A New Testament person who exemplifies living in submission to God is the Apostle Paul. Despite his weaknesses and failures, Paul’s life demonstrates steady submission to God’s will. His transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a devoted apostle of Christ illustrates this submission. Unlike most Christians, Paul surrendered to the Lord very shortly after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). Paul dedicated his life to preaching the gospel and establishing churches throug...
A New Testament person who exemplifies living in submission to God is the Apostle Paul. Despite his weaknesses and failures, Paul’s life demonstrates steady submission to God’s will. His transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a devoted apostle of Christ illustrates this submission. Unlike most Christians, Paul surrendered to the Lord very shortly after his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). Paul dedicated his life to preaching the gospel and establishing churches throughout the Roman Empire.
Later in his life, Paul said, “I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul’s dedication to spreading the Gospel, despite facing numerous hardships, exemplifies submission to God’s mission. His letters to early Christian communities reveal his deep commitment to God’s mission. Paul traveled, preached, and endured hardships to spread the gospel (2 Cor 11:23-28), facing persecution, imprisonment, and physical suffering while remaining steadfast in his mission.
Paul was in submission to the Lord, but he also acknowledged his sinfulness and weaknesses. Paul’s acknowledgment of the presence of evil within him is a candid admission of the internal struggle every believer faces between the flesh and the spirit (Rom 7:18-25). In this passage, Paul expresses the ongoing struggle between his desire to do good, which aligns with God’s law, and the sinful nature that still influences his actions. John Witmer states:
- "In relating his personal experience in Romans 7:14-25, Paul consistently used the present tense whereas he had used the imperfect and aorist tenses. Obviously, he was describing his present conflict as a Christian with indwelling sin and its continuing efforts to control his daily life. The clause, “sold under sin” (kjv), describes an unregenerate person; but sin also resides in a believer, who is still subject to sin’s penalty of physical death. As a result, indwelling sin continues to seek to claim what it considers its property even after one has become a Christian."[1]
In Romans 7:14, Paul says “the Law is spiritual,” which means it speaks to the spiritual, inner part of the believer. God, when giving the Law through Moses, was first concerned about their inner person, directing them to “love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut 10:12). Clearly this speaks to the immaterial part of the believer. Despite Paul’s genuine commitment to God and his desire to live righteously, he recognized the reality of sin’s presence within himself. This is why Paul could say, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (Rom 7:21). This struggle doesn’t negate his faithfulness but rather highlights his dependence on God’s grace and the transformative power of God’s Word.
Paul consistently followed God’s leading, even when it led to difficult and dangerous situations. His missionary journeys and willingness to suffer for the gospel demonstrate his obedience (Acts 20:22-24). His past as a persecutor of Christians (Phil 3:6, Gal 1:13) and subsequent transformation highlight God’s ability to use anyone for His purposes. Paul’s letters are filled with teachings on living a life pleasing to God, and he mentored many, such as Timothy and Titus, ensuring the continuation of the gospel message (1 Tim 1:2, Tit 1:4). Despite numerous trials, Paul remained faithful, writing to the Philippians about pressing on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14). His life serves as an example of how, through submission to God, one can be transformed and used mightily despite one’s imperfections.
Examples of Believers who Submitted Partially or Temporarily
Will the majority of believers surrender all their lives to Him? Generally, no. The biblical pattern is that Jesus will be Lord of some areas of their life, while they keep other areas to themselves. Charles Ryrie states, “The cliché ‘If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all’ is simply that—a cliché and not a biblical or theological truth. Jesus can be Lord of aspects of my life while I withhold other areas of my life from His control.”[2] We observe examples of temporary or partial submission throughout Scripture.
From the start, the Exodus generation was positive toward God and “did as the LORD had commanded” (Ex 12:28), demonstrating they had “believed in the LORD” (Ex 14:31). However, after being in the wilderness for a while and hearing the disparaging report of the ten spies about Canaan (Num 13:31-33), the Israelites turned negative, complained greatly, and requested to return to Egypt (Num 14:1-4). As a result of their ongoing negative volition, God judged them and declared they would not enter the promised land but would die in the wilderness (Num 14:29-35; Deut 1:34-35; Heb 3:16-19). The Lord said, “For forty years I was continually disgusted with that generation, and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; they do not obey my commands.’ So I made a vow in my anger, ‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them’” (Psa 95:10-11 NET). Though that generation was saved, they did not inherit the blessings God had for them.
