by Garrett Glende

Digging deeper into how God has created man in His own image, Grudem writes chapter 22 of Systematic Theology on the topic “Man as Male and Female.” As one of the more outspoken proponents of the traditional biblical understanding of men’s and women’s roles, Grudem has contributed much to the ongoing conversation regarding this current hot-button issue. Today’s culture would have us believe that there is no difference between a man and a woman. “Equality for all” is a banner waved by many, as the feminist movement continues to gain followers. This article will not make them happy. In fact, I’m sure it will offend many. What I hope to present is a biblical view of the relationship between man and woman, their similarities as well as their differences. Surely this is an issue that is debated by many and we must understand it biblically in order to honor God in our daily living.

Piggybacking off of last week’s article, we know that both man and woman have been created in the image of God. This is the most fundamental aspect of our being and greatly influences the ways in which we interact with one another. Even though we may look different physically, we know that outward appearance is not the greatest measure of who we are. Men and women both have the same capacities to worship their Creator, as well as the same capacity to sin against Him. Eve being the first to sin in the garden does not mean that all women are forever more sinful than men. In fact, Scripture tells us that the sin of Adam was more significant (1 Cor 15:22). Many liberals want to attack the biblical teachings on this issue, claiming that it is degrading towards women and sets our society back hundreds of years. These assertions can be easily dismissed when we look to the Scriptures and see that a godly woman’s husband praises her (Proverbs 31:28), men are to give honor to their wives (1 Pet 3:7), and all have been equally given gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:11). All this, in addition to what the Bible says about man and woman being created in God’s image, leads us to conclude that there is no difference in equality between the two.

However, equality does not mean identical. Isn’t this clear to us already? We all know from interacting with one another that God has made men and women differently. Men are generally good at some things, while women are better at others. That’s just the way it is. Does this make one or the other superior? No, it just makes them different. Is the coach any greater than his players? Is the pastor greater than his flock? No, we are all images of God, called to fulfill specific roles that He has given to us. For the man, this means that he is to be the head of the household and lovingly lead his wife and children. He reflects the role of the Father in the Trinity, as the one with the authority in the relationship. For it is as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” Male headship within the family is a faint image of the kind of relationship that exists within the Godhead. Thus, the role of the woman is to submit to her husband as he leads her in the Lord. We see from Scripture that the woman was made as a helper suitable for Adam (Gen. 2:18). She was the only one that could fulfill the plan that God had made – no animal could even compare! This does not establish that the husband has the right to lord his power over his wife, but rather that women were specifically designed by God to perform this role. As the husband leads and the wife submits, both mirror the love of God for the church. Ephesians 5:25 calls husbands to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” and Ephesians 5:22 calls wives to “submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” The church, as the bride of Christ, is to submit to Him because He has laid His life down on order to wash her clean from all sin and be presented holy, without blemish. What a wonderful truth that we are privileged to acknowledge as we live out our God ordained roles in the household.

The way the church understands this doctrine has profound implications for its practice. It directly influences the questions of female pastorates, teaching roles, family structure, and many others. It would be wrong of us to dismiss the topic as one of little importance, only for the theologians to argue about. When you think about it, what we believe about men’s and women’s roles shows a lot about the way we view God. One important point that I think is worth pointing out is that we can easily fall into extremes when seeking to fulfill these roles. Men can become harsh and overbearing and women can become silent and non-influential in the household. While they may even have the correct motives, both of these extremes must be altered to fit into the mold that God has provided. We must constantly go back and search the Scriptures in order to know and apply the gospel through our roles and men and women within the church. Only then will we be able to celebrate the fact that God has designed us perfectly for one another, and we can give Him all the glory for doing so.