Advent StudySample

The English word submit comes from a Latin root meaning “to let down or yield.” It paints a picture of kneeling before a superior. The New Testament Greek word is hupotasso, a military word meaning “to put under or arrange under.” Submission requires acknowledgment of proper order and authority.

All authority comes from God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and we are commanded to submit to Him. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” We are to arrange ourselves under the command of a divine viewpoint rather than live our lives based on a human viewpoint. It is a process of surrendering our will to our Father. Therefore, if our purpose on this earth is to do the will of God, then submitting to someone else becomes an act of trust in God. Obedience requires us to surrender to the authority of another in various circumstances of our life.

This week’s focal passages highlight several examples of submission. Luke 2:41 says Mary and Joseph submitted to God’s Law regarding the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the yearly Passover feast. Young Jesus placed Himself under the instruction of the Jewish religious teachers at the temple. When His parents discovered this, He obediently left to return to Nazareth. Luke 2:51 says, “And he was subject unto them.” In Matthew 1:24, Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” The Magi from the east diligently searched for the newborn king of the Jews and humbly bowed in worship before him, offering precious gifts.

Having a humble and submissive heart is a choice we make before God that allows the Holy Spirit “to conform us to the image of Christ.” (Romans 8:29). In this way, we grow spiritually. How would you gauge your level of submission to the Lord today?