Craig

Mark said

While the word ‘serve’ can (and did) have non-authority usages, it is harder to see how that can be done with the ‘submission’ words without changing their base meaning in a way that then doesn’t make sense in their non-biblical usage. ‘Obeying your instructions’ ‘Bowing the knee’ etc becomes ‘put you first and meet your needs’.

See above

That’s what Peter is telling slaves to do in 1 Peter 2:18? There’s no indications of submitting to authority there? It’s putting the master first and meeting his needs? It’s what he is saying in 2:13-15 to Christians generally with regards human rulers of different kinds? It’s what Paul is saying in Roman 13:1ff on the same topic?

In the case of slaves in 1 Peter 2:18, do we know that the slave is under authority because the word submit is used? No, I don’t think so. We know he is under authority because of what we know of the culture at the time. Slaves were under the authority of their masters. Do we know that this authority is divinely established because he is told to submit? No, we have to study the rest of scripture to determine if that is the case.
For the king and governors in 1 Peter 2:13 do we know that they have authority just because the word submit is used? No, I don’t think so. We know from our knowledge of the culture at the time that the king had authority. Christians were under the authority of the king. Do we know that this authority is divinely established (divine right of kings) because the word submit is used? No, we need to search the scriptures and study to see if this is so.
Likewise, I think this same reasoning would apply to husbands and wives in 1 Peter 3.
I think you may be placing more meaning and significance to the word submit than it actually carries in and of itself.