Today many Christians have taken a world view "totally contrary" to the Word of God. They have ignored the Divine designs of creation and began to blur the roles of man and woman into a unisex sort of thing, a perversion of what God originally intended in the Garden. This is obvious from the many letters I have received from feminists and Christian women's liberation movements. Some have responded with "Well, back in Jesus' day men were chauvinists, and this shows in the writings of the Scripture". To which I reply, I believe the Scripture to be God inspired, not written based on the whims of men. Others have formed in their minds a vast conspiracy among Christianity to "put women in their places". This is foolish, and paranoid.

     Let me be plain: I believe women are just as capable as men, perhaps more so, in all areas of life. I believe women are just as intelligent, just as thoughtful, just as able as any man. I am glad that women have the right to vote in this country, and frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. But having stated this, I am also certain that God designed men and women to fulfill specific roles in the Church and in the family. When we depart from these roles we harm ourselves and others who come in contact with us.

     In our society today same-sex marriages are becoming more and more acceptable, as is fornication and adultery. The Christian and the Church are called by God not to be swayed by the world, but to exist in such a way as to convert the world to Christ. When we modify our views to that of the world to please feminism, God is not pleased. When we address God as "she" in order to placate militarism, we sin in His eyes. He is not man as we know man, but He incarnated Christ as man for a specific reason. Yes, Christ "could have" been incarnated as woman, but He would have been ineffective as our Savior. Christ had to be man. We have to follow God's roles. There is no in-between.

     In this highly charged debate about men and women the standard we must adhere to is "What saith the Scripture?". This should be a frank and untwisted study of the gender role as taught by Scripture.

Galatians 3:13, 28 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

     The feminist movement in Christianity have taken this verse, "there is neither male nor female", and tried to use it to teach that the God designed roles between man and woman were erased by the atonement of the Cross. Not only is this false doctrine, it is faulty interpretive practice. The intent of the verse is to show that God is no respector of persons, but He offers salvation equally to all. As it is written:

2 Peter 1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

     If the verse is teaching that gender roles are erased at the atonement, then it is equally teaching that "race roles" and "working roles" are also erased. Though slavery was and is an abominable practice, it was commonly practiced in the ancient world. Slaves were not suddenly "freed" after accepting Christ as Savior. Paul's letter to Philemon proves that point. And Jews do not cease being Jewish, nor Gentiles as they are. This is foolish! You maintain your race after Christ, just as I maintain mine. And we all, male or female, bond or free, Jew or Gentile, can equally approach the Throne of Grace in prayer and thanksgiving after salvation. But do we cease being who we are? Absolutely not! We are who we are, but now we are saved. Our roles, as designed by God, are still intact for this earthly time. The Apostle Paul understood this:

1 Corinthians 14:34-37 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."

     Paul made it plain that his treaty on women "keep(ing) silence in the churches" was not based on Jewish custom of the day, nor on the basis of his own prejudice. This proclamation was made as a series of "commandments of the Lord'. A commandment is "not" something subject to interpretation, or to the whim of the Christian. Paul taught in our Galatians text that there is no "spiritual distinction" between men and women - we are all of equal worth to God. Yet the New Nature brought on by salvation "does not" remove the distinctive roles between the sexes. There is equal worth, but does "equal worth demand equal function" in the Body?

     To hear the feminists speak, worth and function are one in the same. Much of this type of generalization is an over-reaction to the over abuses of yesteryear, when men refused women even the most basic rights in America. Yet equal worth "does not" demand equal function. Within the Godhead there are Three equally powerful Beings, each possessing the same capabilities as the other. Yet of these Three only "One", the Father, leads the Trinity. Both Son and Spirit are in subjection to the Father's will, and the Spirit is in subjection to the Son's will. Though all Three are equal, they each adopt their own roles without diminution. The Godhead functions so well because each maintains His activities within His role, setting a prime example of how we as humans should maintain our human activities and marriages.

     Furthermore, Paul's command to women in the Church was "not based" on the Mosaic Law. Many teach that, since we are no longer under the Law, we are not bound by the restrictions of the Law. Yet Paul's command did not stem from the Mosaic Law, as is evident in his statement:

" ..they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law .."

     That small phrase, "as also", makes it clear that the command to be under obedience was a Law that "was in addition to" the Mosaic codes, a Law present at Creation, a Law on a totally separate set of books. This Law is ethereal, eternal in being, a Law of unity and order used by God and handed down to His Creation. This was not a Law that we were freed from with the death of Christ. The Mosaic Law comprehended and repeated this Law and incorporated this Law into it's working. But when the Mosaic Law was transcended by Christ the former Law, a Law of Creation, still stood.

Genesis 1:26-27 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

     Both male and female were created in the image of God ("male and female created he them"). The Hebrew word for "image" is TSELEM, which means "a phantom or resemblant likeness, a representative figure". The word was often used to refer to the image of something that came out of a mold: it was not the mold, but looked "exactly" like it. In other words, finite man was created in such a way as to reflect the infinite God, inasmuch as that is possible.

     In what way did ISH (man) and ISHA (woman) represent God before the Fall? They were both equal in value to God, and they were free from sin. In their union they represented God. In God's union, the Trinity, all Three have equal worth though each possesses different roles and submission to the other. The Father is in authority over both Son and Spirit. In the marital union ISH was to be in authority over ISHA. Though mankind would later fall under the weight of sin, this order or "Image of God" would never be countermanded by the Father.

Genesis 2:18, 22-23 "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

     God established the standard and the roles in marriage through the act of creation. God is omnipotent: He could have easily raised both ISH and ISHA from the dust of the ground simultaneously. Nothing hinders His absolute power but His own will. Yet God chose to create ISH first, and draw ISHA out of man's rib. Did God forget to create woman at the start, and draw her from man's rib to correct this oversight? No, God did not forget, but waited for man to "desire" woman, to feel a hurt, a need for her before He created that beautiful creature. God created in a specific order:

• Man was drawn from the earth, symbolic of God Himself. God had no rib to draw man from, but drew him out of all He created. Man was to be submissive to the Creator above all.

• Woman was created from the rib of man, and was to be in submission to him as her mate. In the words of an old Chinese proverb, "Woman was not created from the head of man so she could rule over him, nor from the bones of his feet so that she could be trod upon, but from his rib to walk by his side and be protected from harm."

Genesis 2:19 "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof."

     Notice the "pattern of creation". As God created each animal, He brought it to ISH to see "what he would call them". God did this to show that Adam, ISH, was to "have dominion over" creation. This was God's design, God's plan. Notice the following:

Genesis 2:22-23 "And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

     Just as God did with the animal creation, He brought ISHA to man who in turn gave her her name, "Woman", or the Hebrew ISHA. Woman submitted to the naming, man did the naming, and God corrected neither: it was His design that woman be in submission to her mate. Did this submission "lessen ISHA's" worth in the eyes of God?

Genesis 1:28-30 "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."

     God gave both ISH and ISHA control over creation (God said unto them). There is no doubt that both were of equal value to God, though within their union ISHA was to be under the leadership of ISH. Again, the idea that equal worth demands equal roles is totally foreign to the Scripture. Even in the Church, the Body of Christ, there are varying roles and lines of authority drawn that in no way diminish those who must follow.

1 Corinthians 12:14-18 "For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."

     In both ISH and ISHA God developed their frames (bodies) and emotional levels in such a way that they would be able to carry out their functions, their God given roles. The male frame is made long, with a long reach and heavily muscled. Man's nature, if uncorrupted by evil, is protective and aggressive, the traits of leadership. Woman's build was slighter, less muscled, with a different temperament. She was built to "respond" to the leadership of the man. This is not a series of roles that changed after the Fall, nor after salvation.

Ephesians 5:21-31 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 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. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 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. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 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."

     Paul parallels the unity of Christ and His Church with the relationship between man and wife. This parallel is "highly interesting", and lends itself to many applications. No believer in his right mind would make the statement that the Church, the Bride of Christ, is "equal in authority and rule" to the Savior. The Church is in subjection to Christ, under His ruling authority. Does this make us less, somehow diminish us? Again, absolutely not! In the same way the wife, ISHA, is to be in submission to her husband in everything. Again, the words of the Apostle: "Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing". The man in marriage is to be the ruling authority, the wife the helper, the follower. Different roles, though equally saved in Christ.

     Did the Church become co-equal with Christ when it accepted Christ as Savior? No, but came under Christ's rule to an even greater extent. Does the woman become co-equal with the man after the vows of marriage are made? Again, no, but she is designed and destined by God's plan to become even more under his rule, to recognize him as the leader of the household. Television sitcoms love to berate man, to show him as foolish within his household. Home Improvement shows Tim to be the foolish male often emasculated by his wife, who obviously has all the common sense in the family. The Cosby Show depicted Heathcliff, a bumbling husband barely in charge of himself, superbly dictated to by his wife Claire. American society has watched these male emasculating shows for years and become to believe that this is the norm, the way things should be. Yet television does not portray the reality of God's Plan, nor does it show the norm that is His way. Christ is not the bumbling husband, dictated to by the whims of the Church. The husband is not the bumbling sexually driven male, dictated to by the whims of his wife. These things are contrary to the order of Scripture.

