How the Gospel Impacts Motherhood

Society is full of its own ideas of what it is to be a good mom and perhaps you measure up to that standard, but what about to God’s standard? What does it mean to be a good mother in His eyes and how do we accomplish that? The Bible calls us to a higher standard of motherhood than that of society. The gospel is the only hope we have for becoming a truly good mother in God’s eyes.

Know The Truth About Yourself

The first step to becoming a good mother is to honestly and humbly recognize that, in and of yourself, you are not one. Apart from Christ, there is nothing you can do to become a good mother. We are all sinners, guilty of breaking God’s law and the perfect standard He set for us. We have all lied, lusted, stolen, cheated, hated, committed fornication or adultery- either in action or in heart. We have been full of pride, selfishness, envy, greed and self-righteousness. We are guilty. We need Jesus. Without His sacrifice on our behalf, without being clothed in His righteousness, we are lost and hopeless sinners. Without Jesus, we have no victory over our sin. Without His strength, we have no power to overcome the selfishness that causes us to choose ourselves over our children. Without His help, we are utterly incapable to truly love our children more than ourselves. Without His work in and through us, we are unable to overcome the wrongdoings which impact the people around us- including our children. There is never a day in our lives when we are so good that we do not need the good news of the gospel. The only hope we have of a right standing before God is Jesus’ blood shed for our sins and His righteous life lived on our behalf. Without Jesus we are not good mothers, and we have no hope of becoming good mothers.

“…There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” -Psalm 14:1-3

“None is righteous, no, not one… none seeks for God.” -Romans 3:11

Know The Truth About God

There is only one God, and you are not Him. God alone controls everything and He alone sets the standard we are to live by. Because He created the world and everything in it, including us, He has the right to make the rules (Colossians 1:16). As we saw above, we have broken His rules. God is a holy God, He is so pure and so perfect that He cannot dwell with sin. God is also a just God and cannot let sin go unpunished. Yet, God is also a merciful and loving God, this is why He sent His Son to save us. Jesus came to live the perfect life that we could never live, He was later crucified and as He hung on that cross, the wrath of God (the punishment for our sin) that we deserved, was poured out on Him. He paid our sin debt, and it is because of Him that we are allowed to go free. Three days after his death, Jesus rose from the dead defeating death once and for all.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty…” -Isaiah 6:3

“…Upright and just is He.” -Deuteronomy 32:4

“For the LORD God is a God of justice…” -Isaiah 20:18

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne…” -Psalm 89:14

“God is a just judge, and angry with the wicked every day.” -Psalm 7:11

“The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.” -Romans 6:23

“But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love which he lavished on us, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sin- it is by grace you have been saved through faith…” Ephesians 2:4-8

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” -Isaiah 53:6

“While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8

“I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the Father but by Me” -John 14:6

Repent of Your Sins

We were created to know God and to be with Him for all eternity, this is the very reason for our existence. We were made to love Him, to obey Him and to enjoy Him. The problem is, our sin has separated us from Him. In order to be brought near to Him we must repent of our sins and trust in His perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Repentance means a change of mind regarding your sin. It means recognizing that sin is a crime against a holy God, it results in wanting to flee sin and desiring to walk in holiness. It is not repentance to simply feel sad or guilty because of our sin but still continue on in it. Pride tells us that we can keep sinning as long as we ask forgiveness, it also tells us that we can earn our salvation by doing good works, neither of these things are true. It is only His blood that saves us, not our righteous deeds and not our regret. Rejoice in His grace and His mercy but do not use it as an excuse to continue sinning (Romans 6:1-2).

“…Repent and believe the gospel” -Mark 1:15

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

“As far as the east is from the west so far does He remove our transgression from us.” -Psalm 103:12

“I, I am He who blots out your transgression for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” – Isaiah 43:25

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sins.” -Romans 4:7-8

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” -Romans 8:1

Trust and Obey the Word of God

Being a good mom flows out of being with Jesus. Do you desire to become a good mother? Spend time with Him. If you don’t know Jesus, seek Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Live a life of constant communication with Him through prayer. Live in His Word. Commit to studying God’s Word every day and to obeying it. His Word is what teaches and guides us, it gives us wisdom. God works through His Word to give us the desire and power to obey Him and to live lives that please Him. No matter the cost, walk in the truth by faith.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” -John 14:15

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word… Oh how I love Your law, it is my meditation all the day… Your commands make me wiser than my enemies.” -Psalm 119

Train your Children to Love and Know Jesus

God calls us to train up our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), to teach them of Him and to train them to obey His Word. Lay a sound, biblical foundation for your children by:

• Teaching them who God is, His character and His attributes.
• Reading God’s Word to them and explaining the Scriptures to them.
• Remind them that Christ is their perfect example, not you. As hard as we may try, we don’t always model Christ well.
• Model repentance and seeking forgiveness. Model humility when you fail, apologize to your children when you treat them wrongly and when you sin against them. Model what it looks like to turn from your sins and rely on His Spirit to enable you to walk in obedience to His Word.
• Teach them how to pray and model patient faith as you wait for answers.
• Join a church family that faithfully teaches the Bible with truthful, steadfast conviction and attend there faithfully. Surround yourself with other believers to encourage and disciple you in your faith.

Model Christ to Your Kids by Following His Example

Sacrifice and selflessness- Philippians 2:3-8 presents Jesus as the ultimate model of selfless love: He gave His own life for His children; a good and godly mother will do the same. She will seek to follow His example by humbly and joyfully serving her children. She will choose her children over herself. She will put her children’s needs above her own. The truest test of love is how much it is willing to sacrifice itself for others (Ephesians 5:2). While society urges women to demand their own way, Scripture paints sacrifice as the pathway to blessing. The Bible showcases mothers sacrificing and suffering to shape hearts for heaven: Mary the mother of Jesus, Hannah the mother of Samuel, Jochebed the mother of Moses etc. Notable habits emerge in the lives of these women, mirroring the very heart of the Father.

A Nurturing Nature and Unconditional Love – 1 Thessalonians 2:7 describes a nursing mother gently caring for and nurturing her children. While training children requires firmness at times, a good mother seasons discipline with patience and gentleness. Her approachable demeanor makes her children feel safe confiding in her. Mary’s love for infant Jesus illustrates the tenderness and unconditional love of motherhood. Despite the world’s misunderstanding of her miraculous pregancy, she nurtured Jesus with warmth and devotion, regardless of the cost to herself, her reputation etc. She showed unconditional affection regardless of what traits society disapproved of. Gentleness should be a hallmark of Christian mothers. Colossians 3:12 includes: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience as qualities of the true Christian. The woman of Proverbs 31 truly raises the bar of motherhood with her children rising up to call her blessed. Her legacy lived on through positive memories and virtues imprinted on her children’s hearts because of her faithful nurture and love.

Attentiveness and Guidance- The Bible compares God’s attentiveness towards His children with that of a dedicated and attentive mother (Isaiah 49:15). God designed mothers to model His patient guidance and attentiveness. In 2 Timothy 1:5 Louis and Eunice model tender encouragement and training. They walked closely with God themselves and instilled vibrant faith in young Timothy from early childhood. They nurtured and guided his spiritual growth creating abundant fruit in his ministry. God designed mothers to instill God’s truth in impressionable young hearts. He has given women a high and holy calling- that of guiding and training the next generation to impact His Kingdom.