Equality between the genders - why?
EQUALITY BETWEEN THE GENDERS - WHY? v1.22
Whether you agree or disagree with the following message, please stay in Christ. In His arms we are safe regardless. We
are saved by faith, based on grace alone. However, if we already are in Jesus, every new revelation of truth is a blessing that will impact our lives in a positive way. «These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy
may be full.» (John 15:11 ESV)
Everywhere in the society the fight for equal rights between the sexes is considered an undisputable truth with a capital T, outside and inside churches. It is considered so legitimate that anyone disagreeing is considered oppressive and evil. I have struggled many years with this topic, because I felt the Bible was clear and very radical in its opposition to the practices in our society. The biblical message wouldn't raise an eyebrow for thousands of years and up to about hundred years ago. Today the message is considered horrendous, evil and oppressive against women. And if the subject is brought up, it is ALWAYS nullified by praising women's superiority mentally, emotionally or genetically, over men. To all you who believe that the end is near and that the evil is at it's greatest now, doesn't it disturb you to find it so easy to conform to this day's prevalent and popular equality concept? This, and the fight for homosexual rights and transgenderism are parts of someone's grand masterplan: To eliminate the distinction between the sexes and for all practical purposes create a unisex. It's so easy to accept hadn't it been for the Bible which gets us right back on track. If the Bible means nothing to you, then this article will mean nothing to you.
IS GOD IN FAVOR OF DIFFERENCES?
Are we equal before God? Yes and no. «And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, .......» (Galatians 3:27-29 NLT) So there is no difference in achieving salvation or in belonging to God's family. And no matter how things are now, the order of things will be very different in the coming life: «..... Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then.”» (Luke 13:30 NLT)
But an interesting aspect of this text in Luke is that it tells us there are going to be differences also on the new earth. God is for unequality in this life and in the next life. Remember Jesus telling the story about the bags of silver (Matthew 25)? He took the one bag and gave it to one of the other two who had doubled the money, and actually to the one who was given the most in the first place. And do you remember the workers who had worked all day, got the same pay as the ones who were allowed to work only one hour (Matthew 20). About Jesus who was perfect it was said that he had a special love for one of his disciples (John 13). Even in the story of Jacob and Esau: «But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.)......, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”» (Romans 9:11-13 NLT) And what about Mary? What did Mary do to deserve being the mother of God? She was probably just in the age between 12 and 15 because that was when girls usually got engaged. What an unimaginable priviledge and eternal honor! In my opinion, giving birth to the Son of God is the greatest, by far, honor God has given, and ever will give anyone anywhere in the universe, and he gave it to a young girl. Is that unfair? No! Is it discrimination, treating people differently? Yes! Good! Even salvation is a gift, not a result of our good deeds.
However, I believe God one day will reward us somehow based on how we submit to the function we are given, whether that is a major one or not. Even Jesus, who was God, played his role as a human with earnest diligence. «The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.» (1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NLT)
And lastly, before we go on to gender functions, look at these these words: «and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.» (Mark 10:44 NLT) Jesus was the leader, but he lead in a humble way. So he doesn't promote equality. He promotes good leadership.
What the Bible says about man's responsibility is usually not very controversial. I think most people feel it applies to them, whether male or female. So this is the other side of the story - the controversial one - with focus on the female function - the one that everybody is afraid to "touch". Here are some texts, but keep in mind that if we try to follow these guidelines it does not save us, but it is beneficial to us and the people around us in promoting the kingdom of God.
WHY CREATE MAN AND WOMAN
Did God create both genders in order to have them multiply, that is, for sexual reasons only? Even simple organisms like basic nongender one-cells are able to multiply. So is God unable to make the same thing happen to humans? No! Ofcourse he is able. God could create unisex humans able to multiply. But he didn’t. For a reason. To teach us something.
