Under Christ

No one like the idea of being “under” another person. Words like submission, subjection
and submission put us off. All of these terms express a sense of domination of one person or
organization over other people. And this can make us feel degraded, demeaned and perhaps
humiliated.

But it does not have to make us feel this way, especially if we are living “under” the
Lordship of Jesus Christ. The bottom line is that everyone lives under the domination of
something. It can be fear or passion or politics or philosophical ideas. And unless we are
redeemed by Christ all of us, whether we recognize it or not, live under the power and penalty of
sin.

Therefore, the only way to be truly free is to live under the Lordship and authority of
Jesus Christ. And there is no reason to fear our submission to Christ. He will never oppress us or
demean us or humiliate us. This is because of “how” he became Lord over all. In Mark 10:45,
Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom
for many.” And this he did—he served us, even to the point of his sacrificial death on the cross.
Therefore, we read in Philippians,

Therefore God also has highly

exalted Him and given Him the
name which is above every name,
10 
that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those in heaven,
and of those on earth, and of those
under the earth, 11 and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)

Jesus Christ lived in submission to God, under his Father’s authority. And because of his
perfect obedience, even to the point of death on the cross, God has highly exalted him. Jesus
Christ now has power and authority and status and responsibilities that he did not have before the
cross and resurrection.1 Jesus Christ is now Lord of all—the King of kings!2

And every intelligent being in the universe is called to bow before him either in
allegiance to him or because they have been conquered and broken by his power. It would be
much better to live under Christ’s authority in allegiance to him than otherwise. As believers, we
are called to live under the absolute power and authority of Christ. In his first prayer in his letter
to the Ephesians the apostle Paul desires,

1
Matthew 28:18
2
Revelation 19:16
the eyes of your [understanding
being enlightened; that you may
know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of
His inheritance in the saints, 19 and
what is the exceeding greatness of
His power toward us who believe,
according to the working of His
mighty power 20 which He worked
in Christ when He raised Him from
the dead and seated Him at His
right hand in the heavenly places,
21 
far above all principality and
power and might and dominion,
and every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in that
which is to come.22 And He put all
things under His feet, and gave
Him to be head over all things to
the church, 23 which is His body,
the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(Ephesians 1:18-23)

Here is why it is so important for us to bend the knee of our hearts to Christ and live
under his authority. God has elevated Jesus Christ to His right hand, the highest place of
authority next to the throne of God. Christ is far superior to every rank of power whether angelic
or human. And as followers of Christ when we live under his authority then the exceeding
greatness of God’s power is toward us who believe. Christ is the head of the church and we are
under the head as his body.

When the church, the body lives in correct alignment to Christ, the head, then the body is
vital and healthy and able to function properly. The Greek word translated “under” in verse 22, is
hupo, which denotes being on the underside of a solid object. Therefore, we are morally and
legally under the authority of Christ and we can also act under his authority to carry out his will.

When we live under the Lordship of Christ we are not subject to coercive bondage and
frustration, we are led to freedom, fulfillment and rest. Let’s allow the words of our Lord to
explain.

Come to Me, all you who labor

and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. 29 Take My yoke
upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
 For My yoke is easy and My
30 

burden is light.
(Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus paints a vivid picture for us. He describes himself as a farmer and to us as oxen
pulling a plow. All of us are pulling a plow—some fear, notion, ideal or worldview that directs
our minds and hearts. And we all too often read these verses out of context. In the context, most
of Israel’s religious leaders rejected Jesus as the Savior. They were pulling the plow of their own
traditions. And they thought they knew God and knew the truth.

But they did not really know God. And their religious traditions and man-made laws were
a great burden. In much the same way today, people say, “I have my own view of God. My
religion is as good as yours.” Or they pull the heavy plow of their ideology, philosophy, fear,
guilt, anger or hurt. And though people outside of Christ will rarely admit it the world is a
restless, feverish, burdened and weary world.

Jesus invites us to take his yoke upon our shoulders, to submit voluntarily to his
authority. And he motivates us to do so without fear, for he is gentle and lowly in heart.

