Women as Worshipers: Living our True Identity

In previous posts we talked about the dress of women. We discussed Biblical modesty.  Modesty begins in the heart.  Let's continue by talking about worship.  How does our concept and practice of worship affect our behavior?  Is God more concerned about the outward behavior or the heart of a woman? Please read with me, Proverbs 4:23: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. ESV. We learned that the natural condition of our heart is full of rebellion toward the ways of God.  The Spirit of God reveals our true condition as one of self-love, envy, bitterness, hatred, pride and anger.  When we are convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, we know we stand guilty before a Holy God.  We discussed the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness which we receive when we are born again of the Spirit of God.  At this time we also receive a new heart.  We receive what I like to call the "heart of Jesus".  The law of God is written on the flesh of our hearts and we are empowered to live a holy life.
Paul writes in Romans 1 verse 16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ESV.
Here is the gospel.  Jesus came to earth, lived a life of perfect obedience to the will of God, died as a perfect sacrifice, once for all, so that parents and children can be forgiven, transformed into a new creation, capable of truly obeying and loving God and others. 
Romans 1 verses 18 through 25 shows that we are all worshipers. We either worship the true and living God or we exchange this true God for the gods of our own imaginations.

 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. ESV.

Let's explore ways we can daily live the gospel and how that is related to our worship. As women we truly want to love God, to love our families, to love our neighbors, to love even our enemies. We are forgiven, so we can forgive others.  This is the gospel.

The gospel begins with the concept of Authority.  God alone is worthy of our highest affections. We belong to God by both creation and redemption. Jesus Christ is alone worthy of our complete devotion.

  

Look with me at two places in the Bible that discuss the position of women in God's creation.  Marriage, a covenant institution of God Himself, is best displayed by husband and wife in the context of the gospel. 

1 Peter chapter 3 has these thoughts:

Wives

 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  

You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, 

the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 

This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.

All Christians

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.  Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.  For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to enjoy life

and see many happy days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil

and your lips from telling lies.

  Turn away from evil and do good.

Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

  The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,

and his ears are open to their prayers.

But the Lord turns his face

against those who do evil.” NLT

See how many commands you can find in this passage. What will you do to begin and continuing obeying? If you are not yet married, or are a widow, you still have those in authority over you.  If you are a mother, this is a good teaching for your relationship with your children of any age.

Since we are focused on the clothing of the woman of God, we will focus on verse four. My thanks to the insights from Strong's and Vine's reference works.

Here is what a 'quiet and gentle spirit' looks like. God's grace and peace enable us to put on the quiet and gentle spirit.  This has nothing to do with our personality.  "Gentle" means "meek".  Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the Old Testament, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isaiah chapter 41 verse 17; Luke chapter 18 verses 1 through 8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Galatians chapter 5 verse 23).Quiet means "tranquillity arising from within," causing no disturbance to others.

This applies to our words as well as our countenance [facial expressions], our body language and our actions or behaviour.

Thus a woman with a quiet and gentle spirit causes no disturbances to others 

as well as she bears with tranquility the disturbances of others.

Our second passage is found in Ephesians chapter five. Again, we view the verses applicable to women.

Living in the Light

  Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.  Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.  You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

  Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.  Don’t participate in the things these people do.  For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will give you light.”

Living by the Spirit’s Power

  So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

  And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

  For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her  to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.   He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.  No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.  And we are members of his body.

  As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”   This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.  So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Chapter five, verses one through thirty-three.  NLT.

  Next post we will begin with the garment of Praise and how we worship best when dressed in this beautiful garment.

Dear Father, we reverence You as the Holy God. Thank You for your grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  Thank You for the Gospel which displays Your faithfulness to us.  May we live to obey the teachings we studied today.  By Your great love, conquer all the kingdoms of our hearts until we find in You alone the satisfaction of all our our hunger and thirst in life. Amen.