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,” or to “come to the end of themselves.” 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 scriptures, or does it indicate a drift from the foundational teachings, especially as found in key passages like Romans 6, Romans 8, and Romans 12:1–2? Furthermore, what are the dangers of a deficient scriptural foundation in faith and love, and how might this affect spiritual maturity?

This essay systematically explores these questions by conducting an extensive analysis of the Greek New Testament terminology, an exegetical study of central Pauline texts, a review of historical and modern theological developments, and a critical assessment of the effects of doctrine on spiritual growth. The inquiry will illuminate the origins and scriptural limits of the “surrender” motif and advance a richer understanding of how maturity through truth and love constitutes the heart of Christian transformation.

Greek New Testament Terms for ‘Surrendering’ and ‘Giving Control’

Lexical Study: Paradidomi, Ekdotos, and Related Terms

The modern vernacular of surrender—implying an absolute relinquishment or “giving up” of one’s will—is not directly native to the primary Greek vocabulary of the New Testament. The closest terms are generally paradidomi (παραδίδωμι), meaning “to deliver over,” “to hand over,” or even “to betray,” and ekdotos (ἔκδοτος), often translated as “given up” or “delivered” specifically in relation to Jesus being handed over for crucifixion.

Paradidomi appears in various contexts, notably to describe Jesus' betrayal (e.g., Matthew 26:2) and Paul’s handing over of traditions to the church (1 Corinthians 11:23). The nuance here involves an active handing over, often with negative connotations (betrayal, judicial deliverance), rather than the positive, willful yielding implied by “surrender” in modern Christian language. Ekdotos is even more limited, strongly referencing the divine handing over of Christ and never used prescriptively for believers in the sense of “yielding control”.

Enkrateia (ἐγκράτεια), meaning “self-control” or mastery over oneself, stands in marked contrast to “giving up control” and, in fact, is celebrated as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), suggesting that Christian maturity is characterized by an increasing capacity for self-governance under God, not a passive forfeiting of one’s agency.

Absence of a Direct “Surrender” Motif in Koine Greek Christian Usage

Commentators note the Greek New Testament more commonly commands believers to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), “walk by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), or “put off the old self” (Ephesians 4:22), language emphasizing intentional activeness and participation. While there is an undeniable call to submission (hupotasso) and obedience (hupakoe), these terms involve active, conscious alignment with God’s will, rather than the passive resignation modern “surrender” language may imply.

The contemporary Christian appropriation of “surrender” and “giving control” as spiritual ideals is thus, at best, a secondary development. It lacks a robust, direct linguistic foundation in the Greek New Testament. This gap has caused some scholars to question whether the call to “surrender” reflects the Bible’s deepest invitation, or whether it constitutes an interpretive overlay influenced by later traditions, emotionalist expressions, or pietistic spirituality.

The Biblical Concept of Surrender in the New Testament: Textual and Thematic Analysis

Surrender as Submission, Not Abdication

While the Greek New Testament does not explicitly employ “surrender” as a keyword, the spiritual reality to which surrender points—submission to God’s authority, yielding one’s will, sanctification—remains deeply present. Biblical surrender is best defined not as the abandonment of selfhood or agency, but as the conscious and continuous act of submitting one’s life under God’s lordship. Christ’s words in Gethsemane, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), embody this voluntary alignment, but even here, the agency of the person is vital, not dissolved.

The biblical portrait sees believers called not to paralyzing passivity, but to “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow” (Mark 8:34), involving both active negation of the old self and the positive pursuit of obedience. Scripturally, the nuances are critical: “surrender” is not about erasing personhood or initiative but about a dynamic partnership, as one becomes progressively transformed (metamorphoo) by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2).

And put on the new man, the one created according to the true God in righteousness and holiness of truth (Ephesians 4:24).

What is abandoned or surrendered or left behind or put off is the old man. And in its place is put on the new man, the one transformed, renewed of mind so that has a mind like Christ's mind.

Modern Appropriation: Is “Giving Control” a Scriptural Imperative?

Many modern sermons urge believers “to give God control,” an idiom not found in explicit biblical commands. While passages urge trusting in God, dependence on Christ, and reliance on the Spirit, the expectation is always that such reliance will empower and activate the believer towards righteousness and service. In other words truth in love grows us up into mature adulthood.

The idea that spirituality is a process of “letting go and letting God” (a formula popularized in 20th-century revivalist and Keswick spirituality) is notably absent from apostolic teaching and, in some readings, potentially at odds with biblical calls to vigilance, endeavor, and perseverance.

Exegesis of Romans 6:12–14: Dying to Sin, Living in Grace

Key Greek Terms and Flow of Argument

Romans 6 stands as one of the foundational chapters for understanding Paul’s vision of transformation. Verses 12–14 specifically exhort:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present (paristemi, παριστημι) your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life…” (ESV).

The choice of paristemi—“to present, to place at one’s disposal”—underscores the volitional, conscious act of devotion, not a mystical passive state.

Analysis: The Dynamics of Submission

Paul’s picture is not of abdication but of redirected loyalty: believers are not controlled by sin but are to exercise active choice in aligning their bodies and desires with God’s purposes, understanding it is God at work in them to to according to his will. The call is to decisively “stop yielding” to sin and instead “offer” one’s faculties to God. The concept is fundamentally participatory; God provides grace, but believers are urged to continually partner with that grace in how they live. Grace provides the means for God's power to work.

Soteriological and Ethical Implications

Romans 6 presents a theology of union with Christ; the believer has died to sin’s dominion, is resurrected to newness of life, and now must actively embody this new reality. There is no appeal to self-annihilation, but a distinction between the past self, the old man, and the new self in Christ. Instead, the believer’s will is continually reoriented, disciplined, and matured in concert with the Spirit. “Surrender” only meaningfully occurs in the context of an awakened and directed will that actively resists sin and chooses fidelity.

Exegesis of Romans 8:1–17: Life in the Spirit and True Liberation

The Framework of Romans 8

Romans 8 advances Paul’s argument from law to gospel, leading into the liberated life “in the Spirit.” The key text, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death,” rapidly moves from justification to the ongoing process of sanctification.

Agency, Dependency, and Spiritual Empowerment

Paul’s vision in Romans 8 is not of a disengaged believer relinquishing all effort, but of a person now empowered by the indwelling Spirit to “put to death the deeds of the body” (v.13). The phrase “walk according to the Spirit” (peripatein kata pneuma) implies intentionality—living in step with, cooperating with, and being shaped by the new principle of the Spirit.

Paul does contrast “flesh” (sarx) with “Spirit,” but calls the believer to active living. The Spirit aids, counsels, and empowers, yet the believer must make choices daily—setting the mind on the things of the Spirit, refusing the slavery of fear, and crying “Abba, Father” in conscious relationship to God.

Now, if you live according to the flesh you will certainly die. Now, if the Spirit puts to death the deeds of the body, you live. For those led by the Spirit of God, these exist the sons of God (Romans 8:13-14)

The concept of maturing, growing up in Christ is prominent in new testament writings. It is clearly seen in Romans 8. The Spirit is a Spirit of Adoption that cries Abba Father, and testifies that we are children (teknon), Romans 8:16, and those who are led by the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the flesh exist sons (hyios). Child and son are two different Greek words that imply maturity and growth from child to son.

On “Surrender” and Spirit-Led Agency

Neither the language nor the thrust of Romans 8 supports a theology of total self-abandonment. Rather, grace and responsibility mutually reinforce one another: “If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live…” (Rom. 8:13). The passage envisages a maturity where agency is neither denied nor idolized, but is increasingly conformed to God through the Spirit’s enabling.

Exegesis of Romans 12:1–2: Living Sacrifice and the Transformed Mind

Classical Interpretation

Romans 12:1–2 is a locus classicus for both traditional Christian ethics and contemporary calls to surrender:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present (paristemi) your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (metamorphousthe) by the renewal of your mind…” (ESV).

Presenting and Transforming: The Action-Oriented Call

The key verbs—present, be transformed, renew—are intense, dynamic, and intentional. The sacrificial motif is not one of passivity but of total, living engagement: all of one’s self, will, body, intellect, and desires are offered in conscious worship. The transformation (metamorphosis) comes through renewal of the mind, reinforcing that Christian maturity involves rigorous thinking, discernment, and willingness.

Notably, the biblical concept here is not identical to surrendering control; instead, it is an all-encompassing, conscious yielding to God’s purposes for the sake of holiness and discernment.

