Define submission....why is it so hard?

We're going to be moving into some verses that believers have debated for oh, so long. I would like to lay some foundation stones for our study, if y'all don't mind? We'll be talking about freedom, and submission; we'll be discussing how the world views those terms, and how Christians think of them. We have the potential for some really great discussions! Of course, we also have the potential to get sidetracked, go down some rabbit trails, or even make some folks upset.
With all of that in mind, won't you join me in prayer for the next two weeks' worth of studies? I hope you will.....seasoned with prayer, I believe our study time will be profitable and pleasant.

Here are the verses that will form our focus passage for these two weeks:

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (I Peter 2:13-17) 

Ba-bam!!
Right there.....that first word. Mix that in with the rest of the passage and you have a hotly debated topic!
Why is submission such a hard word? Why is this so difficult? Why does everyone bristle a bit, and why do we all have slightly different variations on what we think it means?

I believe it can be boiled down to two things: what we are taught, and what our attitudes are (positive or negative). Stay with me here, OK?
Let's dig in!

Let's begin with the "what we are taught" end of things..... we all are humans, right? (I hear the heads nodding, here.) And we all have a desire to be free. To experience liberty. Everybody wants more of that than what they currently have, right?  The three-year old that wants to go out in the rain barefoot because she thinks it's more fun, doesn't have the liberty to do it, because her loving mom looks at the thermometer and says, "It's only forty degrees, that's too cold for that!"  Or the teen that wants to run with the crowd past his curfew, but he doesn't have the liberty to do so, 'cos dad wisely says, "You can only have the car if you are in at midnight." As adults, we struggle with these issues, too. We may have different circumstances, but at the bottom line, it's freedom or liberty that we think we want.

Well, liberty is a major theme in the Bible, but each of us has a slightly different view of what "free" looks like. It differs because the same things are not as important to everybody. Some people want freedom to exercise sexual passions, other to have a different career, and the list goes on and on.
Why does everyone have a slightly different twist on what they'd like to be free to do? Peter touched on this a few verses ago:

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, (I Peter 1:18)

Please forgive my underlining there....I wanted to call attention to those words. Peter is talking about traditions, culture, outlooks that are imposed on us, starting from our birth. It's kinda like peeling an onion....the influences in our lives are layered on us, year by year.
Initially, the home, our family (or the lack of one) is the first influencer. We learn from our moms and dads, our grandparents, etc what things they feel are important in life. As we get a bit older, our eyes see our neighborhood: whether city or country, this is a slightly larger segment of influence. Once our lives begin to expand outside the walls of our home, this influence begins to increase. Our peers' attitudes and outlooks begin to impress us more than our folks, and then when we get in school, the conflict really starts! Our peers and friends really start to shape and influence our ideas and our outlook. As we grow older, we have more and more layers: college friends, professors, work colleagues, etc., etc.

In my country, this thing about tradition has simply gotten crazy. There are terms bandied about like "multiculturalism," "cultural appropriation," and others. We have people in our country who want to make certain that we don't say English is the "official" language of the nation, because they want to hang onto a different culture.  In the past, when people immigrated here, they strove to emulate the American culture and traditions, after all, they really wanted to be here instead of the land they came from! They wanted to become full-fledged bonafide Americans. So what did they do? They had to submit to the customs and traditions of their new home. They continued to enjoy the things that made their homeland special, the foods, the languages, the holidays, etc. But they made certain that they did what was necessary in order for them to be positive additions to their new home, too. They learned the new language; they celebrated new holidays; they did not say "no" simply because something was different from what it was at their previous home.
Today, there is a powerful movement to get people to do just the opposite; to get them to hold on to the customs and traditions of their homelands, and to reject the things that are distinctly American in custom and tradition. I'm afraid that this process is helping to tear our nation apart. There is such a confusion of ideas because these cultures don't co-exist as well as one might think. We have an environment developing that is ripe for conflict -- ready-made, unless someone submits.

Well, the world is the way it is, because Adam and Eve grabbed that apple and ate it, from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil....which was almost like a first installment, or preview of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism could be defined as knowledge and traditions from many sources, without the spiritual guidance of our Father Creator. Through the years, we have had a crying need for getting God into the picture -- and it's no different now!
Paul told the Thessalonians:

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (II Thessalonians 2:15)

Some translations use the word "traditions" there, instead of "teachings." Paul is referring to the fact that God has His traditions, too! (Now, please don't get all upset with me, here. I'm not talking about the traditions that man sets up....the legalism and ritualism that we are prone to, in our organized worship. I'm talking about the rules in His Word that we are supposed to follow!) Guidelines for the "culture" of Christianity, so to speak. God has traditions, or guidelines, to which He wants us to conform, and that is why He gifted us with His Spirit, to help us do that. But we have been taught all of our worldly traditions, and that truly sets the stage for conflict! Add to that the desire of humans to be free, and we have quite a mess.
Here's the thing: God's traditions are right and true, and what is more, they work!! But conversion is just a start of a process, and we don't instantly know all of God's guidelines. It's not like when we're saved, we're inoculated and we immediately know all of the rules in His Word. So we all bring our former traditions, world views and outlooks with us, into the body of Christ. Wow. That means the church is another ready-made conflict, ready to happen. I believe that is why Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians....they were having just these problems. His letter shows that for unity to happen, both Israelite and Gentile MUST submit to Christ....because some of the traditions and cultures that they have been taught are wrong for the Christian life!

So, what we've been taught, the traditions of our families, our regions, our nations, are carried with us. Not every one of them is wrong, but they sure can set us up for conflict with God, and also with each other. When there is conflict between the traditions that we have been taught, and the traditions of God, we must submit to God. We are not free to do as we please.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart    be pleasing in your sight,    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. (Romans 15:1-2)

It should be our desire to please God, and to glorify Him, and to assist other believers as we have the privilege to do so.
We'll look at submission more, next time. Hope you will come back and study with us!