The following is a recording of the second session as it relates to thinking/responding biblically when a wife is sinned against by her husband. Topics covered are biblical resistance, love covers a multitude of sin, forgive and forget, forgiveness and reconciliation, forgiveness and trust, anger, and marriage.
Reconciliation
Hope
Where is your hope? If your hope is in an individual changing, that may never happen. If your hope is a healthy, thriving marriage with an abusive spouse, that is not in your realm of influence.
Gullible vs. Groomed
Some men intentionally look for Jesus-loving, kind, gracious, submissive women to marry as a means of controlling them and micromanaging their personal life. Some men use the church as a cover for sinful behavior. It worked in Corinth.
Trust Tree
A relationship built on trust is like climbing a tree. I put my full weight on one branch after another as the relationship develops. However, when trust is broken...
Restoration or Reconciliation?
When someone wants to "restore" a relationship, here are questions that come to mind.
One of Us
A victim's greatest need is safety and security. Unfortunately, she is more likely to find it outside church walls than within. Why? Too often church members and pastors excuse an abusers' treatment of his wife by believing (or saying) something like this: "If only you were more submissive." "Have you prayed about it?" "Do you … Continue reading One of Us
Forgiveness without Reconciliation
I was recently asked what marriage to an abusive man would look like if he never changed--if he confessed and asked for forgiveness as manipulation. That's a hard question. What would it look like to live, willing to forgive, but unreconciled? Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and … Continue reading Forgiveness without Reconciliation
Seeking Sanctuary 