Surrendering and giving control in and of itself without God's involvement can be dangerous. Jesus tells of the demon who left a man and though the house or mind was cleaned it was unoccupied thus it returned with seven other demons and the man was seven times worse (Mathew 12:43-45). The parable illustrates the importance of not just removing evil but also filling the void with positive spiritual practices and the Holy Spirit to prevent a more severe re-possession

The Will of God: Discernment and Vital Agency

Romans 12:2 emphasizes discernment—knowing, testing, and approving God’s will—demanding the cultivation of a mature, active mind. The believer’s renewal is not a bypassing of intellect or volition but their sanctification. The text resists any call to anti-intellectualism or undue passivity, focusing instead on the robust, living engagement with God’s will in every domain.

Foundational Teachings in Faith and Love: The Bedrock of Spiritual Maturity

Scriptural Centrality of Faith and Love

The New Testament is unequivocal: maturity finds its roots in faith (“the assurance of things hoped for,” Hebrews 11:1) and love (“the greatest of these is love,” 1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith is an unwavering trust in God’s reliability, rooted in knowledge of His character and promises; love is the highest expression of conformity to Christ.

Paul’s apostolic prayers consistently return to these touchstones. Ephesians 3:17–18: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you… may have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

The Church’s growth depends fundamentally on a lived apprehension of God’s truth and the outworking of love in community.

Maturity as the Integration of Truth and Love

Spiritual maturity is depicted as “growing up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ… speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15–16). The Greek here underscores an ongoing, participatory process: "alētheuontes en agapē"—“truthing in love.” Individuals and communities mature insofar as they ground their identity in faithful trust and outpouring love for God and fellow believers.

The neglect of foundational teachings on faith and love leaves believers spiritually vulnerable, restless, and susceptible to less biblical paradigms—such as passive surrender or mystical resignation—rather than transformative partnership with God.

Spiritual Maturity in Scripture: What Does Growing Up in Christ Look Like?

Biblical Descriptions of Maturity

The New Testament employs several interrelated images for maturity: moving from “milk” to “solid food” (Hebrews 5:12–14), putting away childish ways (1 Corinthians 13:11), and achieving the “unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood” (Ephesians 4:13). Maturity is measured not by mystical experiences or emotional highs and lows but by steadfastness, discernment, and sacrificial love.

Core Characteristics

Spiritual maturity involves:

A deepening grasp of biblical truth, resulting in doctrinal stability.
Growth in Christlike character, especially the virtues of faith, hope, and love.
The ability to discern and approve good from evil through trained spiritual perception.
Service of others, motivated by love and rooted in humility.

These attributes require the cultivation of mind, heart, and action—not the negation of will nor the passive surrender of responsibility.

Scriptural Maturity and the Role of Submission

Submission is part of Christian maturity—but scripturally, it is active and thoughtful. The mature Christian yields to God’s direction willingly, adjusts desires through Spirit-led discipline, and participates actively in the redemptive work God initiates.

Barriers to Spiritual Growth and Harmful Doctrines

The Consequences of Shallow Teaching

A recurring theme in both New Testament epistles and contemporary analysis is the danger posed by inadequate spiritual formation. Believers lacking instruction in foundational truths often substitute emotionally charged or culturally popular ideas for real, scriptural transformation. Modern churches that avoid doctrine or downplay theological substance inadvertently encourage immature patterns—spiritual dependency, susceptibility to fads, and, relevantly, an uncritical embrace of “surrender” as passivity.

Seven Common Barriers

According to analysis and teaching resources, the main barriers to growth include:

Lack of Clear Biblical Teaching: Without grounding in truth, Christians stay children and resort to pious-sounding platitudes.
Superficial Relationships and Community: Absence of loving, formative relationships stunts growth.
Avoidance of Personal Responsibility: Misreading surrender or repentance as relinquishing all action leaves believers inert.
Legalism: Focusing on rule-keeping or principles instead of faith and love.
Emotionalism: The elevation of subjective emotional experiences above biblical truth, leads to worship that is driven by feelings rather than God's revealed Word.
Neglect of The Spirit of truth: No spiritual involvement, no maturing. There is a Spirit of truth and one of error, the Spirit of God guides us to abide in his words, the truth, as this is where freedom and wisdom in regards to renewing our mind occurs.
Unresolved Sin or Idolatry: Sin breaks fellowship with God and others. This is a problem of teaching and correct doctrine without a proper foundation children will not endure unto maturity.
Serving From Maturity: Christ gives gifts to men for the purpose of building up the church, which is stated in Ephesians 4 to build up children, which implies he gives gifts to those who are mature. Someone must know the path to maturity before they can teach others the way.