All things have been delivered

 

to Me by My Father, and no one

knows the Son except the Father.
Nor does anyone know the Father
except the Son, and the one to
whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 
Come to Me, all you who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. 29 Take My yoke
upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
30 
For My yoke is easy and My
burden is light.
(Matthew 11:27-30)

Jesus Christ invites us saying, “Submit to my yoke, learn from me and find rest from the
domination of your sin stained ideals, from the domination of your storm-tossed soul, from the
bondage of your emotional stress, from the tyranny of your religious errors.” How do we do this?
How do we take his yoke upon us? First by placing ourselves under his saving Lordship. The
apostle Paul wrote to the Romans saying,

that if you confess with your mouth

the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved. 10 For
with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
11
 For the Scripture says, “Whoever
believes on Him will not be put to
shame.”
(Romans 10:9-11)

To confess Jesus as Lord does not make him Lord—he already is Lord of all. Remember,
Philippians told us that every knew shall bow before the Lord Jesus Christ. When we confess
Jesus as Lord, we submit ourselves to live under his authority. In doing so we are saved from the
tyranny of the world, our own sins and for everlasting life and glory in his kingdom.

After we submit to Christ’s Lordship for salvation, we must now live under his authority
in all matters of life. In 2 Corinthians, Paul is defending his authority as an apostle of Chris, but
there is a principle here for all of us to follow.

For though we walk in the flesh,

we do not war according to the flesh.
4 
For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal but mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds, 5 casting down
arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6 
and being ready to punish all
disobedience when your obedience
is fulfilled.
(2 Corinthians 19:3-6)

To live under the Lordship of Christ our will must submit to his will. There are a vast
number of thoughts and emotions in our minds. And they can hide behind the fortress of human
and devilish wisdom. We pull these strongholds down when we know and are obedient to the
will of our Lord Christ, which is the will of God.

In John 13:13 Jesus said, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.”
These are not polite titles, they are a profound reality. He also said “He who has My
commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by
My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”3 To bring every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ is to be under his yoke. And it frees us to live blessed, fruitful lives and
to function properly as Christ’s body, the church. In Romans 12, Paul exhorts,

I beseech you therefore, brethren,

by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice,
3
John 14:21
holy, acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable service. 2 And do
not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God.
(Romans 12:1, 2)

When we take every thought captive to the will of Christ, our minds and lives are
transformed by the Word of God. And we then can experience the good will of God.

For I say, through the grace given

to me, to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think, but
to think soberly, as God has dealt
to each one a measure of faith.
4 
For as we have many members
in one body, but all the members
do not have the same function,
5 
so we, being many, are one body
in Christ, and individually members
of one another.
(Romans 12:3-5)

Just as we have numerous body parts in our physical body and they all function properly
under the authority of our brains, so we as the church all have a role to play, a gift to serve. As
we submit to our head, Christ, we his body, function properly.

so we, being many, are one

body in Christ, and individually
members of one another.
6 
Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is
given to us, let us use them:
if prophecy, let us prophesy in
proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry,
let us use it in our ministering; he
who teaches, in teaching; 8 he
who exhorts, in exhortation; he
who gives, with liberality; he who
leads, with diligence; he who
shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 
Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor what is evil. Cling to what
is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate
to one another with brotherly love,
in honor giving preference to one
another; 11 not lagging in diligence,
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 
rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly
in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs
of the saints, given to hospitality.
(Romans 12:5-13)

Your Master has given you a gift, an ability, a talent to benefit the church. He calls you to
love, to comfort, to give, to serve. This is a wonderful blessing! All of us are under the Lordship
of Christ, our head. When we understand this and believe it, then Christ can work in us as we
bless and serve others. Let’s return to Matthew 11 to make one last point.

All things have been delivered

to Me by My Father, and no one
knows the Son except the Father.
Nor does anyone know the Father
except the Son, and the one to
whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 
Come to Me, all you who labor
and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. 29 Take My yoke
upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
30 
For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.
(Matthew 11:27-30)

It is only under the yoke of obedience to Christ that true freedom, rest and fulfillment are
found. Christ’s yoke and our freedom are not incompatible. There is only one authority under
which our minds are free and that is under the authority of truth. The mind is not free if it is
believing lies. It is in bondage to fantasy, illusion and deceptions. But Jesus is the Way, the Truth
and the Life.4

4
John 14:6