13, "And a woman who has a husband that is unbelieving, if willing to live with her, let her not divorce him 14, For the unbelieving husbend is santified through the believing wife."
Onother one is:
1 Corinth 10:18-21
18,"....Are not those who eat of the sacrifice partakers of the altar? 19, What am I saying then? That an idol is anything? Or what is offered to idols is anything? 20, Rather that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demonds and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with demonds 21, You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demonds; you cannot partake of the Lords table and of the demonds."
Please share how possible is it for a wife to keep an unsaved husband without being won over to evil through submission,
1 Cor 10: 30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 32Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 33Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Beloved, You see the act of submission begins with communication. When a wife humbly comes and communicates to her husband concerning her heart and the impact a act will have upon her to her husband, if he truly loves his wife he will listen.
He act of respect to her husnad showing him transparency over her emotion and her desire to follow God will be an impact to her husband.
Her expressing her desire for his leadership in the things of faith but also giving respect to him even though he is not able to lead in the things of faith.
A wife exampling humility to her unbelieving husband is the very path that leads to salvation. It is only in humility do we come to God.
The act of submission is not blindly following a mans selfish desires. In a christian marriage the act of submission is before Christ first, right?
A believing spouse when they fulfill the role they are called by God can be the very vessle to lead the unbelieveing spouse to Christ through humility. They are set apart due to the believing spouse and the oneness that God creates between two individuals.
Does God only join believers together in marriage? No He does not. When we vow and consumate a marriage we are joined by God.
The relationship between Christ and the Church is the example of a Godly relationship. Spouses even unbelieving ones desire good marriages also, right?
But in their pride they often do not know How to live such good marriages out, right?
The example of a godly woman or man in a marriage with a unbelieving spouse should be the expression of Gods love toward the unbeliever, right?
By their expression of this love they are partakers of the blessings of Christ, right? Because they have it lived out intimatly before their very eyes, right?
So the act of submission begins with verbal communication. The act of submission shows Christ. Christ leads unbelievers to salvation.
We forget that marriage is about unity. How is it unity for a husband to order a wife around and cause her hurt in desiring her to participate in activities that cause her pain?
Or how is it unity for a wife to resist her husband by being silent?
Is not the silent treatment the thing that women use to punish their husbands?
The act of submission or the lack of it is really quite beautiful when we think about it.
The true act of submission that is and not this man made act that many in the church believe that only leads to a womans destruction.
The destructive act of submission that would make a woman believe she is to follow and do whatever her husband says. This is a lie and from the pit of hell.
You see when a woman is short in knowing what she is thinking and feeling and a husband knows this because she is silent.
His leadership is only this for her. Pray for her and point her to the Chross of Christ. That she might be made free once again and find forgiveness through faith in Christ. In this act if she rebells aginst her husband she then is in great trouble, why?
Because she is now rejecting Christ by not going and submitting her need for redemption to Him.
The beauty in verbal communication and especially listening to God and oneanother is the path way to life eternal. The narrow pathe is this to be still and know I am God, right?
When we are still we are still with self and when we are with self we feel all the crazy emotion that causes us great pain, right? We know not what to do with our pain apart from Christ, right? In stillness Christ can come and redeem a heart of its pain through love, right?
Yes
When we understand the reality of our own vast emotion and what an impact it has upon our actions and the future of our lives in heaven we would consider them before Christ greatly.
What impact would it be if we stopped trying on our own to be Christians and began to submit our hearts and minds before Christ that we might find genuine redemption from the inside out? Redemption through genuine repentence and the changing of our actions through renewed minds.
How many of us try to figure out and become good little christians by huffing and puffing and blowing the bad little sin down on our own and trying to be what other think we should be.
Why not find and be still to understand what the Creator has for us. In the renewing of our degenerate minds and hearts.
Which I am like Paul, as he says the most degenerate.
Who would stand up in a dating forum and confess they are a degenerate? That would be a killer to any one desireing them one might think , right?
But to truly understand our degenerate hearts is to understand love and receive love. Without understanding our need is to not receive the gift.
To the greatest we understand our sin and seek the salvation through the blood is the capacity to see the love of God and then the capacity to love those around us.
Little degeneration and forgiveness = little love received and able to give. Great degeneration and forgiveness = great love received and able to give.
Thank you so so much friend for finaly writting back to my last question to our conversation about marriage. I must have exosted you hey....?
Will surely give you a break for now dear untill I struggle with other passage that i'll need your help with in understanding. You're beyond any words I can ever say in giving thanks for the effort taken in partaking in my posts. You more of a blessing than you can ever know. Thanks again my friendship!
This reply is only focused on your first post,
With no interntions of making this matter difficult or complecated,
I seriously think this is harder than we think. When thinking about it in passing, it seems easy BUT I have a little idea of the practical part of it, Believe me its far more than communication can go. We talking about a soul being won from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, NOW the devil is certainly not happy about this & will surely influence the other innocent part whose still in darkness not to coperate with this other part seeking God's righteousnes.
Before even sharing my personal experience of something similar to this, let's look at the apostle Paul in the book of Acts 16 from verse 16 when reading the whole passage in how he was prisoned for saving the lady who was a fortune teller. It was more than her master being angry that he wasn't gonna make money out of her anymore, that was a spiritual warfare that both parties, the girl & her master didn't know the depth of it, only the apostle Paul did cause he had God's light already.
Same goes with the unsaved husband here, we're talking about two people that are in the covernent, but in different kingdoms. What does light & darkness have incommon that these people should see eye to eye...? The question of religion is sensitive enough on its own, let alone a couple being in different believes. That alone is a division of some kind.