Here, doctrine matters intensely: incorrect interpretations of scripture, in regards to “surrender” and “control” and other concepts like repentance can become spiritual barriers, not promoting the engagement God in changing desires.

The “End of Yourself” Doctrine

In some modern teaching streams, the concept of “coming to the end of yourself” is presented as the necessary gateway to God’s power—believers must reach a point of total exhaustion, despair, or helplessness before God will work mightily.

While a sense of dependence is biblical, the notion that hopeless defeat is spiritually mandatory finds little resonance in key scriptural passages. Instead, the Bible presents God’s call as an ongoing relationship in which believers, even in weakness, are invited to participate, obey, and act with confidence.

When we do away with proper teaching and application of scripture we end up with many who have to come to an end of themselves before God can do anything. If we were to follow God's way, and what is clearly defined scripturally as our reasonable service, we can forgo much of the pain. What Paul experienced as a "wretched state," he gives us guidelines to avoid. As we proactively engage in abiding in truth and love we are transformed. As we mature the old self is put away by the Spirit of truth.

Modern Christian Teachings on Surrender: Comparison and Critique

Contemporary Interpretations

“Christian surrender” now serves as an umbrella for various spiritual practices, from moments of personal crisis to ongoing posture in daily life. Devotional material, sermons, and popular Christian books employ images of “letting go,” “hands off the wheel,” and “allowing God to take over” as spiritual ideals. These expressions, while sometimes helpful in challenging pride or self-reliance, frequently drift toward suggesting that God works only when human will is absent.

This teaching is amplified in worship songs, recovery ministries (“Let go and let God”), and the language of “yielding control.” On the more mystical end, some teachers equate “absolute surrender” with spiritual passivity, discouraging believers from initiative or discernment. However, others, such as C.S. Lewis, nuance “surrender” as an active surrendering of self-will—choosing God even when it is costly, not ceasing to choose altogether.

The scriptures tell us self-denial is not a complete denial of self but of the old man for the purpose transformation and putting on the new self created in the likeness of God. The old fleshly nature is opposed to the new spiritual nature, using the mind to lead us into things we do not want to do.

The Dangers of Misapplied Surrender Theology

The risk is significant: if surrender is equated with the relinquishing of human personality, thought, or action, the result can be apathy, codependency, or drift into spiritual lethargy. Instead of mature freedom, believers may become dependent on crises, emotional highs, or human mediators to “take control” of their lives. This is contrary to the biblical vision of responsible, Spirit-filled living.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery leading back to fear, rather, you received a Spirit of adoption in whom cries Abba Father! The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit because we exist children of God (Romans 8:15-16)

“Coming to the End of Ourselves”: Scriptural Examination

Scriptural Usage

The idea of surrender is not used nor taught in scripture, though some appeal to the experiences of figures like Moses, Elijah, or Paul as examples of spiritual exhaustion or surrender. However, in the biblical narrative, such turning points are usually less about despair and more about a radical reorientation toward trust and obedience—even in weakness—rather than the cessation of personal agency.

Paul’s declaration, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10), exemplifies a theology of strength-in-dependence, where human insufficiency is met with divine empowerment, but Paul always continues to act, preach, and serve, trusting God’s power to sustain him. The New Testament motif, then, is not resignation but reliance-infused agency.

Theological Repercussions

Advocating “the end of self” as the summit of surrender divorces spiritual experience from the biblical pattern of maturity. The danger is twofold: believers may either become spiritually stagnant (in the name of waiting for God) or constantly chase emotional crises instead of growing roots in faith and love. Scripture, by contrast, calls for an ongoing process of growth, engagement, and responsible stewardship of one’s life.

Historical Development of the Surrender Doctrine

From Pietism to Modern Evangelicalism

The language of surrender entered Christian vocabulary in force through the pietist movements of the 17th and 18th centuries. Later Holiness and Keswick traditions (late 19th and early 20th centuries) refined these motifs, advocating the doctrine of “entire sanctification” or “second blessing,” often connected to moments of total surrender or giving up. Revivalists from D.L. Moody to Bill Bright advanced methodologies where a “surrendered life” was both the means and mark of deep spiritual renewal.

