Ephesians 5:21
“and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.”
As Americans, this is a foreign concept. The phrase I hear is “rugged individual”. I like that. The bible supports part of that. Galatians 6:5 says, “for each one should carry their own load.” We should seek to take care of all our needs. The scripture goes beyond that. A few verses earlier in Galatians it says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”, (verse 2). Some see these verses as contradictory. No. All should seek to be self sufficient, but all can’t or not at all times. In those times we should help. We should always have an attitude to help.
This is where today’s verse comes in. We are to learn to live in a state of togetherness. Paul describes the church as the body of Christ. The brain tells the hand to pick up an item and so on. We are to see ourselves as interconnected.
We shouldn’t be competitive in the church. Many are wired to be competitive. They have to unlearn that. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.” This is the kind of competition the bible promotes, outdo one another in showing honor.
We are finally getting closer to today’s verse, “to be subject to one another”. Don’t demand to be in charge and boss others around. We are to be open and hear others. I will say that some have leadership gifts and excel at being in charge. That’s fine, but in normal relationships we aren’t to be bossy.
In the trinity, the members of the Godhead submit to one another. Philippians 2:6,7 says of Jesus, “who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.” So, we to shouldn’t feel slighted or that we won’t get our share. It’s ok to speak if there we are not heard. The Philippian passage was stated because of verse 4, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Lord, help us to bear our own burdens and to bear one another’s burdens when needed. Help us to be subservient to one another.