Women in Ministry: What Is A Woman Of God? Part 2

We learned in Part 1 that a woman of God, a woman after God’s own heart is the same as a man of God, a man after God’s own heart in that a man or woman of God is one who believes what God has said in His word and does what He says! We believe God and we do what He has said!

As a woman of God, we who believe submit to the righteousness of God. We do not rely on our own righteousness or the works of the law, but by the righteousness of God by faith.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

An example is that Israel was under the Law and ignorant of God’s righteousness, and they tried to establish their own righteousness, NOT submitting themselves unto the righteousness of God.

WE are not under the law today. We are under grace and DO have the knowledge, not being ignorant of God’s righteousness, not trying to establish our own righteousness believing that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believes.

Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Today being in the dispensation of grace, not being under the law, we are careful not to get mixed up in religions or false doctrines that set up both women AND men for abuse and disrespect.  While our roles may be different, our ministry and calling is the same, and before God we are all one in Christ Jesus. 2 Cor 5:20

Gal_3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

As we continue to learn of who God has made us to be in Christ and the many riches and blessings He has provided by grace, we learn to submit further to the righteousness of God by changing our thoughts, actions, and words to align with the mind of Christ.

1Co_2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

We have the mind of Christ in the completed word of God! Part of that mind of Christ is for all believer’s to submit ourselves one to another. We begin looking on the things of others instead of ourselves!

Eph 4:1-2  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Php 2:3-4 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Submit is not a dirty word as most people of the world believe today.  It is a word of the POWER of God in men and women who believe.  

Php 2:5-8  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

All of us that are believers, members of the body of Christ should be submitting ourselves to the righteousness of God and to each other. Just as did Jesus Christ, who is equal with God, submitted Himself to suffer and die for the sake of sinful mankind, when He was completely sinless, because that was God’s will.

Today, many women believe they are empowered by our society to live and act as they please, and yet there is increasingly more rape, murder, divorce, and abandonment and dysfunctional lives. Women are exploited on the Internet, and the sexual revolution has done nothing but bring rampant disease and children without fathers, and degradation to women.

Our value is not in that we are attractive or available. Our very womanhood has become so devalued by a sinful world, and by willing women rebelling against God, that there is hardly any dignity, wonderment and glory in being a woman, wife or mother in today’s society. As believing women we need to make a difference, separating ourselves from these worldly thoughts and behaviors, and train our sons and daughters up to know their value in Christ.

Submission means that we are loving servants to one another as unto the Lord. The Lord Himself is the greatest Servant of all. How can we elevate ourselves higher than Christ? And yet that is what we do when we say that submitting was good for Him but not good enough for us. We want to be like Him! Don’t we? We do and that means to believe God and do what He has said!

It is our pride, our flesh that fights against walking in the Spirit. Our flesh wants to be in charge, to feel important, believing that submitting makes us unimportant, less than those in authority. Yet Christ shows this is NOT correct or the way of holiness.

Jesus is the example of perfect submission, yet He was equal with God the Father, being fully God.

Col_2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Submitting does not mean that one is less important or inferior to another, it is simply and willingly not thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. While we do not all have the same office in the Body of Christ, we are all members of the Body of Christ, members of one another!

Rom_12:3-5  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

True submission can only and ever be enacted when one is willing to believe God and do what He says!

Next week…part 3