“God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (rf. Gen.
1:27).
It
should not amaze me anymore how polarized we have become in our nation. Yet, at
every turn, someone says or does something that takes the divide between people
groups to even greater depths, making it harder for the possibility for future
reconciliation and working together to occur. Much less is their prospective
inclusion of biblical views as specified by the Scriptures, showing how far we
have strayed from belief in and practice of God’s Holy Word.
Take,
for instance, the differences in roles between men and women. Society would have
us to believe that we are not only fundamentally and completely equal in every
way, indeed, interchangeable, but that the sexes have moved to a new place of
inequality wherein women are the dominant of the species. According to a new
anthropological study, entitled, Women
After All: Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy by Melvin Konner
of Emory University, he states that women will soon dominate men in every
sphere of life. Dr. Konner believes that this is a very good thing since women,
in his view, are more and better adapted to handle the rigors of life and
leadership than their male counterparts.[i]
Of
course, such beliefs take no thought as to God’s design for men and women since
Dr. Konner’s premises are based on evolutionary presuppositions, precluding any
belief in the existence of God. Yet, our Creator gave us two important
templates by which to live, though they fly in the very face of the prevailing
culture. I assure you, those who choose to follow these teachings of the Lord
will find themselves at odds with our society, not popular at all with those
who would agree with the assessments and beliefs of Dr. Konner and those of his
like.
First
of all, superiority over others should never be a goal striven for as followers
of Jesus, whether male or female. Be it on the basis of race, gender, social or
economic status, we should never view ourselves as better than others. This is
nothing but the sin of pride emanating from our own sinful nature. Jesus taught
us, rather, to always think of ourselves last, instead of first, in order to
keep ourselves humble. If we are to be exalted, it will be the Lord who does
that work for us; it will not be by any effort or merit of ourselves (rf. Mt.
23:11-12; Lk. 22:26).
Secondly,
God Himself has clearly defined the roles of men and women. We will speak more
about men in the next issue. For women, God has revealed that His highest
calling for them is to be wives and mothers (rf. Prov. 31:10-31; I Tm.
2:15). For a small percentage of women, God has called them to be
single, desiring them to be His servants in a unique and blessed fashion
throughout their days (rf. I Cor. 7:6-8, 32). Submission
will always be the expected attitude, whether uniquely to the Lord as a single
or to the Lord and to a husband, if married, since this attitude is viewed as
an adornment of the daughters of Eve in their faithfulness to Him (rf. Eph.
5:22-33; I Pet. 3:1-6).
The
challenge before us as Christians in this present age is to live differently
according to the beliefs of Scripture in the midst of a society that demands
compliance with its own set of values and ideas. The further the world moves
away from the truths of Scripture, the greater the gulf will be it and between
biblical Christianity, not to mention the higher the degree of persecution of
Christians because of the distinction. The challenge this month is for the
ladies of His Church to be bold in upholding the truths of His Word in the
lives that they live, not falling prey to the deceitful and tantalizing belief
systems that are put forth by the culture. God holds His daughters in great
love and respect, having placed in their hands and hearts great gifts not given
to His sons. It is only right that they should, in gratitude, exercise these
gifts and uphold His truths in humility, taking their rightful place in His service
and in love.
[i]
Konner, Melvin. “The End of Male Supremacy”, The Chronicle of Higher Education:
The Chronicle Review. March 20, 2015, Reprinted from
http://chronicle.com/article/The-End-of-Male-Supremacy/228769/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
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