We need to know the Son’s submission; Christ as the Son of God emptied Himself in His divinity from the outward glory and humbled Himself, submitting to God; the Father represented the authority and the Son represented submission.
Amen, Lord Jesus, may we see Your submission and may we live out Your submission today! Be our submission in our daily living and in the church life! Amen!
We believers in Christ have Christ as our pattern as presented in the New Testament; He is both in heaven at the right hand of God and also in our spirit as our very life.
On the one hand, we need to take Christ as our pattern outwardly, seeking to imitate Him; we do this not by trying to be as He is but by turning to Him.
On the other hand, we need to live Christ, even take Him as our life and person, and allow His mind to become our mind, so that we may live the same way that He did.
May we be those who let “this mind” – which was also in Christ Jesus – also be in us.
What kind of mind was in Christ? He didn’t come to seek glory and appreciation from man, nor did He demand obedience from others, since He was God.
Rather, He emptied Himself, lowered Himself, took the form of a slave, and He humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man.
This matter of being emptied and humbled is a great matter; we are not naturally inclined to empty ourselves or humble ourselves. Rather, we are naturally inclined to exalt ourselves and seek glory and appreciation from others. Oh Lord!
And even if we are meek and docile by nature, we still are not willing to empty ourselves or humble ourselves. Only Christ can do this. And this One lives in us. His mind is in us. We have the mind of Christ.
Through regeneration we received Christ, the very life and nature of Christ with His person, into our spirit. If we just turn to our spirit and contact the Lord again and again, His mind will become our mind.
If we just set our mind on the things above and read the word of God prayerfully, we will have the mind of Christ.
May we build a habit of spending time with the Lord and allowing Him to work Himself into us, even to infuse His mind into our mind.
May we open to Him from our inward parts so that His inward parts become our inward parts and we would be one with Him in His inward parts.
Seeing the Son’s Submission – Christ Emptied Himself and Humbled Himself, being Submissive to God to the Uttermost
In Philippians 2:5-11 we see not only that Christ emptied Himself and humbled Himself to the uttermost but also that He was obedient to God, submissive to God, to the uttermost.
We need to know the Son’s submission (Heb. 5:7-8).
What does submission mean? The word submit means to yield to authority. We need to know the divine authority, even touch the authority of God, and submit to authority even as the Lord Jesus was submissive to God to the uttermost.
Only by seeing it can we become it. When we see the Son’s submission, when we realise that Christ emptied Himself, humbled Himself, and was obedient to God even unto death, this submission will be infused into us.
When we touch Christ, He touches our being. May we be open to Him in this matter so that He may infuse us with what He is.
In John 1:1 and 14 we see that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God; then, this Word who was God was incarnated to be a man, Jesus Christ.
The Father and the Son are one (John 10:30). In the Godhead there’s absolute and beautiful oneness. The Word created the heavens and the earth, and all things came into being through Him.
With God in the beginning, there was glory; He dwells in unapproachable glory, the glory of the Son. The Father and the Son are equal, equipotent, coexisting, and existing simultaneously. How wonderful!
However, there’s a difference in person between the Father and the Son. There’s absolutely no distinction in the intrinsic nature, but in the arrangement in the Godhead, the Son submits to the Father.
In the Godhead, the Father is the Head and the Son submits to the Father.
Philippians 2:6 tells us that, even though Christ was God Himself incarnated as a man, He did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped.
He did not assume by force His equality with God, neither did He seek it or claim it. Amazing!
This is beyond the human realm, beyond our human capacity to apprehend, but we can say Amen to this and we can enjoy this submission of the Son in our spirit today!
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He was both on earth and in the heavens; He was both walking among men and with the Father, living in two realms at the same time.
John 3:13 shows this to us, and we may not understand how this can be, but the Son was both on earth and in the heavens, both living in the flesh and in spirit in the heavens with the Father.
However, He lived under the Father’s authority and took the Father as His authority. He obeyed the Father and learned to be submissive to the Father in all things.
He was obedient unto death, even to the death of a cross.
First, in Philippians 2:5-7 we see how Christ emptied Himself, and second, in verse 8, we see how He humbled Himself in His humanity.
The Lord lowered Himself twice – first, He emptied Himself in His deity, and then He humbled Himself in His humanity. He emptied Himself of the outward form of divinity and retained the divine life and nature.
He lowered Himself and humbled Himself in His humanity.
Because He emptied Himself of all the glory, power, position, and image in His deity, when He was on earth, those without revelation did not recognise Him as being God, considering that He is only an ordinary man.