     What is man's role in the marriage relationship? He is to "love" his wife ("love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it"), to sacrifice himself for her benefit, to do what is necessary to nurture and help her grow in Grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. I find it interesting that "no where in Scripture" is the woman "commanded to love" the man, but man is commanded to love the woman.

     As we discovered earlier, woman was designed to be "a responder" to the advances of her leader. When a woman is loved by her man she will respond with love. When a woman is neglected by her man, she will respond with neglect. "Many of the marriages failing today are failing because the man dropped the ball in the relationship." Love requires doing the highest good toward one's object. Love means correcting when correction is righteous, "not" when we as men feel like it. Love means showing tenderness and love, the caress of the heart, frequently and without rationing. "Love means supplying the woman's needs, both physical and spiritual."

1 Timothy 5:8 "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

     Christian men, in particular, need to pay heed to Paul's warning: If we "provide not for his own" then we have become "worse than an infidel", or godless unbelievers. Heed Paul's warning, men! Often we are to blame for the discord that plagues our households.

     In 1 Timothy Paul gives directions for the government of the Church and the training of it's members. Within this same context Paul writes:

1 Timothy 2:11-15 "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

     Again, a very straightforward statement. Does Paul tell the woman that she is forbidden to teach at all in the Church? "No", for each believer, regardless of gender, is given Spiritual Gifts once they enter the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."

1 Corinthians 12:13-18 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."

     The Bible says that these Spiritual Gifts are divided to "every man" severally as He will. The Greek word for "man" is HEKASTOS, which is better rendered as "PERSON". The Holy Spirit gives Gifts to both men and women in the Body. Just as there is no "dead weight" in the human body, each member in the Body of Christ has a Gift and a duty to perform. Our Spiritual Gifts are not given based on race or sex, nor based on merit. They are distributed as the Spirit of God sees fit. Going back to our Timothy passage, is Paul teaching that God gave women Spiritual Gifts, then disallowed their usage? "Absolutely not!" However, all Gifts, whether possessed by man or woman, must be exercised in accordance with the "will and plan of God".

     The woman's Gifts is not to be used to exercise authority over the man in the Body. This is very plain, based on "I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man". The Gift given must not be used in opposition to the order of rule, nor in opposition to the gender design that God's Law of Creation established. Women may indeed teach:

Titus 2:3-5 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

     Women, though forbidden to teach in authority over the man, are definitely needed as teachers in the Body of Christ. The woman must teach and preach, as God has called them, but to "other women" in obedience to God's design. "As long as her Gift is not used as a lever of authority over man", it is not only permissible but "commanded" that the woman exercise her Gift.

     If our women taught one another as God commands I suspect that we'd see the divorce rate among Christianity radically lowered. Many marriages dissolve because both men and women enter that holy state thinking it is nothing but "sex, sex, sex". There is so very much more to marriage than sex. Women, just as men, should be taught "how to make the marriage work". They must learn to be level headed, how to keep their household, how to discipline their children, how to be obedient to their husbands. This is half of the battle against the rampant divorce rate in our Churches today.

Some Christian feminists also point out the following:

1 Corinthians 11:5 "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven."

     They teach that this verse allows the woman to pray or preach out loud in the meetings of the Church. This is indeed a stretch of the imagination. No where in this verse does Paul mention "where" women are when this action is done, whether in the public meeting of the Church or while segregated from the men. The verse simply teaches that the woman should pray or prophecy with her head "covered" (a reference to her unshorn hair), a sign of her submission to her husband. In the continuing context:

1 Corinthians 11:6-9 "For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man."

     We see in this verse that the woman's longer hair is a sign of her role within the marriage, in submission to her husband. As Paul stated: "For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man". Again, the creation order highlights God's design in the marriage. Women are commanded to be in obedience to their men, not to be co-equal rulers with man in the Church.

1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law."

     Christian feminists have used numerous tactics to discount this Scripture. There is the camp that says, "But this is only one verse in the Bible, and written by a chauvinistic man". We've already refuted this, for all Scripture is God inspired. If the Gospel of Christ was offered in only "one verse", would you discount it? No, because Scripture is Scripture.