First of all, who did God create in his image? The man and the woman? No. He created the man, not the woman, in his image. «So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.» (Genesis 1:27KJV, my underlining) The word «man» is literally Adam. The underlined word «him» is translated «him» in many bible-translations, but many use «them». The latter ones translate hebrew word (otow) to mean «them» only in this passage. The last word in this verse is translated «them» (otam) in all translations. So God created the man in his image, and God created the human race to be man and woman.
So why did he create a woman? «And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.» (Genesis 2:18KJV) She was made to be his helper. And, no, he was not her helper. She was his helper, made out of him and for him. That was how the human race was to function. The roleplay was set in motion at creation.
This understanding is affirmed by Paul: «I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve;» (1 Timothy2:12-13ESV) It matters who was created first.
He continues: «But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. .... For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.» (1 Corinthians 11:3, 7-10ESV) By accepting the different role between man an woman, you honor the creator. Even to the angels who are there to help us, it matters, it is important, that we display this role-difference.
So, what is the lesson? What are we supposed to understand from this «role-play»? I must admit I can only scratch the surface on this subject. But also here Paul gives us a clue:
«For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.» (Ephesians 5:23-24ESV) We were created for God, to please Him, to praise Him, to meet his desires. Not the other way around. We are not here to realize ourselves. We are not here to exalt ourselves, to live to feed our desires and needs. We are not supposed to put ourselves to be equals with God. We must submit. Knowing and accepting our humble standing before God melts God’s heart. The dynamics of the relationship between God and his Church is visualized in the daily roleplay between husband and wife: A wife needs to submit to her husband as to Christ. She is not allowed to dishonor him in any way. She does not exist to realize herself, but to make her husband realize himself.
THE DIFFERENCES ON DISPLAY
It is significant that God has chosen to present himself to us, as a man, a father. Not as a woman. And not as a neutral person. This sets a standard.
The difference is relevant in physical apperance and in sexual interaction. «“A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the LORD your God.» (Deuteronomy 22:5 NLT) «“If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act......» (Leviticus 20:13 NLT) But it is does not end there.
After falling in sin: «Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you. ” And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it..... By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat ........”» (Genesis 3:16-19 NLT)
The first man's first sin was to obey his wife, and the whole earth was cursed because of his, not her, sin. She obeyed the devil and "introduced" him to her husband. If the devil couldn' get to Adam directly, he obviously could get to him through his wife. Remember, Eve had great power over him, because he discovered a need for her even before she existed, she was his most prized gift from God, and she was even made of his own body. Through submission every wife acknowledges her will never again to use her power to control him, but to assist him in reaching his goals. Her focus is not her own fulfillment or career. That in turn will melt him and make him want to do anything to fulfill her needs. Also, this relationship is meant to be a constant, wonderful reminder of the dynamics in our relationship with God. We have great power over God, because he likes us so much. He gave his life to be able to be with us forever. But we live this life to fullfil his will, not ours.
Keep in mind that the submissive-message was conveyed to her, not to him. She has to will the submission. He is not told to force it on her. We also see that he is supposed to be the one providing food and she is supposed to give birth, a shortcut definition of the roles they were to play.
Note also that the roles are not conditional (throughout the Bible) upon the spouse's fullfillment. It's based on God's instruction to each of them. If she is not willing to submit, he still must provide and care for her. And if he is not a responsible husband, she must still be submissive to him. However, breaking one's own responsibility, naturally reduces the other one's willingness to comply.
Some think this male-leadership-pattern is limited to the nuclear family. Why should it? Adam and Eve was a family, but they were also the entire society at that time. Throughout the Bible, without exceptions, in both the old and the new testament, God chose men only to be leaders of the society. Could he speak more clearly on the matter? Male leadership has its origin in God, not in the man himself, nor in culture, nor in the man's supposedly oppressive nature. Therefore it is timeless, apart from trends in culture.
