The subject of the role of women in society has over the past 50 years evolved from women being subjected to the more traditional Western practice of being honored as the more beautiful and consequently fragile sex to one of viewing women as acting more like men and taking the roles of men, which was the foundational purpose of traditional feminism, to now going so far as to see no immediate differences between the two sexes even to the point of allowing women to “transition” to becoming men and separating the word “gender” from sex to allow for one who is biologically a man to become a woman.

The Biblical understanding of the role of women in society starts with a proper understanding of women in the family. In Genesis 2 after God had created Adam, He stated that it was not good for man to be alone. And having placed Adam into a deep sleep, the Lord created woman not from the ground as He had created Adam but from the rib of Adam so as to signify the purpose of the woman in the life of the family. Furthermore, Adam called this new creation from his own body woman (literally from man) so as to indicate not only the origin of her creation but also the purpose of it: to be a helpmate or companion submissive to man coming from man for the purpose of man. This intent is further established by the following statement:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Contained within this statement is the fundamental purpose of marriage expressed to be for the man who in leaving his father and mother starts out on a new journey in life and takes to himself a woman to be his wife for the purpose of starting his own family. Thus, the woman is to be a helper to the man and although united to him as one flesh is under his authority and to be submissive to his leadership and rule.

Likewise, this foundational principle of marriage is supported by the way in which God expressed His relationship towards man first by placing him in the garden and giving him sole care and dominion over it:

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

This text along with the dominion mandate to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over it implies the leadership of the man and the woman’s submission to that leadership. The argument that it was only after the fall of man, being tempted by the devil to sin against the commands of God, that the woman was to be submissive to the man simply will not suffice for it is clearly plain from the text that the very purpose of the creation of the woman was to be a helper for the man and not the other way around. And in fact as God calls His people to walk with Him in newness of life through salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ He calls both man and woman back to fulfill the traditional Biblical roles that they were given in the first two chapters of Genesis. In the fall of man we see a foretaste of the modern view of the woman’s role in marriage and the family which is not to be submissive and obedient to the husband but to seek to rule over and go against the authority of her husband. Even as the devil attacked the woman in his attempt to undermine both the authority of God and man, so the actions of both the man and woman undermined the authority of God. And God in His judgment of both man and woman gives curses specific to their transgressions: to Adam God cursed the work of his hands to have dominion over the earth and the fruit of his labor and to the woman God cursed her womb by adding pain to childbearing but additionally cursed her relationship with man by stating that the woman would more aggressively seek to have authority over her husband:

To the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;

In pain you shall bring forth children;

Your desire shall be for your husband,

And he shall rule over you.”

And this we see throughout the history of the world and more immediately in our western culture today. In fact, the whole bent of our present culture is towards the woman having dominion over the man and against the rule of the patriarchy. But the Biblical foundation and purpose of the creation of a woman is to submit to the authority of her husband and for the husband to lead and have authority over his wife. With this teaching the New Testament writers agree and affirm by the power of the Holy Spirit:

Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

The Apostle Paul affirms the role of the woman in marriage is one of a submissive helper and what is his reason for making this claim? His reason is that the man was created first which undergirds itself in the book of Genesis. Paul makes it abundantly clear that the woman was made for the man not the other way around. But does the woman have any other role than to simply submit to her husband? No! She has the role of raising up and teaching children. No more important role can a woman have than that of teaching and training her own children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The amount of influence that such a task can have on future generations to come will reap a multitude of societal blessings and therefore places this task as a way in which a woman can work out her salvation in fear and trembling. The Old Testament Scriptures speak to this point as well:

But did He not make them one,

Having a remnant of the Spirit?

And why one?

He seeks godly offspring.

The Lord speaking through the prophet Malachi makes it clear that one of the fundamental purposes of marriage is to produce a godly offspring and the motherly role of the wife cannot be emphasized enough as principally instrumental is this task.

The Apostle Paul makes a further connection between the role of husband and wife in marriage and parallels this relationship with that of Jesus Christ and the church. In Ephesians chapter 5 Paul lays out his case for this mysterious connection:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The relationship between a husband and his wife parallels and points to the greater reality of the relationship between Christ and His church. In every submissive act and every act of leadership by both husband and wife there is an opportunity to either exemplify and point to Christ and His church or to vilify and point away from Christ and His church. So, each party should be obedient to their task as unto the Lord Jesus Christ Himself for He is the One who they finally represent. Contrary to our cultural standards submission to a personal authority, particularly God Almighty, is seen as a positive element in not just the woman's role in marriage and in the family but also in broader society as well. When authority diminishes then anarchy takes over and the standard of right and wrong is controlled by whoever is the strongest. The woman was created by God to be a helper for the man and to submit to his authority and it is when she is engaged to this task that she will fulfill her created purpose in life. The Apostle Peter has his own take on the importance of this fundamental purpose of woman in marriage and the family in his first epistle:

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

In this context Peter speaks in more particular language to the behavior of a wife even in a home where she is married to an unbelieving husband. Oh, how contrary today is our culture to these descriptions of a wife's character described here as a “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit"! Notice that Peter commends the woman who submits in this way as one who does “not give way to fear”. This particular phrase is to be noted again as being contrary to our culture who thinks that the woman who submits is one who is fearful and subdued. But Scripture teaches us quite the contrary: it is the woman who submits to her husband and seeks to demonstrate herself in a quiet and gentle spirit who is bold because instead of giving way to her fear and taking control over her household she boldly submits in faith to her God and her husband who God has placed over her. This is not to say that there will be woman who are more charasmatic in their personality and those who will be more naturally inclined to be subdued but that the beauty of each and every woman comes when they in humble faith seek to cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit in regards to their submission to their husbands. Likewise contrary to our culture is the focus on inner beauty rather than “outward adornment” as Peter puts it. The focus on outward adornment in our culture today objectifies the woman and makes her merely an object for men to appease themselves with, but when the focus is placed on cultivating the inner self and godly attributes the woman will present herself to any man as more than a object to be possessed but as a valuable companion who will complement him in every way and truly be a proper husband to leading and guiding, teaching and instructing in the things of the Lord. Such is the created purpose of all women and the redemptive design of God through salvation in Jesus Christ. While more could be said on the subject this should suffice the reader to understand what is the principal design for women in marriage and the family.

Jon-Michael

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