     Other feminists have attacked this verse at it's root, in the original languages. The Greek word for "speak" is LALEO, which the feminists say means "to make an unintelligible noise". Based on this mistranslation they formulated the theory that in the early Church women sat on one side of the Church, men on the other. When the women did not understand what was being taught they leaned across the aisle and whispered questions to their husbands (hence, unintelligible noise). This is a neat response to the verse IF LALEO means "unintelligible noise". However, it "does not mean this."

1 Corinthians 14:19 "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."

     In the same context just prior to this, Paul uses LALEO in reference to his own preaching. He says "in the church I had rather speak (LALEO) five words with my understanding". Obviously this is a reference to "intelligible speech", not babble. If LALEO is used here to refer to intelligent and clear speaking, it is certain that it is used in the same way by the same writer just a few verses later.

     As to the charge that Paul was a chauvinist woman hater, nothing could be farther from the truth. Paul was a ardent supporter of women in the Church, as long as they followed God's design in their lives:

Romans 16:1-5 "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ."

     Paul went so far as to name Phebe as a deacon (DIAKONOS = servant) in her Church, and to commend Priscilla and Aquila who maintained a Church in their own house. It is true that in the ancient world the custom was to regard women as inferior to men, less than citizens. Paul was not of this opinion: he revered women, just as did our Lord, and promoted their ministries "within their proper design" in the local Church.

     God designed women to obey the leadership of their men, regardless as to what society might teach. Paul's teachings were not based on chauvinism, but on God's order and design. To correct any further error on this point, let me quickly point out that Phebe was not "an ordained" deacon or minister in the Body of Christ. When Paul gave the qualifications of minister and deacon to Timothy:

1 Timothy 3:1-2, 12 "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well."

     These positions of "leadership" were clearly offered "only to men", not to women. Again, God's design and order must be maintained in the Body regardless as to the ways of the world. An old preacher I know said, "When a woman can become the husband of one wife, she can become a ordained deacon or minister". This statement wouldn't wash today, for in our depraved world a woman "can" become the homosexual husband of one wife.

     Again, this is contrary to God's plan and design, an abomination to Him. But is it any less an abomination than women who refuse to follow God's design in marriage? Is it any less an abomination than the woman who, contrary to God's Word, seeks the pulpit in the local Church? Both homosexuality and women in authority over men are from the same root, the root of disobedience to God's design. Both are equally unacceptable to God.

1 Corinthians 14:36 "What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?"

     The word which Paul gave Corinth applies to us today. It was not a command given just to the Corinthians, but to all Christian families and Churches everywhere. In all that God does He has a specific plan, a plan that He alone controls and understands. When God created woman He made her to be a helper to man, and placed in her emotional makeup the qualities necessary to help her accomplish this goal. Man was given the role of leader and protector, woman the role of follower and helper. When men and women adhere to these rules their lives run smoother. When men and women switch roles, or refute God's creation order for them, then trouble starts.

Romans 1:26-28 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"

     When the man substitutes his God given design for the design of the world, he in essence loses his manhood. When his manhood goes a vacuum is left in his soul, and something must rush in to fill this vacuum. As man moves farther and farther away from God's design, he moves closer and closer to aberrant lifestyles like homosexuality. The same is true for the woman. As she moves out of her God given role she loses her femininity, moving deeper into false masculinity or lesbian behavior. Let us not lose sight of our femininity or our masculinity. Live in the role that God equipped you for. Women are not less than men when they walk in subjection to their husbands, but are a reflection of the beauty of ISHA in the Garden. By obeying God's design woman builds up the Church of God, strengthens her family, and helps her husband maintain his role within God's economy.

     What duties can the woman serve within the Church? She can aid in all extra-curricular ministries, bus ministries, tape ministries, sound and audio ministries, tract distribution, and door to door visitation and witnessing. She can volunteer to keep the chapel clean. She can tend to the children, nurturing them and leading them to Christ. She can teach the children and women's classes, visit the sick and elderly, and care for those who are disabled. Women are "vitally needed" in the Church today, not as preachers and deacons, but as helpers to the whole Body. Let us each live our lives according to God's plan and purpose, fulfilling His will in our lives. Let the world stay outside of the Church and outside of our families: God's way is best!"

     If you are not "certain" of your own salvation today, then now is a great time to make certain. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Please read "How do I get to Heaven" by clicking here!

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