ANYTHING MEN CAN DO, WOMEN CAN DO
So what can women do? That is the wrong question. It is like asking: If I can kill someone, does that make it right to kill? I believe a woman can do anything a man can do, and vice versa. So what? That's not a point in itself, apart from the fact that special situations makes flexibiIity possible. I also believe she can do some things better than a man, and vice versa. It's wired into us. The main focal point is not what men can do and what women can do, but that we celebrate a visible practical difference in line with God's design.
Therfore, I see no purpose in focusing on what a woman is able to do. The focus should instead be on what she can do to fulfill God’s design. God gave the first hint: «Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you. ”» (Genesis 3:16NLT) Here is another hint: «........, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, ......» (Titus 2:4-5 NLT) Another hint is in Proverbs 31:10-31. All of this is derived from the central role of being a homemaker.
But God also does give women special assignements and callings, including that of being a prophet. And this will also be the case again: «“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.» (Joel 2:28-29 NLT, Joel, 3:1-3 in some translations) God's message can pop up everywhere around us, so we should be careful not to disregard anyone. God speaks through powerful and powerless people, through rich, poor, old, young, man and woman. That doesn't erase their place in the organized society'. Children and women prophesying shall still not function as leaders: «Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road.» (Isaiah 3:12 NLT)
Deborah was a prophet. (Judges 4 and 5) But she was also a judge. As a prophet, she told Barak, a man, to be the leader and lead the people in battle. As a punishment for him wanting to bring her along in the battle, he was humiliated in front of the society, by the fact that a woman killed the enemy. It was meant as a humiliation of him, not as a role-change for women. It is a single episode. He should have gone without her, not trusting and leaning on the woman, but on the God who made the promise. That was the lesson. As for her role as judge, the Bible does not specify how this happened. But I do know that people who are led by God also do things that are against his will. God called and used Jephthah (Judges 11:29-39 NLT). But did He want him to kill his daughter as an offering afterwards? No. And how do I know that? It contradicts other texts in the Bible.
There is however a story about a husband who was told by God to do what his wife instructed him. «So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (......)» (Genesis16:3 NLT) Later on: «But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!” This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.» (Genesis 21:9-12NLT) Sarah was the one starting this mess, intervening in God's plan. They had to get back on track. So if God tells you to do a specific thing that also your wife wants you to do, do it.
THE TIME OF JESUS AND LATER
An angel (Luke 1:26-38) came to Mary asking her to be the mother of Messiah. Howevever, every time after that the angel came to the head of the family, the man, to convey instructions for the family: to marry Mary (Matthew 1:20-21), to flee to Egypt and stay there, (Matthew 2:13), to return to Israel (Matthew 2:19-20), and to settle in Galilee (Matthew 2:22).
Jesus asked the woman at the well to go back to her village and tell them about Christ. At the grave, the women were asked to tell the disciples about his ressurection. Men and women, employer or employee, adult or child, is given the priviledge to share Christ, in their own setting.
God sent his son, not "his wife", not "his daughter" to save us. Jesus, who was a man, chose men to be apostles. Not 90%, not 50%, but 100% were men. Don't you think he was brave and able enough to use this opportunity to restructure gender roles? He didn't. He confirmed them. The women supporting him were there with him, but they were in the background.
And his disciples, did they alter the gender roles? No, they confirmed them in a society where everybody played their gender role. Apparently nobody even questioned the fact that the leaders were all men, and the apostles didn't either. Still they found it neccessary to make a point of advicing the women to submit and men to take care of them.
In line with this, there were no female church leaders. «So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. ...... He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? ..... A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well.»
(1 Timothy3:2-5, 8-12NLT - my underlinings) Paul is only talking about men, not women, as elders and deacons. Yes, I know that some bibletranslations uses the word deacon in describing Phebe in this verse: "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a sevant of the church which is at Cenchrea:" (Rom. 16,1 KJV). But several translations uses serves, servant, which is in harmony withother texts on the subject in the Bible. However, women were a part of the work spreading the gospel: «And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, .....» (Philippians 4:3NLT) Does this prove they also were "public figures", leaders alongside men in the church? If we answer that question from the viewpoint of our current culture, the answer would easily be yes. But why not read it in context with other bibletexts on the subject?
