Why we don’t need to surrender to God

We say it all the time: “You/I need to surrender to God.”

We sing about it.  It might just be one of our most oft-repeated phrases, in our spiritual conversations with each other. My own book sure contains references to it!

But … to “surrender” (to God) does not appear in the Bible.

Ever.

In the entire Bible, there is not a single command, reference, even mention of surrendering to God. 

So why have I spent so much of my life exhorting others and myself to surrender to Him?!

To be fair to us all, I think it’s just an unfortunate misnomer, that’s gained acceptance over the years, for a concept that is in the Bible.

In short: The Bible never tells us to surrender to God because the word surrender is always, ALWAYS used in reference to an ENEMY. 

God is not our enemy.

God is NOT OUR ENEMY.

If there is one thing I have learned this year, through the various heart-ache and disappointments we faced, it is that GOD IS NOT MY ENEMY.

GOD IS FOR ME. Even the hard is for my good. 

I wish I could shout from a world-wide megaphone and somehow convey to this aching, bewildered, lost and hurting world: GOD IS FOR YOU!

God LOVES YOU!

God is not your enemy!

Just this morning Jeff read it in church:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Rom 8:31-34)

Friends, I honestly believe that if we had ANY INKLING how FOR US God really is, we would never doubt, never fear, never struggle to trust. We would be mind-blown at His goodness.

We would fall on our faces in grateful adoration. 

Now, what words are in the Scriptures? From what I understand, the idea of surrender really comes from two concepts: Submit and obey.

Submit

James exhorts us to “Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (4:7) The context is pride and worldliness. Interestingly, James says that although God is not our enemy, we can make ourselves enemies of God by befriending the world. But even then, the exhortation isn’t to surrender but to submit.

Is it just splitting hairs? I don’t think so. While surrender refers to an enemy, submit speaks of loving, voluntary, glad deference to a GOOD HEAD, a GOOD leader, a superior officer of sorts who is ON THE SAME SIDE. It’s always used with regard to two people on the same team. 

While surrender is always used of an enemy, submit is always used of a comrade or spouse. 

Because of Christ, and this is MIND-BLOWING, you are a friend of God. God is your Heavenly Husband. He’s a good one. He’s a GOOD leader who ALWAYS has your best interest in mind.

Submit actually doesn’t occur that often as well. James is the only one who uses it in reference to God. The other references are to fellow believers, spouses, or church leaders. The word that does occur a LOT, although it isn’t as popular nowadays, is obey.

Obey

This might be our culture’s least favorite word. I recently read about a popular children’s book where the plot-line was a girl who had to “overcome” a curse that over her that made her always obey any order given to her. Yikes! Obedience is called a curse?! Of course, obedience to evil is a curse, but in our day and age we’re almost afraid to use the word. We teach our children to be “good listeners” but if I can be so bold, I don’t think anything is wrong with their hearing, obedience is what our children desperately need!

And while surrender occurs zero times, obey and obedience occur 180 times!

Now, the bottom line of this is so significant I can’t help but get excited. While the word surrender carries connotations of an enemy, the words submit and obey carry the connotations of …

Loving relationship. 

Submit speaks of a loving husband-wife relationship, of friends and comrades, of voluntarily deferring to one another, out of love and mutual respect.

God is our husband and friend. 

Obey speaks of a parent-child relationship, of a loving dad giving good and beneficial boundaries to His children out of deep love for them.

God is our Father. 

Dear, dear one: God is not your enemy. It might be a subtle shift, but I pray it is a real one. I pray you know the loving leadership of a good God who is FOR YOU, who knows that your best life is found in Him, that apart from Him there is no joy, no good, nothing of any lasting value.

No surrender. Submit yourself to a loving God, and obey His good and loving leadership in your life.

{This is from Jan ’18–this one mental switch has made such a big impact in how I view God the last two years. I hope this frees you as well. Thanks for reading.}

Sacred Mundane available here! https://squareup.com/store/sacred-mundane