3 Reasons Why We Don’t Surrender to God
When I was writing my book, something kept happening.
My AI grammar checker kept correcting me.
Again and again, it suggested the same change: “You should say surrender to God.”
At first, I ignored it. Then I decided to do a Bible study on surrender.
As I was writing my book, I realised something. I was talking about having an active relationship with God, but the word surrender didn’t fit. It describes a passive response—and that’s what was frustrating me.
But this wasn’t a new idea for me. I’d grown up with this language. I’d probably even preached it. Some of my favourite worship songs were built around surrendering to God.
Yet for the first time in my life, I stopped and asked: What does the Bible actually say about surrender?
And I was astonished by what I found.
Eventually, I decided to test what I was seeing in Scripture and ask a few others.
I asked a friend who had served in the military, “Should we surrender to God?”
He didn’t hesitate.
“No. You only surrender to the enemy.”
That answer stayed with me. So I went back to Scripture. I looked at the Hebrew. I looked at the Greek. And what I found wasn’t just interesting—it was clarifying.
It led me to this conclusion:
We never surrender to God.
Not because we lack devotion.
But because the word itself may not mean what we think it means.
Because the issue isn’t devotion.
It’s definition.
1. Surrender is a response to an enemy
Surrender is a military term.
It describes what happens when one side is defeated and gives control to another. It belongs to conflict, opposition, and loss.
But God is not our enemy.
In Scripture, language associated with surrender is most often used in contexts of defeat, humiliation, or subjugation—not relationship.
If our language toward God is shaped by defeat, we risk misunderstanding the nature of the relationship He invites us into.
2. Surrender is passive — relationship is active
Surrender implies being overtaken. Captured. Overpowered.
But the call of God is not something that happens to you. It is something you actively respond to.
Throughout Scripture, the language is different:
- Hear and obey
- Walk with God
- Remain
- Follow
- Serve
These are not passive words. They describe participation.
God invites us into an active relationship, not one where we lose control. It is one where we fully engage it.
3. Surrender removes responsibility — the call requires it
To surrender is to hand everything over.
Responsibility shifts. The outcome is no longer yours.
But the call of God does not remove responsibility—it calls for it.
You respond.
You step.
You align.
The call is not about escape. It is about alignment. And alignment requires your ongoing participation, not your withdrawal.
Where did this language come from?
Interestingly, “surrender” is not a dominant biblical word in the way we use it today.
In the Old Testament, there is no single Hebrew word that consistently translates to “surrender” in a relational sense. Words like kana‘ (to be subdued), naphal (to fall), and natan (to give over) are used—but in contexts of defeat, not devotion.
In contrast, relational language dominates: shama‘ (hear and obey), halak (walk), dabaq (cling), avad (serve).
Even in the New Testament, the word “surrender” appears only occasionally in English translations—and never as a core instruction for how we relate to God. For example, 1 Corinthians 13:3 speaks of giving up one’s body, but not as a relational posture toward God.
The language is familiar—but not always precise.
Historically, the word gained traction in Christian vocabulary in the early 20th century. As warfare became more structured, surrender came to mean raising your hands, becoming a prisoner of war, and eventually being released.
That imagery carried over into church life. It even helped explain physical expressions like raised hands—seen as a sign of surrender.
But familiarity does not always equal accuracy.
So what is the better word?
Yield.
Yielding is active.
Surrender is passive.
Yielding is not defeat—it is direction.
Not capture—but choice.
Not loss—but alignment.
You don’t surrender to God as an enemy.
You yield to God as a son or daughter.
You don’t hand over responsibility.
You step into it.
You don’t collapse.
You respond.
Final Thought
The goal is not to remove devotion—it is to refine it.
Because the language we use shapes the way we live.
And when it comes to God, the invitation has never been to surrender in defeat…
…but to respond in relationship with Him.
— Dr Brendan Roach
It’s My Call
Ready to take the next step?
Discover more about living aligned with God’s call in It’s My Call by Dr Brendan Roach.
👉 Read more at: itsmycall.au