Men and Woman today

We are blessed to live in a time where in most places human being has more freedoms that ever before.

No more is this more apparent that in the liberation of woman.

It has taken a long time for the biblical truth that both men and woman are of equal value to reach mainstream siocity.

And it is a blessing.

The decision to open up oppertunities to whoever is best for the task benifits everyone.

If i was going for surgery, i want to know that the surgion is the best there is. Their race, gender even religion is not a factor, i just want the best.

And with todays equal oppertunites i can rest in that hope.

Anyone who uses their brain to think, can see why opening up the field is a great idea.

This great blessing of equal oppertunity however has another side. Especualy for the Christian. We live and die under the authority of God Word.

And God’s Word lays down clear and implicit instructions regarding men and woman.

God is a God or order:

1 Corinthians 14:33 AV

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

And part of that order is how God has ordered the roles of men and woman.

In a world thats says you can be and do anything you want. God’s Word stands in opposition.

God’s Word puts an order of how men and woman are to behave, interact and live.

And it is here that the hammer falls heaviest.

Do we submit to God o submit to our worldview?

Let us take a monet to reflect on some biblical passages regarding men and woman.

But before we do, let us remind ourslves of the goodness, fairness, justice and kindness of God.

Whatever passages we are about to read, we must conclude that wihin them whatever God is saying is good, just and fair.

This, for many people will conflict with their worldview.

Some of these passages are totally opposed to modern beliefs. In fcat, i am willing to say that if a human author of today were to make statments such as the ones we shall look at in a momet then I would say is that it would be completly justified to conclude that this author is biased, sexist, mysoganic and unfair.

However, we have a problem - These passages, we believe, are not written by a humam being, they were said by God himself.

And we know that God cannot be sisxist, he cannot be mysoganic and He cannot be unfair.

Let look at a feww key verses:

Ephesians 5:21–33 AV

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

1 Corinthians 11:3 AV

3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 11:8–9 AV

8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

1 Timothy 2:11–12 AV

11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

I purposed selected these verses to show and allow you as the reader to feel the tension between them and your worldview.

As i said earlier, If a human author today had said these things we would easily conclude that their were wrong.

Imagine a book saying:

“Husbands must love their wives but never submit to their wives, submission is the womans role. Woman were created for men and not the other way round. Woman must live in subjection and at meeting must remain silent and are never to have authority ovr men”

This authory would rightfully be called out for their sexism.

However, it was not a human who said these things, it is God who inspited them.

So what do we do with this conflict?

We remeber that God is always good just and fair. Our faith must rise above our emotional responses.

Our hearts say something is wrong, but God reminds us:

Proverbs 28:26 AV

26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

and

Jeremiah 17:9 AV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

So we have to ask: If God is not being sexist, biased or unfair then what exacally is going on here?

There are only two options to persue:

1: God IS being unfair.

2: God MUST have sufficient reasons for saying and instructing these things.

A sufficient reason can make a seeminly unfair call acceptible.

If a man and a woman with euwal qualification and experience apply for a job, its a 50/50 chance.

If the man gets the job becasue he is a man, then suddenly questions about the employers attitude may get questioned. He may be called sexist and bigioted.

However, when it turns out the job is cleaning and working in a Gym’s men locker room, then the reason makes the accuation null.

The only question is does God have such a reason and if He does are you humble enough to accept it?

Woul you lay a charge against God?

Job tried and we see God’s responce.

So our way forward is clear:

If God has no reason for these instruction then God is sexist and unfair. God cannot be sexist or unfair, so God must have a reason. What is that reason?