What is a Woman’s Role?
How does social status and role in this current culture affect the role as a woman in the Church?
To first understand this, we need to define a few things. The first being what is social status? In the simplest form social status is that in which a person finds themselves in society (1). For example: student, sales man, painter, etc. all status that are found in society. Role is defined as the part in which how you contribute to society. What is the way in which you are helping or also hurting society? Both are key to know in understanding and see how this affects our culture and America in general. These roles can help us pinpoint issues in which our society deals with and if used in a positive way could possibly make change happen that we desperately need as a country. Then we have woman. Which a woman is a female adult human being (3). So, a man is the opposite of that just, so we are clear on all definitions. Those definitions were more for your entertainment, so you are welcome.
In this day of 2018 woman can do far more than fifty years ago. Woman can now vote, work full time jobs, be the bread winner of the family, preach, teach, and the list can go on. We have come far in society with the rights in which woman are now able to have instead of being a level higher than the animals on the farm. I think that this is important to be able to see how this has affected our society in a positive and possibly negative way. The positive influences of woman having more rights and freedom is compassion I think it has allowed sensitive issues to be addressed and brought into light instead of continually ignored. With I do think it has also caused issues to be brought into the light and addressed in the heat of the moment without the full circle affect being taken into consideration. Being able to balance the ways in which we as woman affect and contribute to society is so important.
As a woman who has strong leadership gifts I am so aware of the sense that I could go and run a ministry on my own and without the help of a man. So why don’t I just go and do that? Because the most beneficial social status is when man and woman come together and work as one. It is all within the blue prints in which God made for this earth.
I want to take the rest of this blog to talk about the way in which God created man and woman and how that clearly defines our roles in this society. Let’s starts with Adam: Adam being created first gives precedence to man being the leader. Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Adam is called to work, keep the garden and be the guardian of it. From this we see a flor of Adam being called first to uphold the moral integrity of his family. Which is still the same today. Men are still called to work and care for the family. We are all humans created in Gods image equally loved by an almighty and powerful God. So, you could therefore go even further in the sense of whether you are a man with a family of your own or a single man in this society you are called to uphold moral integrity and character. Even before Eve came we see God give Adam his role in society and the rule in which he was to obey. God didn’t repeat the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to Eve because it was Adams job to uphold that integrity. So, when we see this story unfold of Adam and Eve interacting with the snake the one who knew the commandment of God was Adam not Eve.
Why can’t both man and woman have dominion and leadership? First these are not the same thing. Dominion is dominance and that has not been given to woman. Eve was not taken out of Adam rib and then told to have work the land and subdue it, Adam was. Adam also isn’t the controller of Eve but her leader. Which is so important to point out? This is a difficult topic but understanding that by knowing as a woman you are not to be subdued by men but submit which is a choice. When Adam names Eve (which is so significant) Genesis 2:21–23, “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, for she was taken out of man.”” This moment is so much bigger then when Adam is going around naming the animals. When Adam saw Eve, he saw beauty and companionship. The aching in his spirit for that companionship was given life and voice when he first lays eyes on her. The purity of this moment if you really sit in it brings forth the reason why we were created. This is the first time we see the yearning for another in the way in which it was intended not filled with lustful and perverted thinking towards a man or woman but pure companionship.
Woman in the bible are equal but different in their roles. Eve was not created and then told to get on her knees and worship Adam. Genesis 2:18 when God said it is not good for man to be alone this is the first time we see God say that something is not good. Everything created and done prior to this was good. Adam was not able to fully bear or walk in dominion by himself. Eve was made to help Adam glorify God the best he could. Both Adam and Eve are made in the image of God which give them equality in that role as human beings. But the way in which those roles are played out as a man and woman will be different.
The woman is put into the role of helper. Is being a helper a good thing? Deuteronomy 22:39, psalms 33:20, Isaiah 15:9–11are all scripture references where helper is used to talk about God. Helper describes god the most by using this term he was calling Eve to image himself. Which goes back to the original purpose of creation to be image bearers of God. Even in the fall of man we see Eve’s identity come through. Genesis 3:1–7 Eve wasn’t dumb. She was intelligent when she has the conversation with Satan. This is important because an identity of stupidity can be put on woman because of the interpretation of this story. Eve knew she was not to eat of this tree, but the original commandment and weight of this commandment was ultimately on Adam and it was his job to protect Eve by stopping her form eating the fruit, but he didn’t so therefore God curses mankind.
Genesis 3:17–19 we see the curses of mankind coming forth. Man is cursed first but, in this curse, comes confusion in our society now and today because it seems as if a new identity is put on Adam via this curse and that is not true. Don’t confuse God cursing us with work because we were created to work from the beginning. When he cursed Adam, he made work hard for the man now. Genesis 3:16 Eves curses. The second curse is the most significant in our discussion of status and role. This does not mean that this curse is the reason men rule woman. For instance, in Genesis 4:7 same words of a curse from God but different people. God tells Cain that sin wants him to control or subdue him. This is the same as the curse to Eve when referring to Adam. This is where the sin of disrespect comes from of wanting to rule him instead of being led by. This curse has implications for her and men. This was not the declaration of headship because headship was created in creation. Yet he will rule over you is the introduction of domineering headship because of this curse the beginning of men oppressing woman was opened. Sin is the reason for this. It taints our view of God and constrains the way we see ourselves.
Ephesians 5:22–24 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” God gives us clarity of what these roles now are. These roles point to the gospel. We as men and woman are to reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is our ultimate role in society. Doing this within the social status we have, sex we have been born with, and role in society will ultimately glorify God and reflect His image as we were all created to do.
1. Christian Perspectives on Sociology.
2. https://youtu.be/N_ZIdCJoulY
3. Dictionary.com
4. https://www.biblegateway.com/
