This verse highlights an important but often overlooked aspect of Christianity: the hierarchy in the church. To fully understand the verse and the imperative (submit), we have to look at the full verse context.
1 Peter 5:1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Peter first explains the task of elders. The word for elder (used both in verse 1 and 5) is ‘presbyteros’ and it means someone who is advanced in life or older. It is used to describe men having seasoned judgment due to experience and are therefore selected for certain positions. The word is used for example for the members of the Sanhedrin. In the NT, the term is used for the leaders of churches.
So what are the tasks of these elders? They have to shepherd the flock of God. Shepherds lead sheep to pastures so that they get food, and shepherds protect them from dangers. Shephers will have to give account to the owners of the sheep, how well they shephered them. Similarly, elders have to protect and guide the sheep, and they will have to give account to God for how they shepherded His flock (Hebrews 13:17). They have to do their shepherding willingly and eagerly, as servants, and by being examples instead of being bossy. If the elders do their tasks well, God will honor and reward them (verse 4).
Peter next addresses younger people. The word for younger is ‘neos’ and means both young and new. It can refer to people young in age, but also to newer, less mature, Christians. And what is it that these younger people have to do? They have to submit to the elders. The word for submit is ‘hypotasso’ and it comes from ‘hypo’, which means under, and ‘tasso’, which means arranged. So it means to arrange under, to subject. When used in the middle or passive voice, it means to submit oneself. So the English translation is well chosen. Younger/newer people are told to submit to their elders/church leaders.
Peter then describes that everyone in the church has to submit to each other. This form of mutual submission was also preached by Paul (Ephesians 5:21). Peter equates this attitude of submission with humility, and the lack of submission with pride.
A prideful person does not listen to advice and counsel from others, but goes his own independent way, thinking he knows better. But a humble person obeys God and lines up under the authority God placed in his life. When he or she does that, God will give grace (power) and He will care for them. But when they don’t, God will resist them.
So what does submission look like? It means you listen to feedback on your choices of career, spouse, place to live, and other important decisions. It means that you are no longer in control all by yourself of these decisions but instead you frequently have to wait for your authority figures to give you the green light. It means you ultimately place your trust in God and you trust that He will take good care of you through the authority figures He placed in your life. You are no longer the master of your fate nor the captain of your soul. Instead you have given the reigns to God.
Submitting to church leadership and church members is a scary thing. Not many churches operate this way and submission may seem like madness to you. It can also easily be abused (so make sure your elders do their part, see verses 2-4 above). But what is the alternative? If you don’t humbly submit to your church and its elders, the God who created the universe promised that He will proactively work against you. Now choosing that road seems like sheer madness to me.
Godspeed!
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