This is not an article on “the birds and the bees,” nor is it a post on marriage per se. What is it, then? It is a look at the nature of humans, like the other articles in this series have been. To get at “Who am I?,” we must understand how sex/gender plays a part in the nature of mankind. God said He made man male and female, but what does that mean for us? What does the Bible say about both males and females and about each group?
Recognize this is only one post; we cannot cover the vastness of this subject here. My favorite podcaster, Mike Winger, has been doing a series of videos entitled “Women in the Ministry” in which he covers many areas of biblical truth related to not just women in the ministry but also the relationship of wives and husbands and the relationship between men and women. Mike has recorded over 27 hours in eleven videos on this subject as of the release of this post—and still has two more parts to produce. I know this would be a large investment of your time, but if you truly want an in-depth study on these topics, check them out. They are worth it.
To start with, it is sad we need to touch on a subject that just a few years ago would not even have been on our radar. It is crazy we have to deal with this modern twist on gender. And twisted it is. So, to get to the point and not waste any more time here, gender and biological sex are the same. Gender is not based on your feelings or self-perception but on your biological sex. God said He created them, “male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27b). God goes as far as to give a command against crossdressing: “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.” (Deut 22:5). When I was younger, I thought this was a strange command. Who would do that? Why does it matter? Well, then we come to the 21st century where the wheels of society have fallen off. If we are to dress according to our biological sex, there is clearly no room for self-determination of our own gender.
Even the well-known and outspoken atheist and biologist Richard Dawkins agrees with conservative Christians on this point. During a recent interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Richard Dawkins declared “there are two sexes, and that’s all there is to it.” (See article on Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/media/richard-dawkins-declares-only-two-sexes-matter-science-thats-all). He added that LGBTQ activists looking to discredit the reality of two biological sexes are pushing “utter nonsense.”
When an outspoken atheist and conservative Christians get on the same page, this is saying something! Interestingly, the American Humanist Association withdrew its Humanist of the Year award from Richard Dawkins for espousing this view. They withdrew it 25 years after he received it! I guess everyone should keep their awards in their original packaging in case you say something which gets you cancelled.
Due to the lack of time in this article, this is the extent of our coverage of LGBTQ+ issues. We will stand firmly with Scripture, holding to its orthodox teaching on the gender and sexual nature of humans. For our purposes in this article, we now want to look briefly at some things the Bible has to say about men and women.
The most crucial point has already been dealt with in previous posts. Men and women stand equal before God. While the creation was a two-step process—first Adam, then Eve—God created humans, male and female. There is no distinction in value, worth, dignity, or standing between the two sexes. Both are created uniquely, and both were created in the image of God. There is no greater aspect of creation than men and women as image-bearers of God. No greater honor do we all hold.
Both men and women are given the task of being fruitful and filling the earth. They are both to subdue the earth and have dominion over fish, birds, and land animals. Even after the Fall, these were both their jobs. Eve is never told to stay home and take care of the house and kids while Adam goes out to tend the garden and work it. Eve wasn’t supposed to be back in the kitchen baking while Adam designed and made all the decisions about the layout of the homestead. It is after the Fall humans distorted these roles, but this was not in any way by God’s command or design.
So, this leads us to the question of whether there were role distinctions between Adam and Eve. Now that is an important question! It can also get to be a very complex question but let us try to gain some insight by looking at the first couple. The primary thing to keep front and center is subordination does not mean less in quality, dignity, state, or relationship to God. The Son is seen as subordinate to the Father; Jesus always looks to the Father and does what the Father does, but there is no sense in which the Son is a lesser God than the Father. I was a subordinate to my bosses, and I had subordinates who worked under me. While I had a role which was distinct from the others, I was not better or worse than any of them. Therefore, saying there is a subordination of the woman to the man is not demeaning to the woman. It is only giving order to creation and to the family. Secondly, subordination does not mean subservience. Women are not the servants of men. Nor is she a subject to “king man.”
This subordination is not explicitly stated in Genesis but is still clear to see. At the same time, it is very subtle, and the limitedness of it should indicate the limitedness of the subordination itself. The first thing which points to this is that man was created before woman. Other creatures were created at the same time, but humans were created in a particular order. Remember, birth order was extremely important in the ancient world; therefore, the creation of Adam before Eve would have been a clear indication of Adam’s headship.
Second, not only was Eve created after Adam, but she was also created out of Adam. Therefore, Adam would have headship due to being the source of Eve. The final point is Adam named the woman. Having the right to name a being was a sign of headship over that being. In a similar way, you have the right to name your children. It is also like Adam naming the animals.
One point which does not add to these roles in men and women is Eve being created to be a helper for Adam. It is not saying anything other than she will be a help to him in the tasks they both have been given. They would mutually accomplish the work. For those who insist “help” does show subordination, see Exodus 18:4 “The God of my father was my help.” Is God, as a helper, subordinate to anyone?
Yes, there is not a lot to go on in Genesis on the subordination of wives to husband but again that may point to the limited nature of the subordination. Now, the whole issue of women pastors or women in the ministry goes well beyond the scope of this article. Here, we are dealing with Adam and Eve. Did you get that? We are dealing with a husband and his wife, not men and women!
From the day they were created, Adam and Eve were husband and wife (Gen 2:24). These passages tell us a great deal about humanity. They tell us of the equality of the sexes but not their relationship to each other based on their sexes. We learn here about the relationship between a man and his wife. While Eve’s role is, in a very limited sense, subordinate to Adam, her husband, nowhere is it stated or implied this extends to other men. After marriage, she is not under her father and mother but only her husband.
Nor does this headship of Adam mean Eve lacked any authority in the family or in subduing the earth and having dominion over creation. Also note the singular word man. It is man who is created male and female. As in the Trinity, the three persons are one; so, in a lesser but similar way, a husband and wife are to be one. There is also a co-ownership of each other. A man’s body is not his own, it belongs to her and the same with the wife’s (1 Cor 7:4). They are to give themselves to each other, both wife and husband.
Unfortunately, we live in a sinful world of Adam’s and our own making. In this sinful world, we see a distortion of this wonderfully mutually supportive relationship of marriage. We have men who think they are their wife’s ruler and master. Women who do not stand up for the mutual quality, authority, and dignity within the home. Men have treated their wives as door mats and wives have accepted this treatment, both is wrong.
Society, throughout history, has sought to belittle the place of authority and power in which women were created to stand. Many men have lived by the axiom “might is right,” taking advantage of weaker image-bearers to claim authority over all women, whether at home, the workplace, or the larger society. They destroy the union of the marriage by taking on more than one woman, whether other wives or extra-marital relationships. Women are guilty of the latter sin also. Some women, especially in the current environment, have thrown out the value of men. They seek to live men-less lives, seeing no place to submit or to come under the leadership of a husband. Our sinful history is not good but overcompensating to the opposite extreme is no better.
As believers we need to set the example in our home and in society. Women are to lovingly and graciously stand with their husbands, supporting them and mutually taking on the responsibilities for the home and the family. Men are to lead, not as if they were driving a heard, but as men who honor their wives as God’s image-bearers. They are also to be supportive of their wives and to mutually share the responsibilities for the home and family. Even beyond the home, Christian men are to treat women as they do other men, with dignity, respect, and honor. Men are to treat only one woman as their wife, that would be their one wife. The same is true of women, they should respect and honor men but only come under the leadership of one man, their husband. We are all subordinate to our bosses, but this is a matter of their positions not their gender. The bottom line is men and women, husbands and wives are to do all to the glory of God, especially in their relationships with each other!
Until the next time we see you here at CultivatingFaith.org, God Bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg