A Christian Woman’s Role In Life
The Myth of Total Equality With Man
The older I get, the more I see this word “equality” abused between men and women on this earth. It is totally misunderstood by women of the world in general, and as time goes on it is more and more misunderstood by women within the church of Christ. And not without good reason. The culture of this world has, for some time now, been influenced by the powers of Satan. And has evolved in the direction of less and less regard for any authority at all, and even less regard for the authority of the Word of God, the Bible.
Now you would expect this by the world in general. But as time goes on, the desire to incorporate this mindset into the women of the church of Christ has become more and more overpowering and almost impossible for women to ignore. As women assume more and more authority in the secular world, they are expecting the same authority in the church. This boldness also comes with changes in attitude and in the types of clothes women of the church are beginning to accept as well. Some are accepting the styles found on women at the mall and on TV, and little is left to the imagination. Some pants are so tight that they reveal a woman’s figure almost to the same degree as if her body was just covered with a coat of paint.
Now the subject of modesty and nakedness is another subject and will require another article to address that. This article is about “equality” between a man and a woman in everyday life. And the first thing I would like to point out is the Bible’s explanation of the role of women that dates all the way back to the first man and woman, found in the book of Genesis.
I know that almost everyone has some basic knowledge of the creation of man and woman in the Bible. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and there were 2 trees there planted by God. There was the tree of life and Adam and Eve could have eaten from this tree and lived forever. But there was another tree there as well and it was the tree of “the knowledge of good and evil”. Look at what the Bible says happened.
Genesis 3:9-13
9. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
As you can see, this part of the story takes place after Satan convinced the woman to eat from the forbidden tree of “The Knowledge of Good and Evil”. You might notice here that the first evil thing Adam noticed after he ate from the tree; the very first sin recorded by man and woman after they ate from the tree, was the evil of “public nakedness”. This “story” needs to be written as well and perhaps it will evolve as another article at a later date.
But let’s continue with the conditions God placed on woman because she sinned and ate from the forbidden tree and tempted her husband to eat as well.
Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Carefully read what God said to the woman. This is highly significant.
God first mentions her motherhood and tells her that from that day forward women would experience severe pain in childbearing. God does not lie and God always speaks the truth. God also has the authority to see that His will carries the weight of the final word on a subject. No one questions that this statement from God came true.
But this next part; Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.
It’s almost like this was just forgotten and ignored. It’s almost completely forgotten by women of the world and beginning to be watered down and forgotten by women in the church of Christ. And why not, when they are getting their instructions from the customs of the land, and unfortunately, from many of the men in congregations of the church.
There are two reasons why women in the church are being confused about their role as a woman. Many men in teaching positions are just ignorant of the Bible teaching on this subject and others want to please the women in their lives by building them up and placing them on a high pedestal that is just not supported by the Bible. They take verses out of context such as this one and apply them with a broad brush to a woman’s life.
Galatians 3:26-28
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Many people read this verse and because the bias and desire to blend in with the customs of our land is so great, they conclude that this means that men and women are equal in all things. Now it is true that there is no distinction between men and women or anyone else in our promise of salvation and eternal life. However, we do not all have the same talents, jobs, and roles in life. Look at this verse.
Ephesians 4:11-12
1 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ,
The Bible is very clear about this, we do not all have the same jobs and there are differences in our roles that give us differences. But no matter what the role we have in life, we all have the same value to God and we all have the same and equal chance for salvation and eternal life.
But this does not give us all equal authority in our different roles in life. Do you have the same authority as the elders in your congregation? No, you do not. But does this make you inferior as a Christian? No matter what our role in life is, we are all equal in God’s plan for salvation and eternal life. We cannot deny that God made male and female and He created the roles in life that we occupy.
It is true that God created a woman to have a strong desire for a man. God gave her these emotions and they are useful in her role as a mother and a wife. These emotions and desires are so strong in a woman that God placed her under subjection to a man all her life to keep these desires in check. The first man in her life is her father and eventually it becomes her husband. If you doubt these desires, look around you at the females you see. Are they doing anything to attract the attention of a man? You can see that they are by the way they are dressed. Does it not make good sense that God created a way for these desires to be kept under control? These desires are kept under control by a woman being in subjection to a man.
But the world is changing and in my lifetime I have seen a lack of respect for Bible authority. This is happening even in the church. Teachers and preachers and men in general have lost their courage to admit that women are in subjection to men and they are finding ways to soften the Bible phrases to allow women to think there is no subjection at all.
Now this attitude is more prevalent in younger women who have more association with schools and work places among the younger females around them. Many of the older women are more secure with their roles and understand the Bible’s authority. Men who are married to these women do not always understand that their wives are exceptions and they build them up in Bible classes and have no understanding that their wives are exceptions. God bless these women who honor God in their role as a female.
To be a woman and honor the role of a woman as God designed it does not mean that a woman is inferior to a man. Here is a good example to illustrate that point exactly.
Which is greater, an eagle or a lion?
Would you say that one is greater than the other? Which one?
The lion can’t fly and the eagle can’t run down prey. They have different roles. But both are magnificent in their own roles and one is not greater than the other. It is the same with a man and a woman. Both are magnificent in their own respected role.
There is no reason for a woman to be ashamed of her role as a woman. To be in subjection to a man is God’s design for women and to disrespect this is to disrespect God’s design. I guarantee you and I promise you and I assure you, to follow God’s design will give you a happier life. Of course, choosing a faithful Christian man for a husband will have a lot to do with how your life turns out. The husband has his role too. Look at this verse.
Ephesians 5:22-25
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Now there is more to the role of women than just this part about being in submission. Don’t think that this is all there is to it. There is the matter of teaching men and also about usurping authority over a man. There is also the matter of a woman taking leading roles in our assemblies when the church comes together. And please, let’s never forget “modest dress and behavior”.
Men have roles too. I have not addressed them in this article but God designed a role for them as well. In fact, when a man abrogates his role, it can cause a woman to be deceived and lost. May God help you to learn what your roles are.
Carl O. Cooper
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