Submitted to the Head

by | Feb 12, 2017

Romans 12:10Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”

​Part of the proper function of the body of Christ is the members of the body loving each other with brotherly love and the members showing preference to others rather than to self. The proper function of the body of Christ only happens when the members of the body are rightly connected to the Head of the body. True brotherly love between the members of the body only happens when those members are rightly connected to the head.

​Let’s imagine a human body where each member of the body has a mind of its own. Each member can choose what it is going to do. There still is a head, but the members of the body can choose whether to do what the head tells them to do or they can choose not to.

​Let’s say that a foot decided go somewhere and do something. He started trying to go, but soon found out that he couldn’t get anywhere because the rest of the body was not going with him. The rest of the members of the body decided that they didn’t want to go anywhere so the foot tried to go but couldn’t get anywhere.

​That might sound a little farfetched, but it is how the body of Christ typically tries to operate. Each member has a mind of his own and decides what he wants to do. He then tries to do what he decided to do, but even though that member is trying with all his might, his effort gets him and the body nowhere.

​The only way that the body of Christ can properly function is by the members of the body being submitted to the Head. Verses one and two of this chapter talk about this. They talk about being a living sacrifice to God which is a member that lives but is completely submitted to the will of the head. They also talk about being transformed by the renewing of the mind so that the will of the head is lived in and proven to be good and acceptable and perfect.

​You might be wondering what all this has to do with verse 10. In reality, if we try to love one another with brotherly love and in honor prefer another without being submitted to the Head of the body, then we are like the members of that body that each chose to go his own way and in the end got nowhere. The Life of Christ can only be lived through Christ. If we are trying to do the right things (like loving one another with brotherly love and in honor preferring another) without being submitted to God, then we will get nowhere. We might even try really hard and look really good, but in the eyes of God we will have gotten nowhere.

​The true doing of the command in this verse begins with you being submitted and surrendered to God and you not being conformed to the world but to God through His Word. As you walk with Him and listen to His voice, He will lead and guide you in the doing of this command. Your jurisdiction is abiding in Him. His jurisdiction is leading and guiding and taking care of you.

Stay surrendered to God. Stay in His Word. Stay listening to Him. And He will do the command in this verse through you.

Jonathan U.

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