We just had an arguement about God and the Bible last night. She insists that I just let her believe what she wants to believe. She even stated that if there are some parts of the bible that she doesnt like, she wont believe it. So i asked her if she believed in God, Christ and the Holy Spirit and she said she did. Then I told her that she cant just believe in 'parts" of the Bible, she has to believe it all...... Its SO frustrating at times!! She has already prayed the sinner's prayer of repentance ( and the last one was in tears I might add) but i still see a lot of disbelief. I know for a fact that the Lord has been trying to get her attention. In the last 2 months 3 complete and total strangers have come up to her and told her about Jesus Christ and how she should open up her heart to Him. This has never EVER happened to her in her life, but ever since I came into her life she's been getting so much attention from God its beautiful...... To get to my point, what should i do!?
2006-12-26 08:04:36 · 49 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I have dealt with a similar situation not to long ago. Something that they Lord gave me that I have held on to is this..."I love him/her more than you could ever imagine loving them. It is your job to love them, let Me change them from the inside out."
Remember, He is in the buisness of changing, molding, and sculpting, but it is on His time, not ours. That is the hardest to deal with.
My advice to you is to pray for her, never stop, pray and pray somemore. I found help in a book by Lee and Leslie Strobel called "Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch". It was very helpful.
If you need some support, I am just an email away. I know how difficult and painful this can be. We aren't just talking about life, we are talking about eternity.
God bless you...You are both in my prayers
2006-12-26 08:11:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 10⤋
Pray for her and with her! My sister is the same way. I demonstrated the following to her:
TAKE AN OLD PHONE BOOK; explain to her that this is an example and you trying to make point: The phone book represents the bible. Ask her what section, part of the bible she doesn't agree with, giving her time to answer. When she is done, without criticizing her opinion and for dramatic effect, ripe or tear out some pages from the phone book, explaining to her that since she doesn't agree with the Bible, this section has been removed by her. Ask her what else she doesn't agree with and continue as above. Do this a couple of times. By doing this you are demonstrating a few things.
1. How the reformation happen in the 1500's.
2. How Luther and Calvin became bishops of their own church.
3. Demonstrating that before there was the written word of God, there was the church that gave us the word of God orally.
4. And everybody did this to their Bibles they would be as thin as a People Magazine; and there would millions of bishops through out the world.
2006-12-26 08:29:20 · answer #2 · answered by mrjrpadilla 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I disagree with you. It is possible to believe in parts of the bible and disbelieve other parts. First, it is a common misconception that the bible is a single book. It is not a single book but a compilation of many books from then different sects of Christianity. As such, they may not always agree on certain aspects of Christianity. We also know, from historical evidence, that biblical texts have been altered over the centuries. The dead sea scrolls have provide a much earlier & different verison of many biblical texts that you are currently pushing on your wife as original truth.
The bible isn't something that has to be accepted in whole or not at all. After all, biblical text currently state that it is lawful and acceptable for a parent to stone to death a disobedient child. Does that mean that you must accept this idea as divine truth today? Of course not. The bible is a guide...
2006-12-26 08:35:34 · answer #3 · answered by Rance D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't make her believe something that she doesn't want to believe. God isn't forcing people to believe in Him. (If He was, everyone would be Christian. There would be no Atheists, Buddhists, etc. And if He were forcing everyone to believe the same way there would only be one Christian religion, not the thousands that exist today).
What did Jesus do when he was on earth? He healed the sick and afflicted. He was kind to the children. He forgave people for their sins.
**Perhaps the best thing to do is to let your wife learn about God in the way that she learns best. Her knowledge of God will grow in it's own time. Be patient with her. Encourage her to learn her knowledge from God through prayer and scripture study.
Remember that the only one who knows everything is God. Don't be upset if she understands things differently. She is learning, just like you are learning. Be humble and ask God how you can love her as Jesus would love her.
2006-12-26 08:23:02 · answer #4 · answered by ☼Grace☼ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be patient, let God show her His way through Jesus Christ. A lot of pressure may very well cause her to pull away from you and away from the Lord.
Be kind, reassure her she is good and she is loved by you and Our Lord.
Be loving, spiritual growth is not always a glorious revelation like many say. There can be a lot of troubled times; trying to understand what the Word means for you and working to give up familiar world habits.
Pray often, for you own understanding as well as hers.
Many blessing await the both of you my friend. Be joyous in the ways of Our Righteous Father with unwavering faith that His will shall be done.
2006-12-26 08:17:50 · answer #5 · answered by rezany 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Support her, and let her grow on her own. If she is truly seeking for God, don't fear- she'll find God no matter which direction she looks.
Let her go at her own pace, and look the way she was made to.
It's the "all or nothing" attitude you portray here that drives a lot of us away from Christianity.
If she believes in God, Loves God, and sincerely desires to do God's will, have faith in that being enough. God only reveals himself inasmuch as we are capable of comprehending him.
Let her be who she is; trust in God! Afterall, that is who God has made her to be. Listen to her reasons as to why she believes the way she does, and then slowly help her grow from there by nurturing and supporting her desire to know God and become like Him.
Don't tell her "it has to be this way," or "you're wrong." You cannot force beliefs upon someone. It will drive you both apart.
Walk the path with her, understand her, and you will grow closer together. True and divine love is born out of our understanding of one another, destroying hatred and embracing our differences.
