God Created Women Too

Lots of people wrongfully claim the Bible does not advocate feminism, and some might even go as far as to say it mandates male dominance. Yes, it's true some parts of the Bible have a distinctly masculine flair to them, especially to our modern grasp of what was written. That being said, the apparent repression of women in the Bible can usually be attributed to the patriarchal cultures in which the Bible was written; because of the way their society was set up, of course they leaned away from what we would call a feminist perspective.

That is not to say that women were valued any less as people.

Perhaps one reason people assume the Bible represses women is because they often look at the role of both men and women outside of the main context their roles are defined. We know that man was created in God's image, and because woman came from man, she too is a reflection of God. Together in marriage, the two roles form another reflection, this one of the Trinity of God. The man is supposed to love and serve his wife, while his wife is supposed to respect the man's authority as head of the family, yet she does this as an equal. Even together, they cannot do it without God, and so they must also invite God into their relationship.

The Trinity, made of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit operates in exactly the same way. While all three entities are equal in power and authority, the latter two willingly submit to the authority of God the Father. They do so out of love, even though both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are just as capable of creating the universe, performing miracles, and playing God as God the father is.

Because they are equals, and because marriage is a reflection of that, the husband and wife should also be equal to one another.

With that established, we can look at what the Bible says specifically about and towards women.

It seems, according to Isaiah 32 that both men and women, and quite possibly the relationship of the two, play a pivotal role in spreading the word about God's love. Whereas the man should walk in the Lord's footsteps, by helping the needy and living as Jesus did, the women should not be complacent when they see their families falling apart or their husbands falling to sin. In essence, they too must live for the Lord, placing God above everything else. Their reward for putting God first, an inner peace, a quiet confidence, and a secure home.

Just like the men, the women were expected to put God first. In some ways, their task was more difficult, because they not only had to keep tabs on themselves, but also on their husbands, being sure both were right with the Lord. As shown in the aforementioned chapter, men are to do the Lord's work outside the family, such as with friends, neighbors, etc, and women, it seems, should do the Lord's work predominantly with their children. In this way, neither party is being unfruitful for the Lord, and they both are expected to lay down their lives for the Lord if they have to.

This is shown again almost at the very end of the Bible. The entire book of 2 John is directed towards a lady friend of Johns. He starts out by applauding the woman's work in raising her children in the Lord. John shows us in the next sentence that women are obligated to obey the same commandments as men, that we should all love one another.

Surprisingly, there is also a warning against complacency in this letter. John warns his female friend of the deceivers out in the world, and he expressly forbids her from letting them come into her home and destroying all she'd done in the name of Christ. She is to have no part in any false teaching. None whatsoever.

While women should be gentle in nature, they have a job to do just as important as the one men have. Both men and women share in doing the Lord's work, and both men and women follow the same commandments. Both were made by God, and both serve the same God. Personally, I think that's all that matters.

Love, Sex, and Marriage, Oh My!

I went to a Bible study last night that talked about sex, a lot.

No, the church I go to isn't full of heretics. Sex isn't just for heathens, and in case you didn't know, the Bible goes pretty in depth. Honestly, the Bible goes so far in depth, I'm kind of wondering why the missionary position is considered plain-jane and uninteresting. Based on last night's conversation, I actually feel the missionary position might be more fun than a night with the most accommodating escort service--but that's another blog post entirely. I promise I'll explain what I mean when I talk about what I learned last night, but tonight, I think I would rather voice my experience with Biblically outlined sexuality.

Because the Bible study focused on the Song of Songs/Solomon, I'm not going to go there tonight. Sorry, no spiritual pr0n this evening.

Love is complex. Jesus said we need to love God with all our heart, and love our neighbor like ourselves. As such, it's possible (and likely) that we love our friends even if we're not in love with them. But, society makes it clear to us that there is another kind of love, one with a certain je ne sais quoi.

Even so, it's not like MTV makes it out to be. Boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, and wives are not supposed to be just that--they're supposed to be best friends too.

If you think about it, it actually makes sense for a couple to be best friends, especially if they're going to get married and spend the rest of their lives together. Ah marriage, it's great, isn't it? I mean, it's at this point the Bible first encourages believers to partake in (-snicker-) intimacy.

Sex is arguably God's second greatest gift to humanity, the first being Jesus to die in our place. Does it surprise you to hear the Bible actually describes some anatomical parts when talking about sex? Just wait until you hear what's in Song of Songs. Then you'll really be blushing.

We're supposed to love others not only because God told us to who knows how many times, but also because in loving others, we become more like God, being that God is love. In fact, it's what distinguishes believers from nonbelievers, their love for one another.