Gender And Roles

We live in a time period where some in our society have tried to blur the lines between the genders that God created.  Some have even gone so far as to advance the notion that there are more than two genders, and that they can be swapped at any given time.  This has led to many, especially young people, doubting who they are.  The truth about genders, and the roles that God wants fulfilled,  are not difficult to understand.  Problems only arise when people are ignorant of the Scriptures and/or unwilling to followe Them.

            Let us begin with one of the most basic and simplistic truths that is in the Bible.  In the beginning, mankind was not made of more than two genders.  On the contrary, there were two and only two.  Moses recorded, “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” (Gen. 1:26-27).  “Male” and “female” are the only two genders of mankind that God has created.  There was no confusion about such a basic truth.  To further establish this point, the first two human beings were a male named Adam, and a female named Eve.  “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:  and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 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” (Gen. 2:21-23).  Can you imagine how nonsensical it would have been for Adam or Eve to tell God that He made a mistake in making one male and the other female.  God knew exactly what He was doing.  No matter what surgeries, hormone therapies, theories, or beliefs, gender is defined by God, not by man.

            The roles of the two genders are also explicitly defined by God.  Before venturing too deeply into this discussion, let me go ahead and disarm those who would decry “misoginy”.  I do not hate women, neither does God.  However, God has every right to determine the boundaries of His creation.  In regard to the roles of the genders, it is not the male who first came from the female, but rather the female came from the rib of the first man.  Likewise, it was not the male who was “beguiled” by the serpent/devil, but rather the female.  As a result we find the following, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee”  (Gen. 3:16).  Keep in mind, that was God speaking in that text.  It was not man that place the woman in a submissive role, but rather God.  That is why, by inspiration, Paul could write, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.  In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.  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.  Nothwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” (1 Tim. 2:8-15).  God, through Paul, defined exactly what God, through Moses, had defined.  It is women who are to be in the submissive role, not men.  Men can “pray everywhere”, which indicates that they can lead in worship when women are prohibited to do such in the presence of men.  This fact is further verified in how that God wants men to be the pastors/bishops/elders/presbyters/overseers of the local congregation.  First, one must be a man (1 Tim. 3:1).  He must also be “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2).  A woman cannot be a husband.  A husband is a married male.  Therefore, women are not to be the leaders of the home, nor are they to be the leaders of the local congregations of the church.  Women who take roles such as these are disobeying God’s divine instructions.  Some try to misuse Galatians 3:28 by claiming that in Chirst there are no defined gender roles.  Friend that passage has nothing to do with gender roles, but instead is showing that anyone, Jew or Greek, male or female, bond or free, is saved equally in Christ, and as such are “Abraham’s seed” (Gal. 3:26-29).

            Do not allow yourself to be confused by the discussions about gender and roles of men and women.  Instead, take time to study the Word of God.  You will find absolute truth, and there will be no room for confusion (John 17:17).
~ Corey Barnette