![The Word of God tells us that the Lord Jesus and the Father are one [John 10:30]. In the beginning was the Word, just as in the beginning there was God. The Word was God, and this Word created the heavens and earth. With God in the beginning there was glory. It was an inapproachable glory, the glory of the Son. The Father and the Son are equal, equipotent, coexisting, and existing simultaneously. But there is a difference in person between the Father and the Son. It is not a distinction in intrinsic nature but in arrangement in the Godhead. The Bible says that the Lord did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped (Phil 2:6)…The Lord’s equality with God is not something that He assumed by force. It is not an assertion or a usurpation because the Lord had the image of God in the first place. Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” p. 141](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/The-Word-of-God-tells-us-that-the-Lord-Jesus-and-the-Father-are-one-John-1030-819x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C500&ssl=1 "The Word of God tells us that the Lord Jesus and the Father are one [John 10:30]. In the beginning was the Word, just as in the beginning there was God. The Word was God, and this Word created the heavens and earth. With God in the beginning there was glory. It was an inapproachable glory, the glory of the Son. The Father and the Son are equal, equipotent, coexisting, and existing simultaneously. But there is a difference in person between the Father and the Son. It is not a distinction in intrinsic nature but in arrangement in the Godhead. The Bible says that the Lord did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped (Phil 2:6)…The Lord’s equality with God is not something that He assumed by force. It is not an assertion or a usurpation because the Lord had the image of God in the first place. Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” p. 141")
He went even further: He voluntarily submitted to God, taking the Father as His head and submitting to the Father’s authority.
He said that the Father is greater than He is (John 14:28) and submitted to the Father.
His position was voluntary; no one forced Him to do it – He simply took the lead to submit to the Father and be submissive to God.
We need to see the Son’s submission. We need to come to the Lord in prayer and let Him shine on us so that the Son’s submission would be clear to us.
He not only emptied Himself of the glory, power, and position and image of His deity, taking the form of a man, even of a slave; He was submissive to God.
The Father became the representation of authority, and the Son became the representation of submission. How lovely this is!
In ourselves we are not willing to submit, nor do we like to submit to anyone else; but here is a person who submitted Himself to the Father to the uttermost.
How much we need to open to this living One who is now in us, indwelling us, seeking to live the same kind of life in us today!
Lord Jesus, cause us to see the Son’s submission to the Father. We open to You. Unveil us to see You. Save us from focusing on ourselves. Save us from focusing only on the things concerning us. Cause our heart to turn to You to see You face to face. Amen, Lord Jesus, You are the most wonderful One! Thank You for emptying Yourself of Your image, glory, power, and position of Your deity. Thank You for lowering Yourself and emptying Yourself. We praise You for Your submission to God. Thank You for being our pattern as One who submits to the Father to the uttermost. Oh Lord, we want ot learn from You. We appreciate Your submission to God. Thank You for becoming the representation of submission, even as the Father became the representation of authority! Oh Lord, live in us the same kind of life today. Be our submission. Be everything to us. We fully open to You today. Be expressed through us as our submission to God and to one another!
The Lord’s Submission is a Great Matter – Obedience in the Godhead is the Most Wonderful Thing!
Today in the world, many seek to have power and be in positions of authority, and there’s a yearning and inward desire in many people to be above others and have authority.
This is what Satan wanted; his rebellion against God was first because he beheld his own beauty and then he wanted to have authority, rejecting God’s authority. Oh Lord Jesus!
But with the Lord Jesus we see the opposite of that. He was God, He was God incarnated to be a man, yet He did not seek to have authority; rather, He was obedient to God in all things.
The Father was His authority, Christ submitted to the Father in everything, and He was obedient to the Father in all things, even unto death, and that the death of a cross.
The Lord’s submission is not a simple matter; it is a great matter.
We can say that, in a sense, the Lord’s submission is more difficult than His creation of the heavens and the earth.
He could create all things by His word, but He chose to be obedient to the Father and submissive to God.
For Christ to submit to God, He had to empty Himself of everything that is related to the outward glory of His divinity and take the form of a slave.
Then, He could receive the qualification of submission. Submission is something created by the Son of God.
We may submit here and there to some that we appreciate or fear, but here is One, Jesus Christ, who was submissive to God in all things. He created submission.
On the one hand, Christ dropped authority, and on the other hand, He picked up submission.
He set His heart to fulfil God’s eternal purpose, and therefore He set His heart to become a slave, to be restricted in time and space as a man.
But this is not all: He went even further to humble Himself, becoming obedient to the uttermost.
When we look at this, when we see the obedience in the Godhead, we realise that it is the most wonderful thing in the universe! Hallelujah for the Son’s submission!