Surrender language became commonplace in popular hymnody—“I Surrender All”—and then migrated, largely unexamined, into the theological consciousness of evangelicalism globally. However, original Reformation and patristic traditions placed equal, if not greater, emphasis on active faith, reasoned obedience, and the slow, communal process of sanctification through word and sacrament. Thus, the equation of surrender with biblical fidelity is historically partial and must be seen within the wider development of Christian spirituality.

Doctrinal Caution

Recent theologians urge caution, emphasizing the need to temper “surrender” language with the biblical stress on discipleship, obedience, and perseverance. When “giving control” is uncoupled from responsible engagement, immaturity or even spiritual abuse can result, as believers are discouraged from thinking, questioning, or discerning truth. Which can dangerously lead to cults and abuse of authority.

Theological Emphasis on Maturity Through Truth and Love

Harmonizing Surrender and Spiritual Responsibility

The recurring biblical vision is one of mature partnership with God. The goal is not the erasure of human will, but its sanctification: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Maturity means learning to walk in the fullness of faith and love—trusting God deeply, loving others sacrificially, thinking biblically, and serving diligently.

Truth grounds love; love manifests the reality of truth. In John 17:17, Jesus prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Christian growth depends on the robust integration of revealed truth and enacted love. The inescapable conclusion is that any teaching—whether “surrender” or otherwise—that neglects these two poles short-circuits true spiritual maturity.

Pastoral and Discipleship Implications

Churches and leaders are responsible for cultivating communities where believers grow in faithful trust, doctrinal understanding, and practical love. Preaching and teaching must move beyond “easy surrender” language to foster resilience, discernment, and transformation. The model is not passivity but the mature interplay of dependent trust and courageous engagement.

Comparative Table: Biblical Terms and Modern Concepts of Surrender

Greek NT Term / Concept	English Rendering	Typical Biblical Use	Modern Surrender Language	Key Difference
paradidomi (παραδίδωμι)	To deliver/hand over	Betrayal, judicial handover	“Give up control”	NT has negative/legal nuance
ekdotos (ἔκδοτος)	Given up/delivered	Jesus handed over to death	“Surrendered”	Not prescribed for believers
paristemi (παριστημι)	To present (offer)	Offer self to God/others	“Yield”/“present”	Stresses active participation
enkrateia (ἐγκράτεια)	Self-control	Spiritual fruit, discipline	—	Contrasts with “lose control”
hupotasso (ὑποτάσσω)	To submit	Order under authority	“Submit/yield”	Calls for active engagement

The table above illustrates that the words and concepts most proximate to modern “surrender” do not, in fact, invite passivity or resignation. Rather, the call to spiritual maturity involves conscious, volitional alignment with God’s purposes, always energized by faith and love. Modern surrender language, unless carefully nuanced, risks misrepresenting the New Testament’s vigorous, participatory vision.

Conclusion: Toward a Mature, Biblically Rooted Spirituality

This survey has demonstrated that the language of “surrender” and “giving control” is not native to the Greek New Testament nor its primary theological motifs. While there is a core reality of biblical surrender—a life yielded to God’s authority, reshaped by faith and animated by love—the language and framework are fundamentally active, participatory, and founded upon a partnership with the living God. The Pauline texts, especially Romans 6, 8, and 12:1–2, urge believers to conscious engagement in a supernatural act of transformation: to present one’s body, renew the mind, and live by the Spirit.

Where foundational teaching in faith and love is lacking, believers may drift into doctrines of passive surrender or irresponsible abdication—forms of spirituality that hinder true maturity. The recurring image of “coming to the end of oneself” is largely an interpretive development, secondary to the biblical call to grow up in truth and love.

Therefore, the Christian journey is not about the abandonment of personality or will, but about its transformation. The paradox of biblical spirituality is that, by actively offering ourselves to God—mind, will, and body—we become most truly ourselves (the new man and identity in Christ as a new creation) participating in the life and mission of God. Surrender only realizes its true shape when rooted in a mature encounter with truth and lived out through love. This is the path to authentic Christian growth, as envisioned by the apostles and modeled in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

In sum, Christian maturity does not flourish where believers merely “give up,” but where they grow up—anchored in truth, motivated by love, and fully engaged in the glorious partnership God set before them.