For the past few devotions, we have been discussing the roles of husbands and wives. But what about men and women in general? This daily devotional looks at what the Bible says about men and women being equal.
Nuggets
- God made women to be an equal partner who will go along side and work with men to do what He has called them to do.
- Both men and women were created in God’s image and charged to be stewards of the earth and populate it.
- As part of Eve’s punishment for committing the original sin, she was to submit to her husband.
- If this is the consequences of the sin, it wasn’t this way prior to the sin.
- Jesus said that anyone who does the will of His Father is his brother, sister, and mother.
- Jesus taught women and extended the offer of salvation to them.
When I was doing the What Does It Mean Wives Are to Be Submissive? post, one phrase triggered a thought. Wives are to be submissive only to their husbands. This doesn’t say women are to be submissive to all men.
Some think that the Bible teaches that women are inferior to men. Let’s see what it really says.
Both Are Created in God’s Image
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1: 27 ESV)
The “man” in Genesis 1: 27 refers to mankind. God created both males and females in His image.
This verse gives us the impression that God created Adam and Eve on the same day. Genesis 2 gives, instead, a more complete picture of what really happened.
God created Adam first and put him in the Garden of Eden. “And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Gen. 2: 8 ESV).
Adam knocked around in the Garden a while — we don’t know how long. Long enough for God to decide Adam needed a companion. “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’” (Gen. 2: 18 ESV). Then God created Eve.
Comparable means something is similar to something else. The King James Version says, “… I will make him an help meet for him” (Gen. 2: 18). Other versions say God created a helper that was suitable (NIV, NASB), a suitable partner (CEV), a suitable companion (GNT), his complement (HCSB), just right (NLT), and a fit (ESV).
Partner, companion, complement. God made women to be an equal partner who will go along side and work with men to do what He has called them to do.
At that time, it was to be stewards of the earth (Gen, 1: 26, 28) — together. They were to populate the earth (Gen. 1: 28) — which they had to do together.
God gave this charge to both Adam and Eve. He didn’t give it before Eve was formed, making it just Adam’s charge. God gave it to both men and women.
In none of these passages did it translate inferior. It can’t. Woman was also made in God’s image. Eve was not inferior to Adam.
Yes, God formed Eve out of Adam instead of totally replicating whatever process He used for Adam (Gen. 2: 21-22). But maybe He did to some extent.
We weren’t given this amount of detail on how Adam was formed. God had to start with something — dust. It says He made man, not spoke him into existence (Gen. 1: 26).
But it really doesn’t matter how God made Adam and Eve. What matters is God made Adam and Eve — and He made them as equals.
Look at Gen. 2: 24. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2: 24 ESV). Become one flesh — not become Adam’s flesh (again). Not become Eve’s flesh. They were to become a unit — an equal unit.
Some want to say Adam is superior because Eve bit first. Yes, she did — after Satan had to take five verses to convince her. In verse 6, she bit — and gave it to Adam — who said nary a word, just bit — all in verse 6.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
You are trying to tell me that a hen-pecked guy is superior to a strong-willed woman? Is that really the story you want to stick with?
Let’s look at when Adam and Eve had an ah ha moment. “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coolc of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3: 7-8 ESV emphasis added). They are a unit on this.
Both of them figured out they didn’t have on any clothes. Both of them hid from God.
It didn’t matter on whom the blame is laid. Both Adam and Eve had bit. Both had sinned. Both were equally without a Savior.
Roles of Men and Women
In the What Does It Mean Wives Are to Be Submissive? post, we talked about that, as part of Eve’s punishment, she was to submit to her husband. It is just saying that husbands rule over wives.
We also talked in How Are Husbands Supposed to Act? about that this is a loving rule, not subjugation.
What we didn’t talk about was that, if this is the consequences of the sin, it wasn’t this way prior to the sin. That is further evidence that, in God’s perfect world, He created men and women equal. We screwed that up, too.
Jesus and Women
So, how did Jesus treat women? He treated them as equals.
Remember the time Jesus’ mother and brothers showed up for an intervention? But look what He said instead. “And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’” (Mt. 12: 49-50 ESV).
When talking about the crowd around Him, Jesus did not say brothers and sisters. He said, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12: 50 ESV emphasis added).
Why would Jesus add mother? He knew there are times that women do rule over men.
I hear you saying, “What? Have you gone crazy, Chick? We just said wives submit to husbands, not the other way around.”
Don’t mothers have rule over their sons? I bet we all know one son that really needed a stern mother to discipline him.
Do you really see Jesus treating women as less intelligent or less moral? No, He let Mary learn at His feet (Lk. 10: 39).
What about Martha? “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (Jn. 11: 25-26 ESV). Jesus told her doctrine and asked for a commitment right then.
What about the Samaritan woman? “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water’” (Jn. 4: 10 ESV). Jesus wouldn’t be telling her she could ask for living water if he was just going to turn around and refuse to give it to her.
Jesus has a short deadline. Do you see Him as wasting time if He didn’t think there was a concert there? No. Jesus loved and taught everyone. He was in train-the-trainer mode.
Besides, Jesus died for everyone. “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (I Jn. 2: 2 ESV). It didn’t say the our was just men. It said, “… of the whole world” (I Jn. 2: 2 ESV).
Making the Connections
Jesus preached unity, not divisiveness. As Paul put it, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3: 28 NLT).
Instead, we are to be a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Cor. 5: 17 ESV).
Paul also said outside things didn’t matter. “But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (Rom. 2: 29 ESV). What is important is a heart for God, not the packaging.
How Do We Apply This?
We commit to serving God however He calls us. We encourage others to serve Him according to their calling.
We don’t put up roadblocks and obstacles because others aren’t operating under how we see things should be. We let God work in all of our lives.
God has a plan for each of our lives (Jer. 29: 11). “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2: 9 ESV).
Each of us is chosen. Each of us is a priest. Each and every one of us is God’s special possession.
Father God. You have chosen us. You have called each of us to be Your priest. Each and every one of us is Your special possession. You do not look at man’s dividing factors. You look at our hearts. May You find our hearts and our minds focused on serving You in the ways in which You have called us. May You see us striving to grow closer to You. Amen.
What do you think? How are ways you can acknowledge that men and women are equal?
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Men and women are equal in God’s eyes but He created them to have different functions. Great post!
Yes, He did, Carolina! He created what He needed to do His work. Thanks for your comment.