ROMANS 8 applies to those who love God and know Christ. I want EVERYONE to experience the blessings and promises of God!
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:28-39
The promises of God’s Word are for those who are willing to obey Jesus in everything. He asks for our total surrender. He gave up His life completely for us, now, we give up our lives completely for Him:
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:24-26
MY AUDIENCE:
I am writing primarily for those women who love Jesus wholeheartedly (or who want to learn to love Him this way) and have been called according to His purpose. I am also writing for those who are hurting, lonely, lost, discouraged, depressed and searching for answers who desperately need to hear about Jesus – as we ALL do!
Some of the principles from God’s Word may be of some benefit to unbelievers – like a wife showing respect to her husband. Men are generally hardwired to desire and respond to respect more than to respond to disrespect, just like women are generally hardwired to desire and respond to love. And reducing sin (things God says are wrong in His Word) always blesses any relationship. But the reason biblical submission “works” is that we are first completely submitted to Christ as Lord. Then we can receive His promise to use all things for our good and for His glory – even if a wife’s husband is far from God.
Will submission “work” for an unbelieving wife?
For many women, the definition of these things “working” is that they can control their husbands and make them do what they want them to. That is not what this journey is about at all.
The principles of the Bible always work – whether a person is a believer or not. So, any wife may benefit to some degree if she honors her husband’s leadership (although, if he has an active addiction, or is being very abusive or is mentally unstable – please seek godly, experienced help from someone you can trust!) But when a believer obeys God and walks by faith in Jesus Christ, that person can trust God’s sovereignty and cling to God’s promises all throughout the Bible. That is what I want for each of you!
However, sometimes God will use a person’s willingness to try to obey Him to bring them to Himself. I don’t ever want to discourage anyone from attempting to obey God even before they come to Christ. EVERYONE is welcome and invited to read my blog! (please check out Sarah’s comments for an incredible testimony about this issue and how God used her submission to her husband to bring her to Christ!)
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Please catch that. God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
If someone is just trying to get “marriage advice” and they are not trying to earnestly seek Jesus, they miss out on the greatest blessings and promises of God. They may benefit from the principles to a degree. But I long for each of you to experience the greatest blessings!
It is my prayer that each person who reads my blog may come to know Christ Jesus. But, if you try to apply what I talk about apart from living fully for Christ, I think you may be frustrated. As you are willing to put your faith and trust in Jesus, He is able to empower you so that you can do this thing!
If a woman does not know Christ Jesus as her Savior and Lord, that is her greatest need! This one decision determines each person’s eternal destiny. Then, once she comes to know Him and yields her life to Him, she can begin to apply biblical principles through the power of her faith in Jesus and God’s Spirit living in and working through her. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be a godly wife in our own human strength.
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” John 17:1-5
If you have never received the gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus will give to you – through the biblical gospel...which is that He died in your place for what many will call "the wrong things you have done" and in a way are right...they ARE wrong...but which is actually called SIN against our Creator and God, how Christ paid YOUR penalty on the cross by paying your sin debt to God, and how God raised Him back to life so that those who trust in Him might also be raised to life forever with Him in heaven, I invite you to check out http://needgod.com/001.shtml .
ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...you most assuredly are not "the only one". God says ALL and He means all. So no, you are not beyond God's redemption through Christ alone. And on the flip side of that...while the old crutch of "nobody's perfect" is a timeless favorite....it does nothing to escape that fact nor solve your eternal problem, which is without the biblical Christ as your genuine Savior and LORD, you stand condemned to hell right now as a result of your sin against God...so, take a deep breath, know that many of us have sinned FAR worse then you, or not as bad as you...but the ground is level at the foot of the cross, and all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved, and go to Need God...because you do...we all do. And there is only one way to Him as Father, and not as righteous Judge. Jesus says clearly "Repent and believe"....won't you do that when such grace can be made available to you today? <3
Reblogged from a very good blog for women who seek to honor Christ and obey God in their marriages...
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