Be patient like Christ. Love her like she is a child. We cannot make growth happen physically, intellectually, or spiritually; we can only stimulate and nurture it.
2006-12-26 08:38:46 · answer #6 · answered by sunflower_pyxie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, this seems like something the two of you should have sorted out before marriage, but since it's too late for that, forget I said anything.
Second, I think the question you have to ask yourself is, "Why is it so important to me that my wife believe exactly as I do?" Your wife is a person with free will, and as such she is entitled to finding her own way in every area of her life -- that includes her spiritual side.
I understand that you are afraid for your wife's soul, and I respect that. But if your wife is a Christ-like person who tries to live with morality and compassion, then isn't she living out the message of the Bible even if she may not believe every single word of it?
I think the message Jesus taught in the New Testament was that is was more important to love your fellow man than it was to follow every word of a book. In the Gospels, Jesus was quick to condemn the Pharisees for their legalism and strict adherence to the words of the Torah even as they neglected the larger meaning.
If I have any useful advice to you, it would be to not beat your wife over the head with the Bible as this will only cause her to resent you, the Bible and maybe even God himself. Another message of the Bible is to lead by example. If you believe a certain way, then simply live that life instead of judging people for falling short. It's up to God alone to tell people when they've fallen short -- not you.
2006-12-26 08:13:54 · answer #7 · answered by Jeff 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, you are giving her the attention, not God, and not in a good way. You are a bully, something no Christian should ever be! If she is a good person, helps others, and believes in God and Jesus, then she is indeed already saved, more so than you who is strict and follows all the rules exactly and insists she has your level of belief. I suggest you actually read the parables that Jesus taught, ansdfocus on them instead of the teachings of Paul. Focus on what the parable of the Good Samaritan tells you. And stop pushing her to be more than you are before she tells you just where to shove your particular brand of religion and kicks you to the curb!
2006-12-26 08:13:01 · answer #8 · answered by judy_r8 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
"...I told her that she can[']t just believe in 'parts' of the Bible, she has to believe it all..."
Why? Because you told her to? Not everyone interprets the Christian Bible literally, or accepts 100% of it. Trying to force her to do so is rude and counterproductive.
"I know for a fact that the Lord has been trying to get her attention."
No, that is your opinion. Opinions are subjective, not objective.
"...ever since I came into her life she's been getting so much attention from God..."
Really? God came down from Heaven with the specific conversion of your wife on His mind? That's nice. Maybe His Holiness should take some time out to focus on real, devastating, worldwide problems. You know; famine; war; natural disasters; that sort of thing?
No, your wife hasn't been getting attention from God. She has been getting attention from religious fanatics like yourself.
"To get to my point, what should i do!?"
Stop trying to force your religious beliefs on her. If you really want to convince her that what you believe is true, give her logical, rational arguments. If you can't convince her with logic and reason, chances are she is either not a rational person or your arguments are not rational.
2006-12-26 08:13:16 · answer #9 · answered by Jeremy 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Holy Spirit is at work in her. He is the helper, the comforter, and teaches us all things. Pray for your wife. Love your wife and let the Holy Spirit do his perfect work in her.
She is a baby Christian trying to read the Bible. It was a tough Bible to read for most of us when we first became a Christian.
God told Israel to kill their rebellious children. God knew if they didn't He would and did. Israel is a peculiar people chosen by God to be His people. They are our example. If we raise rebellious children it is just like killing them because God will send them to hell if they reject Him. We will all be judged by the Bible. God is love. Jesus Christ died for us on that Cross of Calvary, but when God returns He'll rule with a rod of iron and His Word will judge His people. He said heaven and earth may pass away but His Word will not.
God could be making you sweat because you may have disobeyed Him. His word tells us not to be yoked to unbelievers.
If you were Christian and married an unbeliever you disobeyed God.
Love your wife as God loves us, pray for her and let the Holy Spirit do His work in her. What He starts He is more than able to finish in her. It is hard sometimes for us to believe, but God doesn't need our help. I've tried to witness to people before and God totally shut my mouth. We are not to talk to every unbeliever or new Christian. Now I just ask God, "Father, please don't let me say anything but what You want me to say."
2006-12-26 08:32:17 · answer #10 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have Patience and Understanding.
You loved her for her enough to marry her.. she hasnt changed.
My fiance and I are in a way in the same situation.
You might see signs saying god is paying attention to her, but then that should be a sign not to push, let god do his thing. She may never beleive the exact way that you do.
Set down and talk to her with understanding. Tell her that you love her and why it is important to you for her to follow in your chosen path, but MOST IMPORTANTLY listen to what she beleives and why. You might not totally agree.. you dont have to. Part of marriage is accepting the one you love for who they are.
I can understand fully not liking part of the bible. My fiance and I started studing the bible and reading it. studying it honestly shook my faith to the core. Most peoples relegious beleifs are based on what they are told not about learning for themself.
Think about it.. in the old testement there is telling of people being punished for things they did not know they were doing wrong.. like taking a woman as a wife even though he was married to someone else.. like Pharoah being punished for taking Abram's wife as his own when Abram himself said that it was his sister.
We are taught that lying is a sin, it was a favored one of god who was lying.. He didnt get punished and on that same token paroah would have been put to death had he touched Abram's wife (Even though Pharoah had taken her as his wife)
So that alone raises question.. at least with us so i can see where someone might question..
sorry this is long but I just trying to help a bit..
**Blessings**
2006-12-26 08:38:48 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