Surrender and Giving Control in Christian Thought: Scriptural Roots, Modern Interpretations, and the Quest for Spiritual Maturity Introduction The theological concept of surrender—or giving control to God—occupies a prominent place in the modern Christian consciousness. From pulpits, in devotional material, songs, and across a multitude of Christian traditions, believers are often exhorted to “surrender their lives to Christ,” to “give up control." This is often expressed as a “come to the end of yourselves,” experience. These exhortations, frequently couched in emotive and urgent language, invite believers to a posture of yielding, releasing, and letting go. Yet, when this language is measured against the actual vocabulary, teachings, and emphases of the Greek New Testament, important questions emerge: How biblically grounded are the concepts of “surrender” and “giving control”? Does such language reflect the spiritual vision of the earliest Christian church and scripture, or...