Likewise, Solomon, a true believer, is a good example of one who was submissive early in his life, but later turned away from the Lord. God called Solomon “My son” (2 Sam 7:14), heard his prayer (2 Ch 1:8-10), made him king over Israel (2 Ch 1:11), granted him “wisdom and knowledge” (2 Ch 1:12), used him to write three books of the Bible (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon), directed him to build the temple in Jerusalem which took seven years (1 Ki 6:38), and made him ruler of Israel for forty years (1 Ki 11:42). We are told, “Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David” (1 Ki 3:3a). These are all indicators of a true believer. However, by the end of his life, Solomon turned away from the Lord and worshipped idols (1 Ki 11:1-5). Scripture reveals, “Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully” (1 Ki 11:6). Though Solomon was positive toward God early in his life, he turned negative in his later years and was not submissive to the Lord. The record of Solomon is that he never turned back to the Lord and died in rebellion, under divine discipline (1 Ki 11:7-10).
The New Testament provides several examples of believers who were genuinely saved but later turned away from God. Demas is one such example. Initially, he is mentioned positively by Paul (Col 4:14), who even called him a “fellow worker” in the ministry (Philem 1:24). However, in his letter to Timothy, Paul says, “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica” (2 Tim 4:10). This suggests that Demas, despite his salvation and prior commitment to ministry, later turned away due to his love for the world. Similarly, Paul mentions Hymenaeus and Alexander, who “suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith” (1 Tim 1:19) and says he “handed them over to Satan so that they will be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Tim 1:20). These were believers who turned away from God and suffered divine discipline (Heb 12:6). Paul also reprimanded the Christians in Galatia for their departure from the true gospel, saying, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel” (Gal 1:6). He rebuked them for being “foolish” and “bewitched” for turning away from the Spirit (Gal 3:1-3). This indicates that the Galatians, though initially strong in their faith, were swayed by false teachers and needed correction.
Some Believers Initially Say “No” but Later Submit
In Scripture, we have a few examples of believers who initially said “no” to God, but later said “yes” to Him and obeyed His command. Jonah initially refused to obey God’s command to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. Instead, “Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” (Jon 1:3). Later, after Jonah suffered divine discipline (Jon 2:1-10), God directed His prophet to preach in Nineveh (Jon 3:1-2), and “Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD” (Jon 3:3). In the NT, Peter is an example of someone who initially refused to submit to God’s will. In Acts 10:9-16, Peter had a vision in which a sheet is lowered from heaven, containing all kinds of animals. God told him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” (Acts 10:13). Peter responded, “No, Lord!” (Acts 10:14a). This happened three times, and each time Peter resisted, saying “no” to the Lord. Eventually, Peter came to understand that the vision symbolized God’s acceptance of Gentiles and that he must not call any person impure or unclean. This led to his visit to Cornelius’ house, where he preached the Gospel to the Gentiles, showing his eventual submission to God’s will (Acts 10:17-48).
For some Christians, like Paul, commitment to the Lord follows quickly after salvation. For others, it occurs later in life. Some never have this opportunity (the thief on the cross), and others waste their time until God eventually takes them home. These are the believers who will stand before the bema seat of Christ, and though saved, will and have nothing to offer the Lord but wood, hay, and straw, which represents a wasted Christian life (1 Cor 3:10-15).
Summary
Christians are saved by grace alone (Eph 2:8-9), through faith alone (Gal 2:16; 3:26; 2 Tim 3:15), in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), totally apart from human works (Rom 4:5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). However, after being born again (1 Pet 1:3, 23), God calls us to learn and live His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), to walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), and advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). Though He has blessed us in every way possible (Eph 1:3), we must surrender our lives to Him (Rom 6:13; 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), and prioritize His will over our own, trusting in His plan, and adhering to His commandments with humility and obedience. The Bible shows that while many believers initially submit, some partially submit or later falter, highlighting the challenge of consistent dedication.
Dr. Steven R. Cook
[1] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 467.
[2] Charles C. Ryrie, So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 67.