Christ became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He was willing to endure this painful and shameful death in order to be submissive to God.
This needs to become crystal clear to us. Christ touched God’s authority and lived under His authority. Therefore, the Father could exalt Him to the uttermost.
But first, Christ had to submit to the Father. With Christ we see not exaltation but the principle of submission. When we accept Christ, we accept to be filled with Him as our submission.
We believers in Christ need to take Christ as our pattern and learn from Him; we do this by allowing Him to live in us a life of submission.
Many today, in this rebellious world, are wondering why do they have to submit to authority, since these people are men like they are.
Some even in the church may say, Why do I have to submit to you? You are a brother and I am a brother. Why do I have to submit to you?
It is the same in married life; submission is not there by default, but rebellion and seeking to have authority is in each one of us. Oh Lord Jesus!
When we live Christ, when we live one spirit with the Lord and let Him live in us, we live a life of submission. We realise we do not even have the right to ask why do we have to submit to others, for Christ in us is eager and ready to submit.
He created submission, He is submission, and His life is in us today. Many today want to know authority and have authority, but not many know submission or are submissive.
May we come to the Lord regarding this matter and open to Him from the depths of our being so that He may live His life of submission in us today.
Lord Jesus, thank You for taking the lead not to seek to have authority but to submit to God! How we appreciate Your life of submission to the Father. We love You, Lord, for You are so wonderful! Thank You for dropping authority and picking up submission, submitting Yourself to God the Father in all things. Oh Lord, You lived a life of obeying the Father in all things, and You created submission. Wow, Christ the Son of God created submission and learned submission, and now He is our submission! Amen, Lord, may we learn this principle of submission today. We take You as our pattern today. We turn to You. Live in us today a life of submission. Oh Lord, only You in us can be submissive. We admit that there’s not a submissive bone in our body in our natural being. But praise the Lord, the life of submission is in our spirit! Amen, Lord, may we touch God’s authority and submit to His authority by living one spirit with Christ who is our submission today!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brother Ron Kangas in this conference, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” ch. 5, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (part 3 – 2025 Summer Training), week 26, Knowing and Taking Christ as Our Pattern – day 4.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Doing the Father’s will Thy prize, / Never accepting Satan’s lies, / None like Thyself, so faithful, wise; / Lord, I remember Thee! / For Thine obedience to God’s will, / Willing to suffer deathly ill, / E’en on the Cross my place to fill, / Lord, I remember Thee! (Hymns #86 stanzas 6-7)
– Perfect submission, perfect delight, / Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; / Angels descending, bring from above / Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. / Perfect submission, all is at rest, / I in my Savior am happy and blest; / Watching and waiting, looking above, / Filled with His goodness, lost in His love. (Hymns #308 stanzas 2-3)
– Take time to behold Him, / Speak oft with Thy Lord, / Abide in Him always, / And feed on His Word. / Wait thou in His presence, / Submissive and meek, / Forgetting in nothing / His blessing to seek. (Hymns #643 stanza 1)
About aGodMan
Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” pp. 141-143
The Lord Jesus not only emptied Himself but also humbled Himself and was submissive to the Father in all things.
He didn’t consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped. He created submission and now He is in us as our submission.
Amen the Lord as our pattern emptied himself in his deity and humbled himself to be a slave, he was submissive to the Father, obedient even unto death.
This submissive one is now in us as life and we can live a life of obedience and submission through him
To accept submission is to accept the principle of Christ.
God’s authority is perfect authority, and in Christ there is perfect submission.
To really know authority we need to know the submission of Christ.
We must be willing to be emptied & humbled. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Amen. The Lord’s submission is not a simple matter.
The Lord’s submission is more than His creation of the heavens and earth. Hallelujah for the Lord’s submission!
He had to empty Himself of all the glory, power, position, and image of His deity and take on the form of a slave. Praise Him!
Wow for this was that he was human, if the fall of man was the union with the rebellion of the angel and this gave rise to the flesh, so God participated in the same thing without the element of Satan his rebellion and took man captive to free him on the cross from this great poison that is to be rebels …
A song that I was enjoying today, based on today’s morning reviva,l is this one, Here a Little, There a Little.
1. He is grace upon grace and refreshing as dew.
Shining brighter and brighter, our path’s a clear way,
As morning by morning His mercies are new.
2. Transformed by beholding from glory to glory,
And from strength to strength on to Zion we go.
Constitute us with truth as daily we study—
Here a little there a little—Your Word to know.
3. Perfected and nourished from house to house meeting,
We speak one by one that the church may be built.
As little by little ev’ry enemy’s fleeing,
More and more surpassingly with glory we’re filled.
