, but many Christians do worse in their lives: they cut verses short "because it doesn't apply today." "The Word of God does not change with your age."
The host quotes a sentence he heard during the week: "If you disagree with the Bible, you are wrong." When we say "I'm not comfortable with that," we put ourselves in authority over the Bible.
This submission then shows up in four areas: marriage and family, the Church, authorities outside the Church (police, government, teachers, boss), and other people, with whom there is no hierarchical relationship. "In the same way that we can fool ourselves into thinking we love God when we don't love others, we can fool ourselves into thinking we are submitted to God when we are not submitted to the authorities God has established."
When you pray the Lord's Prayer, you say "Let your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). But if your life is not submitted in these areas, your heart is really praying, "Let my will be done."
For David Pothier, submission is an ingredient in the "secret recipe" of blessing. It is hard, but he sees an extraordinary favor on those who respect the principle of authority. He recommends a Christian life seminar taught in Quebec by a European, Marc André, one chapter of which showed how a small act of insubordination can build barriers in your spiritual life that the enemy uses later.
Few authors on making disciples address this subject. He cites Richard Foster and Dallas Willard, in his book on the spiritual disciplines.

3. 1 Peter 5: Authority and Submission in the Church

Marriage and family will be the subject of another episode. The Church and the family are the two places where there is the most resistance: at work, we submit to our boss so we don't lose our job.
The first letter of Peter talks a lot about suffering because of persecution, and paradoxically a lot about submission: to institutions and masters in chapter 2, in marriage in chapter 3, in the Church in chapter 5.
Peter first addresses the elders, that is, the leaders of the Church (1 Peter 5:1-4). They are to shepherd the flock willingly rather than under compulsion, with joy. Not for dishonest gain: being a French-speaking pastor on a small salary does not protect you from doing ministry for the money, like any ordinary job.
Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being an example to the flock. This is not leadership that forces, it is leadership that embodies. Because the leader is a model, he inspires people and earns the credibility that makes it possible for them to submit.
Pastors are addressed first. Only then does Peter turn to the "younger ones," those under the authority of the elders: "In the same way, you younger ones, be subject to the elders. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another" (verse 5).
"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." The pastor who exercises his authority tyrannically is proud, and God resists him. The person who refuses to place himself under his pastor's authority is proud, and God resists him too. The Greek word, antitassomai, means to set force against force: "If I push against this wall with all my strength, I will never get anywhere."
The verses that follow are often quoted in isolation. Reread in their context, they take on another dimension. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time" (verse 6): God lifts up the one who submits humbly, just as he lifts up the one who exercises authority without tyranny.
"Casting all your worries on him" (verse 7): in this context, that includes the worries caused by relationships of authority, on both sides. Everyone is under authority: David Pothier himself is under the authority of a board.
"Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion" (verse 8). If we do not cast these worries on God, we become a target. "In my field, when people refused to submit to authority, it rarely ended well." And the proud pastor who tyrannizes his sheep also becomes a target and "ends up in the news."
Verse 9 ties together the two themes of the letter: we suffer because of persecution, but also because of our relationships and because we have to submit. The flesh does not like that.

4. Submission Is Freedom

For many people, freedom means doing what I want, when I want, how I want. On a collective level, that is not freedom, it is anarchy: a violent world where your freedom ends up hurting someone. On an individual level, "it is not freedom, it is slavery."
You can see it in children: within a framework, they flourish. When you tell them, "do whatever you want," they are unhappy. Adults are still the same human beings.
Why was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden? So that humans would have a free choice, because God is love. But also so that there would be limits. "Without limits, the soul dies." Eat everything you feel like in one evening, watch as many Netflix episodes as you want, go to bed at 4 in the morning, then tell me how you feel the next day.
"Freedom is being set free from the need to do what we want." Submission is a practice that leads us to be able to truly say, "Let your will be done," and not our own.
No one likes to submit. Pride often shouts, "Nobody tell me what to do!" "That comes from hell, even when it's for good reasons." And we always have good reasons.
The host picks up an idea from Dallas Willard: submission frees us from the need to always be right. David Pothier tells an anecdote about the same author: a student contradicts Willard in the middle of class when he was clearly wrong, and Willard says nothing. Asked about it at the end, he explains: "I was practicing the discipline of not having the last word."

