Being passive is not the same as being submissive. Being compliant is not the same as being obedient. I think many people (myself included) get these two confused. So, here's a little thinking out loud.
As one who identifies themself as a follower of Jesus Christ, the characteristics of being submissive and being obedient can be cofoufled with just being passive or being compliant. This, in my opinion, is a cheap imitation of the former.
Which of these characteristics has a position of power or a position of lacking power? I do not want to be a passive person, but sometimes I hear the word "submissive" especially "submissive wife" and seriously, feelings of anger or oppression rise to the surface. What's up with that? How can I be a follower of Jesus, a man who sumbitted His life to God, but was the least passive person on earth? Think about it for a second. If he had been a little more passive, I don't think it would've caused him to be hated so much that it resulted in being crucified. This man really pissed some people off, and it was the people who held authority and prestige before the people of that day. Another thought, being passive is in many respects, much more "safe". You're not rocking the boat, your not getting any disapprovals that are loud enough to put your life at risk...and this isn't how Jesus lived. But he was a man who lived his life completely out of submission to God.
So, what's up with these feeling of anger or of being oppressed when the terms "submit" or be a "submissive wife" come in earshot? Could it be that my response is valid, but it's a response to what I've confused being passive as being submissive? Being truly submissive in a biblical way, I think, is a position of control and power and strong will. I am not doing something because someone is "making me" or because of anything someone else says or thinks if I do or do not do something or behave a certain way. If I do it, it is because I'm doing it of my own accord. I am choosing to do this because it's what I want to do. I may not necessarily like it all that much, but I've concluded that it's something necessary that should be done for a greater good. For example, if I want to get my body in better physical shape because I want to be healthier and be able to run a marathon, I may choose to work out every day for 1 hour to achieve my ultimate goal of being in better shape. I do not necessarily like working out everyday, but I choose to do this because I want to be in better shape. Just because I choose to do something or just because I do do something or "should" do something doesn't mean I have to necessarily like the exact choice in and of itself, but it's for the greater good...the long term reward.
But if I am passively giving into something...there is no long term reward. The reward is only in the short-term, not long lived. I do it to avoid something in the short-term. Like not pissing somebody off, but doing something I don't want to do anyways and being resentful about it...where is there long term rewards for do things passively? Being passive or doing things out of passivity seems so ungodly to me. We are called to be like Jesus Christ. He was NOT a passive man. Nobody could make him do anything he didn't want to do. Everything he said, or did or did not do or did not say, was because he choose it that way. Why does it seem like so many Christians are so passive, and thinking they are being like Jesus Christ? Because it's cheap substitute for being submissive. The same could be said about being compliant versus being obedient. The difference between these two is of the attitude of the heart. The compliant one does everything expected on the outside with their polished behavior and mannerisms, while being completel detached or resentful in depths of their heart, and this, in my opinion, make all the difference in the world when it comes to relationships of all sorts. Relationships with spouses, parents, children, friends, and especially the Lord.
Let me say one thing though, to I guess, defend why compliance and passivity or so alive and well within Christianity...it is because of us Christians! Not because of the one we are following, because if we were actually doing what He did, we wouldn't be passive. But it's because it makes us look good or feel good before other people, and we think that is being religious or spiritual. Huh..?? So we figure that if we can impress those in the natural world, the physical world...we are spiritual, but in the spiritual world, in God's sight, nothing is hidden from His sight. Whey do we esteem image and appearances and behavior so much more over and above what is really there? It's nothing new I guess. And I'm just as guilty as you and everyone else is, whether you are a Christian or an Athiest, all people practice this to a certain degree. Image is far more worked on than substance, and what a cheap reward from polishing just the image.
As one who identifies themself as a follower of Jesus Christ, the characteristics of being submissive and being obedient can be cofoufled with just being passive or being compliant. This, in my opinion, is a cheap imitation of the former.
Which of these characteristics has a position of power or a position of lacking power? I do not want to be a passive person, but sometimes I hear the word "submissive" especially "submissive wife" and seriously, feelings of anger or oppression rise to the surface. What's up with that? How can I be a follower of Jesus, a man who sumbitted His life to God, but was the least passive person on earth? Think about it for a second. If he had been a little more passive, I don't think it would've caused him to be hated so much that it resulted in being crucified. This man really pissed some people off, and it was the people who held authority and prestige before the people of that day. Another thought, being passive is in many respects, much more "safe". You're not rocking the boat, your not getting any disapprovals that are loud enough to put your life at risk...and this isn't how Jesus lived. But he was a man who lived his life completely out of submission to God.
So, what's up with these feeling of anger or of being oppressed when the terms "submit" or be a "submissive wife" come in earshot? Could it be that my response is valid, but it's a response to what I've confused being passive as being submissive? Being truly submissive in a biblical way, I think, is a position of control and power and strong will. I am not doing something because someone is "making me" or because of anything someone else says or thinks if I do or do not do something or behave a certain way. If I do it, it is because I'm doing it of my own accord. I am choosing to do this because it's what I want to do. I may not necessarily like it all that much, but I've concluded that it's something necessary that should be done for a greater good. For example, if I want to get my body in better physical shape because I want to be healthier and be able to run a marathon, I may choose to work out every day for 1 hour to achieve my ultimate goal of being in better shape. I do not necessarily like working out everyday, but I choose to do this because I want to be in better shape. Just because I choose to do something or just because I do do something or "should" do something doesn't mean I have to necessarily like the exact choice in and of itself, but it's for the greater good...the long term reward.
But if I am passively giving into something...there is no long term reward. The reward is only in the short-term, not long lived. I do it to avoid something in the short-term. Like not pissing somebody off, but doing something I don't want to do anyways and being resentful about it...where is there long term rewards for do things passively? Being passive or doing things out of passivity seems so ungodly to me. We are called to be like Jesus Christ. He was NOT a passive man. Nobody could make him do anything he didn't want to do. Everything he said, or did or did not do or did not say, was because he choose it that way. Why does it seem like so many Christians are so passive, and thinking they are being like Jesus Christ? Because it's cheap substitute for being submissive. The same could be said about being compliant versus being obedient. The difference between these two is of the attitude of the heart. The compliant one does everything expected on the outside with their polished behavior and mannerisms, while being completel detached or resentful in depths of their heart, and this, in my opinion, make all the difference in the world when it comes to relationships of all sorts. Relationships with spouses, parents, children, friends, and especially the Lord.
Let me say one thing though, to I guess, defend why compliance and passivity or so alive and well within Christianity...it is because of us Christians! Not because of the one we are following, because if we were actually doing what He did, we wouldn't be passive. But it's because it makes us look good or feel good before other people, and we think that is being religious or spiritual. Huh..?? So we figure that if we can impress those in the natural world, the physical world...we are spiritual, but in the spiritual world, in God's sight, nothing is hidden from His sight. Whey do we esteem image and appearances and behavior so much more over and above what is really there? It's nothing new I guess. And I'm just as guilty as you and everyone else is, whether you are a Christian or an Athiest, all people practice this to a certain degree. Image is far more worked on than substance, and what a cheap reward from polishing just the image.
