The importance of submission to God…and people? – 1st Thessalonians 2—3:5, Part 1

Submission is not a welcome concept. I think of an MMA fighter who is dominated by their opponent, and they tap out, they submit. We humans generally do not like to submit. It makes us feel weak, inadequate, unworthy, flawed. We would much rather others submit to us. In this week’s study through 1st Thessalonians 2:1—3:5, the Apostle Paul talks about submission to God and others, and he says submission is a good thing.

Submission to God sounds good. I suspect most readers will have little problem with that. But submission to other people? We might be iffy about that. Let’s hear what Paul has to say.

Last week we studied 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1, verses 4–10. Now we continue, and in verse 5 Paul writes to the Christians, “You know how we lived among you for your sake.”

I noted in a previous post that Paul doesn’t need to say much about how he lived among them precisely because the Thessalonians already knew how he lived among them.  They were there with him.  They watched him. They experienced Paul’s actions, words, tone, body language, choices.  So Paul doesn’t need to describe it all over again. 

Instead, in chapter 1 he summarized his way of life as “for your sake.”  Paul’s entire focus was for their sake.  Paul wanted the people in the city of Thessalonica to experience the Kingdom of Jesus. In Paul’s viewpoint, it was in the best interest of the Thessalonians to experience the Kingdom of Jesus.  So everything Paul did was for that purpose. It was for their sake. 

But now, as we turn to chapter two in this letter, Paul does remind them of his approach.  He starts with a bit of history in verses 1–2, describing how he was persecuted.

If you want to know the specifics of how horribly Paul was treated, you can read about that in Acts chapters 16 and 17.  Paul really did have it rough.  And he’s right, the Thessalonian Christians would have known all about that. Yet Paul is reminding them of his commitment to the mission of Jesus, and the help God provided him, so that Paul courageously shared the good news about Jesus with them in Thessalonica. 

In other words, this was no small deal.  Paul quite literally put his life on the line for the mission of Jesus.  He risked his life for people, like those living in Thessalonica.  This was true in town after town.  Paul is beginning to make a case here for his approach to ministry, and what does he say about his approach to ministry? He put his life on the line for it. 

Let’s see what else he says about his ministry.  In verses 3 through 7 Paul describes one of his attitudes about ministry.  He wants to please God.  Paul is not in ministry to become famous or rich. Not many people get rich by pursuing ministry, but it does happen in rare cases, some of which are the result of manipulation and greed, which Paul is clearly against.  He says he did not used flattery or trickery, and he was not motivated by greed.  Instead he says that as one entrusted with the gospel, the good news of Jesus, he tried to please God.

I find it interesting that in verses 6-7, Paul writes that as an apostle, he had authority from Christ.  And he could have asserted that authority.  He doesn’t say precisely how he would have asserted his authority, but since he mentions apostolic authority soon after he talks about greed, my guess is that he could have asked them to support him financially, but he didn’t.

Instead, he says in verse 7 that rather than take a power position among them, he takes a submission position.  In verse 7 he uses the first of three family similes in this passage (technically there are four, as he starts by referring the Thessalonian Christians as “brothers and sisters”).  A simile is a figure of speech that is easy to pick out because it uses the words “like” or “as”. 

Paul writes, “We were like children among you.”  How was he like a child?  When it came to his use of his apostolic authority, he restrained himself, he was submissive, and thus was like a child among them. 

Think about the upside-down nature of a leader acting like a child among those he leads. Aren’t leaders supposed to be in authority? How does a leader lead like a child? That kind of childlike leader does not demand; that leader serves.

Thus far, Paul has said that his approach to ministry was (1) to put his life on the line for the people, (2) to do ministry in a God-honoring way, and (3) to take a submissive approach rather than an authoritative approach.

Does submission resemble your approach to your relationships?

Photo by Julia Taubitz on Unsplash