In general, women were to be quiet and in the background, not bringing attention to themselves, and to be submissive (socially, not sexually or morally) Here are som text pointing this out:
«Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.» (1 Timothy 2:11-14 NLT) Look at the reasons given for her being quietly in the background, not as a leader or authority over men. It is not based on the culture. It's based on the creational sequence before sin, and on the fact that the woman was the first to be deceived.
«Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.» (1 Cor 14:34-35NLT) This text is the hardest for me to accept. It sounds so strick. But, it still is there.
«And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.» (Ephesians 5:21-24, 33NLT) To me, it is so ridiculous when people nullify verse 22+ by referring to verse 21. Yes, in general we should submit to one another. But when we are talking about a wife in particular, her husband is her leader, and she is to submit to him. He heads her wife in everything, just as Christ heads the Church.
«And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.»
(1 Timothy2:9-15) The whole picture is that women as a gender should assume a backseat-role, dressing modestly, and behaving quietly and submissively, not assuming the role of teacher or authority in mixed church congregations, and ofcourse likewise in society in general. She doesn't transform into a man the moment she steps out of church. And again, the reasoning goes back to creation, not to culture of any time in history.
«As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.» (Titus2:1, 4-5NLT) Again, the wife should be taught how to please their husband and take care of the home.
«In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.»
(1 Peter3:1-6NLT) Apart from urging wives to accept the authority of their husbands, Peter is praising the woman's beauty: The gentle and quiet spirit which is precious to God himself, not focusing on their physical attributes.
If women chose to behave respectfully towards their husband, do you think there would be less domestic violence? If women chose to dress modestly, do you think there would be less sexual assaults? The answer is obvious.
There is however an equal rights statement in the Bible concerning married people. As married, do you own your own body? No! «The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.» (1 Corinthians 7:3-4NLT) Again, it starts with the one having the body to give the other one authority over the body. It is not forced or claimed by the spouse. It is to be given freely.
SINGLE
Now a few words about being single, man and woman alike. «I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.» (1 Corinthians 7:32-35NLT)
Please also notice the following advice to single women who are widows: «But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God..... But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers..... So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes.... If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them ... (1 Timothy5 NLT) The singel woman doesn't have any husband to please. Still, her first responsibility is caregiving tasks in the greater family.
Apart from that she is free to use all her time on work for the Lord, and what could that be? I believe that being some type of witness for Christ, by word and action, is good for every human, old or young, man or woman. But in line with many bibletexts, I do believe that it will be a supportive "quiet" type of work. God who even dislikes men and women dressing alike, isn't it reasonable that gender role differences need to be visible also in type of employment, whether married or not?
Some "public" women may feel that God supports their work. I don't know you or your work, and I don't need to. I am not God. I am not your judge. You yourself need to see if your work is in harmony with the role pattern presented in the Bible. If it is not, how can you maintain that God supports your work? «.... the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful....» (1 Peter 3:4-5 NLT) Is this a priviledge only for married women?
Even when women do the same work as men, f.ex. when they are prophets, with special messages from God, they must display gender submission: «….. The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head…..» (1 Cor 11:3-5NLT)
Is God honoring you in that work or just His own word? God's word is power on it's own, without regard to who utters them. A nonbeliever can post God's word on a big billboard, and the word will do its work. His Word affects people everywhere, but that in itself is no proof that the singer, speaker or channel is called by God, is known by God, or that that person profits spiritually from it.
«It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry ....... do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, ........ But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.» (Philippians 1:15-18NLT) «“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’» (Matthew7:21-23NLT)
FINAL WORD
There is not one single person, married or single, male or female, who is qualified to be used by God. We are all sinners and corrupted. And in spite of that, not because of that, he uses you and me to promote his message in so many ways. So if we are born again, we will desire to head in the right direction and will be blessed, even though we stumble. «Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.» (Roman 12:2 NLT)
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