Day by day,
Grace upon grace,
Brighter and brighter,
Morning by morning
(His mercies are new.)
Glory to glory,
Strength to strength,
Here a little,
There a little
(Your Word to know.)
House to house,
One by one,
Little by little,
More and more
(With glory we’re filled.)
Sing it via hymnal here https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/ns/157
and listen to it here:
It is of utmost importance that we know the divine authority, touch it, yield to it, and live submissively under this divine authority just as the Lord did in emptying Himself of the glory, power, position and image in His deity!
In His incarnation, the Lord dropped authority on one hand and picked up submission on the other hand.
Importantly, the Father became the representation of perfect authority, and the Son – the representation of perfect submission, thus humbling Himself in obedience unto death, even the shameful death of the cross.
Today we may feel we know authority but what about submission? To be filled with Christ is to be filled with submission.
In His divinity, He emptied Himself of His power, position and title.
In His humanity, He humbled Himself, as a man taking the form of a slave, restricted in time and space.
Amen, the Father represents authority, and the Son represents submission.
Though equal, there is a difference in the Godhead.
Christ emptied Himself by being born a man, a slave, which is not at all a simple matter.
He emptied Himself of glory, power and position to become restricted in time and space as a man. Even becoming obedient unto death of the cross.
To take Christ is to take is to accept submission.
Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. 050-062), Chapter 13, by Witness Lee
https://www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/LOWLINESS.HTML
Listen to the audio version of this article here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0miz5LSCWdsW1G7dBAEoBE?si=b06d0071946b477b
https://youtu.be/cNJ_2ZwCI3U
https://rumble.com/v70o6nw-the-sons-submission-christ-was-fully-obedient-to-god.html
https://www.instagram.com/agodman_/reel/DQJf9bDjoKs/
The Lord learned obedience! The obedience in the Godhead is the most wonderful thing in the whole universe.
Yes, brother,
In the Godhead there is a distinction in person and difference in arrangement yet there is full harmony and there is equality. It is happily arranged that the Father should be the Head and that the Son should submit.
The Father became the representation of authority, and the Son became the representation of submission.
The Lord’s submission is not a simple matter. The Lord’s submission is more difficult than His creation of the heavens and the earth.
In order to submit He had to empty Himself of all the glory, power, position, and image in His deity. The obedience in the Godhead is the most wonderful thing in the whole universe.
What a Pattern the Lord Jesus is! Lord duplicate Yourself in us as the submissive and obedient One!
Amen! Praise the Lord who created submission, established the pattern and is now in us as our submission! Lord, gain our cooperation for this!
1 John 2:27 And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him.
God has given Christ to us as our allotted portion, just as He once gave Israel the good land. When they broke the old covenant, He drove them out—the same principle holds today. Under the new covenant: “ I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them” —this inward inscription is what 1 John 2:27 calls the anointing. When we empty ourselves and submit to this anointing, we abide in the good land; when we resist it, we become captives to Babylon, just as Israel once did.
The Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God. In Him, the fallen nature of the entire old creation in Adam is being transformed, and God’s original thought and intention for humanity are being recovered. Man is being reconstituted according to the principle of the Lamb and will, in the end, be conformed to His very nature. In the coming ages we will be filled with the Lamb’s mind, emotion, and will. The New Jerusalem is the bride of the Lamb.
By nature we neither lay down our soul-life nor choose life; doing so takes a strength we lack—something from another nature. The world enthrones self, mocks meekness, and urges us to assert our rights; that road is a dead end. The Lamb opens a new and living way: “Like a lamb led to the slaughter, and like a sheep silent before its shearers, He did not open His mouth” (Isa. 53:7). Is the Lamb weak? Absolutely not—there is no strength like His. We know this strength only when we resist the spirit of this age and take the opposite way.
Today we may feel many stirrings from our environment—irritability, flare-ups, indignation of the soul. Amid these natural reactions, telling our soul, “Look away. Be reduced. Submit,” is costly, continual warfare. The Lamb’s way is the cross: the steady crucifixion of the soul-life, taking every fleshly thought captive and bringing it under the rule of the spirit.
“They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” God permits repeated, deepening trials for the joint-heirs with Christ so that the self—the soul life—is progressively reduced. In the measure we are emptied, we come to know the power of His resurrection. At times He leads us into anguish and despair, to the end of ourselves—a wilderness where only God is. When we turn our hearts and look away to Him, His resurrection power intervenes and lifts us above it all. Then we can say, “Now I know—this is no theory or doctrine, but the power of His resurrection. Truly, death cannot hold the resurrection life.”