5. When You Disagree With Your Leader

If a leader does something that is not from God, we submit to God above all: we do not submit to just anything. But the argument "I can't submit, I don't agree" does not hold up: "Submission begins when you disagree. If you agree, you are not submitting."
The host recounts that early in his ministry, he was a co-leader of a youth group. One person did not want to submit to the leadership of the Church. His coach answered him: "Anything with two heads is a monster."
This coach gave him a process. First, go and talk to the leaders with an open attitude. If they maintain their direction, two options remain: submit, or, if the issue is truly major, leave. "The option you don't have is to create groups of influence in the Church."
David Pothier adds that it is dangerous to leave for the wrong reasons: out of anger, because you don't have the position you want, over a color or a detail with no spiritual weight. Jesus is the chief shepherd, but he said to Peter, "Tend my sheep" (John 21:16). He establishes shepherds under his authority and asks for order in his flock.
Another frequent reason: unrealistic expectations of the pastor. "You didn't call me, you didn't come to see me, you didn't help me move." Leaving over that dishonors God. Every time a pastor entrusts someone with a responsibility, there is one happy person and ten unhappy ones. Your pastor will disappoint you, and if you expect him never to disappoint you, you hold back your spiritual growth. Hence "church shopping."
Some failures disqualify a pastor: adultery, stealing from the church's funds. They must be exposed and the person removed from ministry. Some stay under tyrannical pastors. Others have left a church where the pastor, confronted with immoral conduct, stayed in place without anyone removing him, and they feel guilty for leaving, often because of manipulation. In that case, there are biblical reasons to leave. If the authorities above the pastor deal with it and remove him from his duties, leaving is not necessarily required.
To newcomers who find la Chapelle perfect, the host promises just one thing: "If you stay with us long enough, you will be disappointed and perhaps hurt. Not because we want it that way, but because we are human."
In a team, we talk to each other and look for consensus. But once a decision is made, everyone supports it, even without agreeing. The Swiss Federal Council gives a picture of this: seven members decide by majority, and the minister who fought a budget cut for months comes to announce it in front of the microphones. But if you are asked to sin, you flee: we submit to God first. And on major theological questions, you need the courage to fight and tackle the issues.
The one who makes the final decision, in ministry or as a father, must make it in the interest of others, never out of self-preservation.
David Pothier admits that he has often struggled to submit. A directive leader under directive leaders, he received a revelation of 1 Peter 5 early in his ministry and made himself a promise: if he ever leaves a ministry, it will never be out of frustration or at war with his pastors, only because God asks him to. When he became senior pastor, he was told, "You must be happy to have your Church." He answered that it is not his Church, it is the Lord's. Even today, he has to submit, to his board, and to his wife when she is right with the Bible behind her. "Those who are blessed are submitted."

6. Submitting to Authorities Outside the Church

Police, government, city hall, teachers, boss: Peter writes, "Subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Peter 2:13). Your submission becomes a testimony that silences the ignorance of foolish people.
Being free, but not using freedom as a cover for wickedness. Submission does not become a pretext for letting everything be done or said. We submit because we are servants of God.
To employees, Peter asks for submission not only to masters who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh in character. The kind of verse we would be tempted to cut out "Jefferson style." If your boss punishes you because you are always late, you are not a victim. But suffering for doing good is a grace before God: "For to this you were called" (verse 21).
"Our authorities don't fear God." David Pothier's answer: what kind of authority do you think the first Christians had to submit to? Paul wrote Romans 13 under the emperor Nero, who persecuted Christians. He asks us to submit "for conscience's sake" (Romans 13:5) and to pay our taxes.
We complain about Trudeau, about Macron. But when an authority asks for something that is not contrary to the Word, we submit. Paying taxes is not contrary to the Word: no working under the table. "All authority comes from God. That doesn't mean they are godly men."

7. Submitting to One Another

Before talking about marriage, Paul says: "subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). Mutual submission means not wanting to dominate the other person or impose your will on them, which strong or controlling personalities sometimes do without realizing it.
You cannot force someone to submit. Waving "Wives, be subject to your husbands" in front of your wife does not work: "That's not your verse." The role of the one in authority is to be a model and to inspire by example.
Between a senior pastor and a campus pastor, you don't walk into a meeting saying, "listen to me, I'm the boss." You think things through together. Mutual submission means recognizing on all sides that the true authority is God, and respecting the order he establishes in an atmosphere of humility.
At the end of the episode, the host asks rapid-fire questions. There is abuse in my Church? "Speak up. And if no one deals with the situation, flee." I only submit to Jesus? "The proof of your submission to Jesus is your submission to the authorities Jesus establishes."
I'm not comfortable with hierarchy? A Church without a form of hierarchy established by God is not a Church. "Only God can judge me"? That is the sign of a rebellious heart. It goes against my values? Make sure your values are God's; but if an authority asks you to disobey the Word, never do it.
Last question: "I'm free, nobody is going to tell me what to do." Answer: "If you think nobody is going to tell you what to do, you are not free. You are in chains, a slave to your own will. You need to be set free through the practice of submission."

Key Takeaways

Submission is freely chosen. Imposed, it becomes tyranny. It is neither weakness, nor passivity, nor silence in the face of abuse.
You cannot be submitted to God without being submitted to Scripture and to the authorities he has established.
In 1 Peter 5, God resists the proud on both sides: the leader who tyrannizes and the person who refuses all authority. He lifts up the humble.
Submission begins when you disagree. You can speak up, then submit or leave for a major reason, but not divide.
Being free is not doing what you want: it is being set free from the need to do your own will and to always be right.

Personal Application

Are there verses you "cut out" in your practice because they bother you?
When you pray "let your will be done," does your life say the same thing in your marriage, your Church, your work?
When you disagree with a leader, did you go and talk to him, or did you talk about it to others?
What unrealistic expectations do you have of your pastor or your Church?
In which relationship do you need to practice the discipline of not having the last word?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What is submission according to the Bible?

The New Testament word, hupotassô, means to place yourself under someone's authority. For David Pothier, submission is chosen: it cannot be imposed. Forced submission is not submission, it is tyranny. It is neither weakness, nor passivity, nor silence in the face of abuse.

What should I do if I disagree with the leaders of my Church?

Submission begins precisely when you disagree. First, go and talk to the leaders. If the direction does not change, two options remain: submit or, if the issue is major, leave. The option you do not have biblically is to create groups of influence in the Church.

Should we submit to a government that does not fear God?

Yes, as long as it does not ask anything contrary to the Word of God. David Pothier points out that Paul wrote Romans 13 to the Christians of Rome under the emperor Nero, who persecuted Christians. Paying taxes is not contrary to the Word. But if an authority asks you to disobey God, you obey God first.