Susanna Krizo

Mark you wrote: “I’m interested to hear how you believe you have answered Grudem’s challenge. Can you explain how James 4:4-10 is reciprocal submission with no authority? Can you explain how 1 Peter 3 is mutual submission with no authority? Can you flesh out how you believe the apostolic fathers were teaching an egalitarian mutual submission with no authority?”
Absolutely, dear brother Mark! Oh by the way I am the third egal who is not pentecostal. At present I am Presbyterian but about to become a Free Methodist (due to moving to a Free Methodist conference Center).
Let’s start with Jas 4. If hypotasso means subjection to authority, we have a huge problem with this verse since it would mean that as long as we do not submit to God and are in allegiance with the devil we have authority over God. Does it make sense? I didn’t think so. The antonym of hypotasso is antitasso (to resist). I.e as long as submit (are friends with) to the devil, we resist God. When we submit to God, we automatically resist the devil. The same is found in Rom 13: either you submit to the civil government, or you resist it. The text does not say that you have the choice of either having authority over the civil government or submitting to it. The choice is either to submit or to resist the government. Note also that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble; the civil governments will resists the lawbreaker and give praise to the one who does good. There is a parallel and it is the key to the question you asked. The one who submits, i.e. does not resist, is praised, the one who resists is him or herself resisted. In both cases the issue is not about usurping authority (as 1 Tim 2 is falsely translated) but the choice we all have in either agreeing with or resisting the other party. The civil authorities function within agreed rules and limits, i.e. they are not to seek selfish gain, and their submission to the people is seen in how they perform their task. If they seek personal gain, they have become tyrants and the Bible explicitly condemns tyrants. God has all authority as our Creator, but in the case of Jas 4 it is not his authority that is the question: it is our personal allegiance that is the question. We can choose to love God or follow the devil. Note that chapter 4 begins with the condemnation of adultery: the Christian community has committed adultery in that they have loved the world (and the devil) instead of God. This is significant for our understanding of Eph 5: Adultery is a breach of the love and devotion a wife owes her husband. I.e. resist all other temptations and submit to your husband as he submits (loves and remains devoted) to you. In Jas 4 the cure is to submit to God and resist the devil. This would not be possible if there was a hierarchy.