Non believing husband starting to question...

[Willa]

I went with my husband to the church of his choice for 6 months and then, after he received Christ, asked if we could just visit my home church.  He actually liked it better (it was not dead but was full of love and joy).  Right after that the pastor of the dead church wanted him to go to door and testify to people.  That was a deal breaker that only God could have arranged.  We never went back.  

There is a lot of truth and beauty in the liturgy that God can use, excluding the veneration of Mary.  Praying that God will use it all to bring about his salvation.

[JohnR7]

On 7/16/2022 at 5:48 PM, Thewhitedove said:

he never cared about being polite to priests when our previous 2 kids were Christened (before I was saved).

Once you are saved then he is sanctified through you. He would be in trouble without you. "For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." 1 Corinthians 7:14

[Thewhitedove]

12 hours ago, JohnR7 said:

Once you are saved then he is sanctified through you. He would be in trouble without you. "For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." 1 Corinthians 7:14

What do you mean? Can you explain this a bit more please?

[Starise]

On 1 Cor 7:14

Sanctification and salvation are two different things. A person can be sanctified and still be unsaved. If this verse means a spouse could be saved through the other spouse, this would be in direct contradiction to many other bible passages on salvation.

In going back to the context of this verse written to the Corinthians, some of them became believers and their spouses were not believers. The Corinthians were questioning if they should part with these spouses. Paul affirmed that God looks on those relationships and sanctifys  them through the saved spouse. In other words God does not condemn the relationship.

While the bible tells us that the saved and unsaved should not be "unequally yoked"together, in other words, if a believer is seeking a wife or husband they should not consider an unsaved person as a candidate for a spouse. Often one of the spouses will become a believer after marriage. God will sanctify that relationship through the believer.Sanctify means to set apart, to make holy. I take it to mean condone through the saved spouse.

This is about the FAMILY not the individual unsaved spouse who still needs to come to the Lord.

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by Starise

[Close_to_Jesus]

I went through a similar situation with my husband for some time.  I just kept lifting him up to God and, like your husband, he started questioning.  Just let God take care of it and continue to be a witness to him of God's presence in our life.

[Who me]

On 7/17/2022 at 4:24 PM, Thewhitedove said:

We live in a foreign country in Europe and are trying to Learn the language. The Mass was all in the foreign language but in the RCC they give you a document with the entire ceremony written on it. He brought one home as he wants to practise translating it. There is a passage from Exodux and another from Ephesians so I'll give him my Bible to help compare the two texts. He will literally be going through scripture word  by word.

Are there no english speaking churches in this country, that you can travel to?

Would he sit and watch an on line church service from an english speaking country or an apologetic lecture/debate?

The coldcasechristianity web site has many lectures that explain the reasonableness of Christianity, if he likes logic than the reasonablefaith site has articles, lectures and debates on it.

 

Check out the online sites of churches in the country you are in, there may be a good evangelical church with services in english and translated into the local language.

[JohnR7]

On 7/18/2022 at 5:54 PM, Thewhitedove said:

On 7/18/2022 at 4:55 AM, JohnR7 said:

Corinthians 7:14

What do you mean? Can you explain this a bit more please?

Yes I understand this is a difficult passage to understand. The Christian wife lays her heathen husband upon the altar of God; and in all her intercourse with him acts as God's servant, striving ever to accomplish His purposes. We know that two is better than one and a three cord rope is difficult to break. So we continue to pray for our family. I was in a drug induced coma once and they did not even know if I would live or not. My wife and son intercede for me. She prays and intercedes for me and I pray and intercede for her. So we help support and strengthen each other. 

[Thewhitedove]

OK thanks guys. As I understand it, that passage suggests that the unbelieving husband benefits from the blessings which come from having a wife who is within God's will. Jesus is part of the unequally yoked's marriage whether one party believes or not. 

Would my husband watch apologetic videos ? Not voluntarily or without resentment. It would be a case of 'pearls before swine'. I've been saved for 3 years and I have learned to take my husband's lead. God directs my husband who then (unknowingly) sends signals to me to act. Acting without my husband's initiative has always been a disaster. Any time I have responded to my husband's initiative has always been fruitful (eg I don't get shut down). 

When he said he wanted to go to Mass, I knew this was God initiating something in my husband. I prayed that the baby's Christening would be used to help bring my husband to Christ. I knew whatever my husband would do or say would be God authoring some kind of direction that I needed to follow. I'm going to be faithful to the journey that God is going to bring my husband on as I have faith that it will lead to truth in the end. I'm going to be there at every turn to answer questions and facilitate dialogue.

It takes a very, very balanced approach and I always have to be sensitive and careful. The Lord showed me the easiest way for me to meet these delicate requirements. I pray and wait for the green light, then I act, back off and pray again.

Keep him in your prayers please. 🙏 

Thanks to those of you who already do!

[Justin Adams]

17 minutes ago, Thewhitedove said:

Keep him in your prayers please

You appear to have the correct and Christain approach. Do not 'over think' every little event. Relax and enjoy the moments.

Peple exude certain scents, just watch a dog with strangers and then friends. They can tell a lot by scent and body movement. Watch autistic people that do not do well with overt signals - watch their body language since they can be well assed by their own movements and guestures. Relax and enjoy the trip - then maybe write a book about it all for others that will need your advice. God never lets anything go to waste especially His 'imagers' doing the right thing.

[Starise]

46 minutes ago, Thewhitedove said:

OK thanks guys. As I understand it, that passage suggests that the unbelieving husband benefits from the blessings which come from having a wife who is within God's will. Jesus is part of the unequally yoked's marriage whether one party believes or not. 

Would my husband watch apologetic videos ? Not voluntarily or without resentment. It would be a case of 'pearls before swine'. I've been saved for 3 years and I have learned to take my husband's lead. God directs my husband who then (unknowingly) sends signals to me to act. Acting without my husband's initiative has always been a disaster. Any time I have responded to my husband's initiative has always been fruitful (eg I don't get shut down). 

When he said he wanted to go to Mass, I knew this was God initiating something in my husband. I prayed that the baby's Christening would be used to help bring my husband to Christ. I knew whatever my husband would do or say would be God authoring some kind of direction that I needed to follow. I'm going to be faithful to the journey that God is going to bring my husband on as I have faith that it will lead to truth in the end. I'm going to be there at every turn to answer questions and facilitate dialogue.

It takes a very, very balanced approach and I always have to be sensitive and careful. The Lord showed me the easiest way for me to meet these delicate requirements. I pray and wait for the green light, then I act, back off and pray again.

Keep him in your prayers please. 🙏 

Thanks to those of you who already do!

Us men can be super stubborn. I don't know how you women stand us sometimes. Hang in there. This would be a good thing to put on the prayer list.