Freedom and the Godly Woman: 1 – Gospel Basis

(What is it to be a godly woman in an ungodly world? This question inspired me to invite some talented writers to contribute their responses. Shirley Evans, based in Manchester, is first and foremost passionate about seeing Kingdom impact in her local community, nationwide and around the world. It’s been a great privilege of mine to observe some of her great work for the Lord. Inspired by the question, check part 1 of her 6-part exploration … For His Name’s Sake, Shalom, C. L. J. Dryden)

When I thought about the issue, the first word that sprang to my mind was “freedom.”

So, I asked myself – Self, what do you mean by freedom?  How can you describe yourself as free when so much of life cannot be described as free? How does that impact on living as a godly woman?

In answering these questions, I hope to identify what it means for me to be a godly woman in an ungodly world.

“It is for freedom that you have been set free.”  (Galatians 5:1)

This verse is huge for me.  And I know that there are many sisters out there who will get just where I am coming from. 

Like all humanity I was born with the propensity to sin.

Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, all humanity come under the sin curse.  For most of us, this does not mean much although many will acknowledge their subconscious belief in a higher power and all have an internal compass which allows us to know the difference between right & wrong, good & evil.

However, for those of us who have come to Christ, we have the shared experience of an overwhelming sense of our sin condition and our urgent need to be set free and take on the new life offered in Christ.  Having taken the first steps of confessing our sins and asking Christ into our heart, we will all testify of the inexplicable sense of freedom, an overwhelming consciousness of being loved, and an extraordinary presence and an awe of God.  Freedom from all the mistakes in our pasts and the knowledge that even if we make mistakes in the future this too has already been forgiven and that the love of Christ surpasses any human expression of love and is not a mere feeling.

Many of us will recall the childhood game with the petals of a rose, “he loves me he loves me not”. All too often our human experiences of love are just like this.  But not so with God.  There is absolutely nothing I can do that will change His love for me.  We can bask in this love free from fear of having to work hard to earn it or keep it.  His love is always demonstrated in actions none better illustrated than in that all familiar verse John 3:16, 

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

God loved me so much that He sent His son to die for my sins and as a result of this sacrifice, I have eternal life.  Death is not an end but a temporary state, a transition from this life into the next. The amazing thing is this freedom in Christ affects every facet of my life, I want to take the time to unpick some of what for me are the “biggies.” 

But let’s start by looking at the term “godly” … (to be continued)

(Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash)

Shirley R. Evans