Here goes my story that's a little different from the main asked question, though should give us an example of what I mean when saying this is easier said than done.
(by the way friend this is a continuation of our marriege subject)
Since I have highlighted you of where I'm coming from with abuse & the disfunctions of my family background, this one time I was adopted by my grandmother (my fathers mother) so we could consatrate on our studies me & my twin brother, cause the politics & fights were affecting us when growing up.
My grandmother's a traditional healer & a fortne teller, she was never saved but she loves God. With time it was confirmed that I should take over from her so this carries on to run in the family. I didn't have a problem with that since I didn't know any better as I was a lost soul my self. Agreements were sealed in altars through the sharing of goats & chickens' blood since we didn't know much about Jesus' blood.
In 2008 Jan 17, I was told & accepted Jesus as my personal savior. As I continued to pray, He revealed things that I needed to let go off, the agreement with my grandmother was the top of the list. As calm, humbled & respecting as I was when bringing this matter forth, the practical part of it wasn't as easy as the communication part.
We understood one onother very well when talking about it, she was even happier that I was saved BUT as time passed by the practical part got complecated for her to relate with, till this very day. I'm hoping & praying that she too will eventually be saved.
In short friend, religion & believe/disbelieve has such potential of breaking strong blood relationships, hense Jesus says that He didn't come in peace but to bring division. At times when standing our ground for our relationship with God, matters change from what was spoken off And you being saved should know better of the energies operating through the other part as much as you won't point her/him out as the evil one. (since its energies operating through him/her in opposing you)
That is why i'm saying this is beyond communication.
Again we are talking about marriage , right? Other relationships do not have the same weight as marriage, right?
When Paul write to believers who have unbelieving spouses he tell them as long as they so desire to remain with the believer let them, right? He even goes as far as saying to the believer that if they desire to leave let them, right?
This speaks of the free will of man and women. God does not violate our free will does He not?
Paul write that the believing spouse is not in bondage in such cases, right? So what does this mean then?
Many will tell you that not being in bondage give the believer freedom to remarry but in another place Paul write that it is a command of the Lord to wives to not depart and if they do then they should remain unmarried or reconcile with their husbands.
So we know that the passgae that we are not in bondage is not telling us or giving the right to remarry, right?
What it is telling us or giving us freedom to do is release controll. By releasing our spouse who does not believe they become free to live out their unbelieving life apart from the believer, right?
This stands in the light of who God is, right? God loves people and desires all to come to Him, right? But He also respects the right of people to reject Him, right?
Think about light. Does not light have a greater effect over darkness? Can darkness over come light? No it can not!
Light reveals where darkness hides. People dont love the light or come to the light because they choose to hide. The way to overcome the enemy is easy. Speak truth to him just as jesus did when being tempted in the wilderness, right?
Far to many christians give more power to the kingdom of darkness than to the kingdom of light, why is this? What power is darkness? Darkness is the void of power isnt it? The Sun give light, why? Because it has energy, does it not? When you turn your lights on why do they light up? Because the energy is illuminating the bulb, right?
When you turn out the light and darkness comes what are you doing? You are cutting off the power source, right?
Beloved one, darkness has no power. Darkness only has as much power as we feed it. If we dont feed it then it is powerless. Darkness is easy to overcome, beloved.
With all of the superhero movies coming out these days. This might sound funny or wacked out but we christians are and should really be the heros.
If you think about it if we have a appointed day to die then we are immortal till that time, right? Even if we are harmed in our flesh as we are and have been. The emotional wounds wew endure only derve to strendthen us and make us more Christ like, do they not?
That is why we are more than victors. We are victorious as believers if we are truly in the beloved as children of God.
I am victorious because my foundation is in Christ and as a builder I truly understand the value of a good foundation. People want to be stable and strong that is why we as the gospel should tell people of the good news of the foundation of our lives, right? Strengthen other believers that they might live in victory also, right?
I seek to serve the body here and strengthen the broken hearted through words of edification and instruction in a simple manner.
You are such a blessing to me that you are edified and strengthened. To behold the fruit of my efforts in you is a blessing from God.
Speaking of marriage beloved one. What is Gods standard for you in marriage? As much as you determine your standard is what standard you will live by.
For me I have been on a life time quest to understand and be able to paractically have the standard that God wants for me to express to my wife in marriage.
The quest still continues this day and will never end until i pass into the Kingdom of God prepared for me.
The beautiful thing is this. As I seek understanding in marriage I find understanding in my faith with God. The mariage relationship is so linked with the marriage of Christ and His beloved bride.
The standards I live by today only comes through humility of my life before Christ in whom I fully trust. I am His workmanship with good works pre,prepared for me that I should walk in them, as do you dear one. As do all of those who name the name of Christ.
We as true followers need to raise up above the false believers and mature into good works and live by a standard greater than any standard those of this world can.
The problem is that the false believers would want to drag down the true believers to their standard and tell us what Gods standard is. We see it all around us, dont we?
They want to tell us the standard is living in sin continually having the grace of god covering our sins through salvation. What they fail to realise is with out repentence their is no salvation. Repentence being sorry and changing our standard to what is good.
As the theif on the cross did and changed his way of acting and thinking through repentence. Through repentence he stopped his mocking of Christ and then called Him Lord. Submitting his life to Christs Lorship and asking for Christ to remember him in His Kingdom.
Then the salvation song rang off of Jesus lips. Today you ( will) be with me in paradise, Amen.
Many here in marriage will continue to repeat the cycle of dysfunction in marriage because they excuse their actions away through grace and never repented of their adultries.
They live and look to a false standard because the were taught a false standard.
