Capitulation—The Counterfeit of True Submission
“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey—either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” — Romans 6:16
Dearest Daughters,
There is a counterfeit of submission that’s important to see clearly, because it often disguises itself as obedience. It’s called capitulation.
In the military, capitulation refers to what happens in a battle when the weaker side admits that a particular skirmish has been lost. The enemy was stronger or smarter in that moment, and so the fight is conceded. But the war itself is not over. Capitulation is not surrender of the heart—it is only a reluctant nod to the immediate outcome, while still holding on to one’s own lordship. This will ultimately lead to guerrilla warfare.
True surrender is different. In surrender, a nation lays down its arms and confesses that it has been conquered. No longer fighting under its own banner, it comes under the government and authority of a new king. That’s what real submission looks like—not just losing arguments or conceding battles, but acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord over your whole life, and that His kingdom is now your country.
Capitulation in the relationships of God’s design, however, is an insidious form of rebellion. It looks harmless, but it hides self-rule. Think of a nation that signs a peace treaty but secretly hides weapons in barns and cellars, ready to rise up again when the moment is right. On the outside, they look like they’ve submitted. In reality, they are only waiting for their chance to resist again.
Or imagine a child or wife who avoids doing the one thing their parent or husband asks by filling the day with ten other “good” tasks. Outwardly she looks busy and devoted, but in truth she has resisted the one obedience that mattered in that moment. That is capitulation disguised as diligence or sacrifice. And the nature of this type of “guerrilla warfare” is that it nibbles away at God’s purpose and every relationship He would build.
The Lord has already spoken about this kind of heart: “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me’” (Matt. 15:7-8). He does not want mere outward compliance, but a heart bowed to Him in sincere love.
Jesus showed us the opposite. He did not merely concede a skirmish. He laid aside His glory, stepped into our weakness and mortality, and surrendered Himself fully to the Father’s will—even to the point of the cross. His submission was not begrudging; it was the ultimate expression of love.
You will have opportunities every day to decide whether you are merely conceding a moment or truly surrendering to the King. Capitulation clings to self and wears the mask of obedience. True submission bows the heart, lays down every hidden weapon, and says, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
With all my love,
Mom
